When a mental health crisis hits a family’s life, nothing feels quite the same. A child may stop thriving at school, an adult may struggle with daily routines, and loved ones may find themselves searching for answers while simply hoping things will get better. Behind every patient is a person, and behind every person is a family carrying its own worries, hopes, and fears. At Westborough Behavioral Healthcare Hospital, treatment begins with an understanding of those realities. The goal extends beyond helping someone through a difficult moment to providing the guidance and resources needed to regain stability and return to a fulfilling life.

At the heart of the hospital’s approach is a commitment to serving children, adolescents, and adults living with severe and persistent mental health challenges. Shawn Daugherty, CEO of Westborough Behavioral Healthcare Hospital, believes recovery is a long-term process requiring careful planning and continued support. “People who struggle with and live with mental health challenges, it is a long-term process,” says Daugherty. For the hospital, discharge is not simply the conclusion of treatment but an important step toward helping individuals succeed within their own communities.

Westborough provides a broad continuum of services for individuals at different stages of recovery. Specialized programs serve children and adolescents with autism and psychiatric needs, while dedicated services address behavioral challenges among younger children. Four adult units provide specialized treatment for individuals living with severe and persistent mental illness.

The hospital’s commitment extends beyond inpatient treatment. Westborough also provides Intensive Outpatient and Partial Hospitalization Programs for individuals transitioning to a less intensive level of support. Such services allow treatment to evolve as needs change, creating a more connected path from hospitalization back to daily life. Daugherty describes Westborough as a place where a “compassionate, committed group of professionals” comes together every day to serve people with significant needs.

Its work with children and adolescents with autism represents one of the hospital’s strongest areas of specialization. Westborough is the largest provider of these services in the Commonwealth. Specialized behavioral expertise, psychiatric services, nursing assistance, and therapeutic interventions come together to address complex needs that can be difficult for families to manage alone.

Behind the quality of its services is an equally strong focus on the professionals delivering them. Behavioral healthcare organizations face growing demand, workforce shortages, and the risk of staff becoming overwhelmed. Westborough has responded by investing heavily in recruitment, training, and professional development. Daugherty notes the hospital hired more than 100 people during the past year and maintained the company’s lowest turnover rate in the country for much of 2026. For him, retaining skilled employees is closely tied to consistency and quality. “What that results in is a highly competent staff and very low turnover,” he explains.

Clinical services at Westborough are grounded in evidence-based practices. Its autism programs follow Applied Behavior Analysis principles, while psychiatrists draw on current research when developing treatment plans and determining appropriate medications. Therapeutic approaches such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Dialectical Behavior Therapy are also incorporated into the clinical model. Together, these methods enable the hospital to address behavioral, psychological, and psychiatric needs through coordinated interventions.

Westborough also closely evaluates whether its approach is producing meaningful results. Patient satisfaction, readmission rates, length of stay, treatment outcomes, and feedback from payer partners all contribute to the organization’s quality assessment process. Rather than viewing quality as an achievement reached once and maintained indefinitely, the hospital continually examines its practices and identifies areas for improvement. “Quality and excellence are an everyday endeavor,” says Daugherty. “We have a culture of constantly working at the development of clinical excellence.”

The clearest measure of impact, however, often comes from families. Daugherty has heard stories from parents, loved ones, and patients who arrived after enduring prolonged periods of fear, stress, financial pressure, and strained relationships. Over time, some families have watched those circumstances change. A child may become stable enough to return to a public school instead of remaining in a residential program. An adult may gain sufficient independence to live with family rather than remain in a group home. For Daugherty, such changes carry a significance clinical numbers alone cannot capture. “Those human connections and the value and importance of them are something that always touches me,” Daugherty says.

Daugherty brings 38 years of experience in direct care and executive leadership to his role at Westborough. His leadership reflects the qualities he believes define the organization: commitment, compassion, and integrity. He describes a team that shows up, works hard, and remains dedicated to people living with significant mental health challenges. At the same time, he views clinical excellence as a continuous effort rather than a destination. Westborough is also exploring opportunities to expand its services through ongoing discussions with the Department of Mental Health, although no plans have been formalized.

For Westborough, the purpose of behavioral healthcare ultimately becomes clearest in what happens after treatment. It may be a child returning to school, an adult gaining greater independence, or a family finding a sense of stability after a difficult period. Such moments give meaning to the clinical work taking place every day. As Daugherty puts it, the pursuit of excellence is “a relentless pursuit”—one that keeps Westborough committed to helping people move forward, one recovery journey at a time.