Designing Hope: Creating Behavioral Health Spaces that Support Healing

July 9, 2026

We’re honored to have provided insight for Minnesota Physician Magazine, where Stacy Collins, Mohagen Hansen’s Healthcare + Wellness Studio Lead, shared her expertise on the role thoughtful design plays in supporting behavioral health environments for children and adolescents.

“Behavioral health facilities are more than buildings — they are environments that communicate hope, restore dignity, and support brighter futures.”

In the article, Stacy discusses the importance of creating spaces that balance safety, dignity, and healing — while highlighting our work on the Hennepin County Youth Crisis Stabilization Center as a local example of trauma-informed design in action.

Across Minnesota and throughout the nation, youth behavioral health needs continue to rise — increasing the importance of environments that support early intervention, stabilization, and recovery. While clinical care remains at the center of treatment, the spaces where care is delivered can play a powerful role in reducing stress, enhancing safety, and creating opportunities for healing.

Through thoughtful design strategies — including calming materials, natural light, intuitive layouts, sensory spaces, and supportive therapeutic environments — behavioral health facilities can create a sense of comfort and control during moments of crisis.

Natural materials such as wood-look finishes, textured fabrics, and calming color palettes soften the environment, reduce the institutional feel and help lower visual stress while creating an atmosphere that feels more residential than clinical. 

Developed in partnership with Hennepin County, Nexus Family Healing, and planning consultant human eXperience, the Hennepin County Youth Crisis Stabilization Center transformed three floors of an existing county-owned building into a safe, therapeutic environment for youth ages 9 to 17. The design incorporates restorative lighting, flexible therapy areas, calming materials, and a dedicated sensory room to support emotional regulation and recovery.

Behavioral health facilities are more than buildings — they are environments that can communicate hope, restore dignity, and support brighter futures.

Read Stacy’s full article featured in Minnesota Physician Magazine here:
https://www.mnphy.com/0626-cover-one-the-health-care-workforce-shortage-multiphasic-problems-and-solutions-by-kenneth-botelho

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