Structured mental health treatment for adults who need more than weekly therapy, within reach of the Lake Hopatcong community.
Wellness Hills provides adult outpatient mental health treatment in Chester, about 25 to 35 minutes from the Lake Hopatcong section of Jefferson Township. Care spans several levels: outpatient therapy, an intensive outpatient program, a partial hospitalization program, and psychiatric medication management. Care is provided by licensed therapists and counselors, with psychiatric evaluation and medication management available when they are part of the treatment plan.
Lake Hopatcong here means the Jefferson Township community on the lake’s northeast side, in Morris County. Neighbors around the rest of the shoreline, in Hopatcong Borough and Mount Arlington, are a similar drive from the same care, though times vary by where you sit on the lake.
Weekly therapy may be enough when symptoms stay manageable between appointments. When it is not, IOP and PHP can provide more frequent, structured support without 24-hour hospital care. An assessment determines which level is appropriate for you.
If you already know you want to talk, call 973-532-5139 or verify your insurance online.
Outpatient care is not one thing. These programs sit between weekly therapy and hospital care, and they differ mainly in how many hours of support they provide each week. An assessment determines which level fits your situation, and people can move between levels as their needs change. Depending on the treatment plan, care may draw on approaches such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).
IOP may be a fit when weekly appointments no longer provide enough structure, but daily life at home can continue. Daytime and evening tracks can help Lake Hopatcong residents work treatment around the drive to Chester. Learn more about the intensive outpatient program.
PHP is the most intensive level of outpatient care Wellness Hills offers. It can be appropriate for someone who needs full daytime clinical support while continuing to sleep at home. Learn more about the partial hospitalization program.
Ongoing individual therapy is available through the outpatient program, and psychiatric medication management is provided by Paula Weisman, PMHNP-BC.
From the Lake Hopatcong side of Jefferson Township, take Route 15 South and pick up I-80 West at Exit 34. Stay on I-80 for about seven miles to Exit 27A, then follow US-206 South through Flanders toward Chester. At the traffic light at Main Street, marked by the Welcome to Chester sign, turn left. The office at 425 Main Street, Floor 1, is on the left.
Plan on about 25 to 35 minutes. That estimate is for the lakeside of the township; Milton and Oak Ridge sit farther north, so drive times from those sections run longer. Free on-site parking sits along Main Street at the office entrance, so there is no separate lot to find.
One point of orientation: the rail station named Lake Hopatcong is actually in Landing, in Roxbury Township, and there is no direct rail service from that station to Chester. For most residents, that makes this a driving trip.
For residents driving from the lake, treatment frequency and start time can determine whether a day or evening track is practical.
An assessment determines the appropriate level of care. If IOP is recommended, admissions can discuss which available schedule and format are practical.
Wellness Hills treats adults whose mental health conditions call for more support than weekly therapy alone.
That includes anxiety treatment, depression treatment, ADHD treatment, bipolar disorder treatment, and borderline personality disorder treatment, each at every level of care described above.
These pages explain each condition and how treatment works; this page’s job is only to tell you the care is within reach of Lake Hopatcong. For everything else Wellness Hills treats, see the full list of conditions.
Find out your personal coverage & options for treatment with a free verification of benefits from our admissions team. Whether you come to our programs or not we will ensure that you receive personalized recommendations for treatment based on your needs.
Wellness Hills is an outpatient provider. It does not offer emergency, inpatient, residential, or medical detox care, and no outpatient program is the right starting point for someone in immediate danger, someone who cannot remain safe, or someone who needs round-the-clock monitoring. Those situations call for emergency or crisis services first.
Suicidal thoughts warrant prompt professional assessment. Whether hospitalization is recommended depends on factors such as immediate intent, a plan or access to means, the person’s ability to remain safe, and the clinician’s assessment. Suicidal thoughts do not automatically rule out outpatient care; an assessment determines whether someone can be treated safely at this level.
When a higher level of care is needed, psychiatric emergency screening for Morris County happens at Saint Clare’s in Denville, and inpatient psychiatric care at Saint Clare’s Behavioral Health Hospital in Boonton, the same health system on two campuses. Readers on the Sussex County side of the lake are screened at Newton Medical Center.
None of these is on the lake. Wellness Hills can provide coordination with inpatient providers when an assessment points to inpatient care, and every crisis number and hours line appears in the resources section just below.
Average 5.0 Rating
"I felt supported, understood, and never judged. The therapists here actually listen, and the groups helped me build confidence and skills I didn’t even know I needed. I’m healthier, calmer, and finally hopeful about my future. I’m so grateful for the care I received.”
Client Satisfaction
Before treatment begins, Wellness Hills verifies your benefits and explains what your plan covers and what you can expect to pay. Admissions can review active coverage, network status, deductibles, copays or coinsurance, and authorization requirements using information supplied by your insurer.
Verification is not a guarantee of payment, and the insurer makes the final coverage determination. Details on how coverage works are on the insurance coverage page, or you can verify your insurance to get started.
If you are in immediate danger, call 911.
For a mental health crisis anywhere around the lake, call or text 988, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, available 24/7.
Which hospital handles psychiatric emergency screening depends on your county:
Morris County addresses, including Jefferson Township and Mount Arlington: Saint Clare’s in Denville is the county’s designated psychiatric emergency screening service. The 24-hour crisis hotline is 973-625-6160.
Sussex County addresses, including Hopatcong Borough: Newton Medical Center is the county’s designated screening service. The 24-hour line is 973-383-0973.
NJ Mental Health Cares, 1-866-202-4357, is the state’s information and referral line, staffed daily 8 am to 8 pm. It is not a crisis line.
Jefferson Township maintains a Mental Health and Wellness Resources page, a municipal resource directory rather than a treatment provider or crisis service. Jefferson Connect, the township’s volunteer mental health awareness nonprofit, runs community support programming for residents.
Here are four questions that come up when treatment is a drive away rather than in town.
Possibly. The evening IOP track meets three evenings a week, and the schedule is in the section above on fitting treatment around the drive. Whether it is practical depends on your work location, traffic, and the currently available schedule, and an assessment first determines whether IOP is the right level of care.
Medication management with Paula Weisman, PMHNP-BC, may be available in person or through New Jersey telehealth appointments when clinically appropriate. Medication is not automatically included in every treatment plan; prescribing decisions are made individually with the psychiatric provider.
Not directly. Lake Hopatcong Station is actually in Landing, in Roxbury Township, and there is no direct rail service from the station to Chester. Plan on driving, about 25 to 35 minutes.
Treatment at Wellness Hills works the same, and the drive is similar. What changes is crisis routing: Sussex County’s designated screening service is Newton Medical Center rather than Saint Clare’s. Both are listed with their numbers in the resources section above.
Starting from Lake Hopatcong takes one phone call. The first conversation is short: a few questions about what you are dealing with, a check of your insurance, and a scheduled assessment that determines which level of care fits. Nothing is decided before that assessment, and there is nothing to prepare.
Call 973-532-5139 or verify your insurance online to begin, and ask about telehealth eligibility when you call. Wellness Hills serves Lake Hopatcong and communities throughout Morris County.
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline | Get Help – Free, confidential crisis support available 24/7 by calling or texting 988 or using the online chat service.
Saint Clare’s Health | Psychiatric Emergency – Information about Saint Clare’s designated psychiatric screening service for Morris County, including emergency evaluations, mobile screening and its 24-hour crisis hotline.
Atlantic Health System | Atlantic Behavioral Health at Newton Medical Center – Location and contact information for behavioral health services at Newton Medical Center in Sussex County.
New Jersey Mental Health Cares | Behavioral Health Information and Referrals – New Jersey’s statewide behavioral health information and referral service, connecting residents with inpatient, outpatient, rehabilitation, housing and other support resources.
Township of Jefferson | Mental Health and Wellness Resources – Jefferson Township’s directory of mental health, crisis intervention, support group and community-service resources for residents.
Township of Jefferson | Jefferson Township Connect – Information about Jefferson Connect, a community initiative providing mental health awareness, education, wellness and support programming in Jefferson Township.
