Medically reviewed by Dr. Steven Radowitz [October 5th, 2026]
If your son or daughter is struggling, you may have already hit one of two walls. Either the standard TMS schedule means getting them to a clinic nearly every day for weeks, which is hard to fit around school, or you are wary of starting antidepressants. One-day TMS is designed for parents in that spot: one long treatment day in place of weeks of appointments.
TMS, or transcranial magnetic stimulation, uses a coil on the scalp to send focused magnetic pulses to brain circuits involved in mood. One-day TMS compresses treatment into a single day of around 20 sessions, instead of spreading it across six to nine weeks. This guide is for parents of 18- to 21-year-old patients. It walks through what happens at Nushama’s Manhattan center and how you can help before, during and after the treatment day, without taking over.
First, how involved do they want you to be?
Your child is an adult now, so they get to decide how involved you are, including what you hear and whether you come at all.
Under federal privacy rules, providers aren’t required to share an adult patient’s health information with family, and can share it when the patient agrees or does not object. Ask before assuming, and keep it short and easy:
- “Do you want me there all day, just for drop-off and pickup, or on call?”
- “What would you like me to tell your grandmother if she asks?”
- “If you want the room to yourself between sessions, that’s completely fine. I won’t take it personally.”
Two lines help: “I’m glad you’re doing this” and “I’ll be nearby if you want me.” Then let them set the pace. It’s their treatment, and it tends to go best when they feel in charge of it.
What should we do in the week before?
Most of your prep this week is paperwork and planning the ride.
Treatment starts with a psychiatric consultation. Help them collect a current medication list with doses, past antidepressants with rough durations, prior therapy, and any history of seizures, head injury or implanted metal. A history of seizures or metal implants near the head can rule one-day TMS out, which is why Nushama’s care team screens for both before treatment day. The consultation is also where the team confirms your young adult is eligible for one-day TMS.
Nushama’s Manhattan center is at 515 Madison Avenue, 21st Floor, with the entrance on East 53rd Street. A long day is tiring even without sedation, so plan a ride home and clear anything demanding from the next day. Try to keep their usual bedtime and meals.
If “what if this doesn’t work?” is on your mind, that’s completely natural. It’s a good question to bring to a follow-up appointment, where a clinician can answer it properly, rather than something to work through the night before.
What does the treatment day at Nushama’s Manhattan center look like for parents?
The day runs 8 to 10 hours: a motor-threshold mapping session, then about 20 three-minute sessions with rest breaks, in a private room, with lunch included. The mapping session is a short test that finds the right pulse strength for your child. You may be there for drop-off and pickup, or for the whole day.
Between sessions, your young adult can nap or put on headphones. They stay fully alert, with no sedation and no altered state, and there is no medical recovery period afterward, only the ordinary tiredness of a long day. For clinical detail, see one-day TMS in Manhattan.
The National Institute of Mental Health lists treatment-site discomfort and mild headache as common side effects. In a 2025 trial of theta-burst stimulation in adolescents, headache was the most common side effect, and it also showed up often in the comparison group that received a fake treatment. Theta-burst is a faster TMS pulse pattern. That study followed younger teens on a five-day schedule rather than a single day, so treat it as a rough guide, not a direct match for your young adult.
Pack a charger and their own headphones. Send one text mid-afternoon: “no reply needed, just here.” Try not to ask whether they feel better yet, however much you want to know. Improvement builds over the following weeks, so the question mostly puts them in the position of reassuring you.
A parent’s quick view of the day
| When | What happens | What helps from you |
|---|---|---|
| Week before | Consultation, medication and history review, logistics | Gather records, arrange the ride, keep routines steady |
| Treatment day | Check-in, about 20 short sessions with rest between, lunch provided, private room | Drop-off, one light check-in text, pickup |
| That evening | Tiredness, sometimes a mild headache | A quiet, ordinary evening; know when to call |
| Weeks after | Follow-up check-ins, therapy, sleep and routine | Notice small behavior changes, support the plan |
What about the evening after one-day TMS?
Keep the evening easy. Tiredness is expected, and a mild headache is possible.
Water and a dark room can help with a headache, and so can any pain reliever their clinician has cleared. Plan a quiet night with dinner they like.
Call the care team if you notice a worsening headache, confusion, fainting or a clear drop in mood. Serious side effects such as seizures are extremely rare. Screening before the day looks for the factors that raise that risk. In a crisis at any hour, call or text 988 or go to the nearest emergency room. The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline answers calls, texts and chats 24/7, including in Spanish.
The weeks after: where do parents matter most?
Small changes often show up before anyone says they feel better.
Some people notice shifts in sleep, energy or mood within one to two weeks, while for others the full benefit builds over four to six weeks. Look for small signs, like getting up without three alarms or making plans with a friend. Nushama’s post on how recovery unfolds after TMS lays out the usual order of change.
Follow the care team’s plan, including follow-up check-ins and any therapy already underway. The one-day TMS aftercare guide covers the months after treatment.
Ask about their day, not their depression. Save more direct questions for a weekly check-in rather than the treatment day.
Who is taking care of you?
You need support too, starting this week.
Tell one friend what’s happening, and keep one plan on your calendar that has nothing to do with treatment. NAMI Basics, from the National Alliance on Mental Illness, is a free education program for parents and caregivers of young people aged 22 and younger. Nushama’s general guide for supporters has more on supporting someone through a TMS course.
It may also help to know you’re far from alone: 15.9% of young adults aged 18 to 25 had a major depressive episode in 2024, the highest rate of any adult age group.
How Nushama supports you and your young adult
Nushama is set up so that one long day is also a well-supported one, for your young adult and for you.
The practice includes Dr. Mark Braunstein, DO, a child, adolescent and adult psychiatrist with fellowship training in child and adolescent psychiatry. The center also offers the standard course of 36 visits over six to nine weeks for patients who need that schedule, so the consultation can focus on which approach fits your young adult rather than steering them toward one.
Request a consultation with Nushama’s care team so you and your young adult can hear exactly what the day involves, and ask every question you have, before treatment day.
FAQ
Can I sit in the room with them during sessions?
Only if your young adult wants you there and the clinical team can make it work. It’s best to settle this at the consultation, before treatment day.
Will the care team tell me how it went?
Usually only if your adult child says yes or doesn’t object, as the HHS guidance for family members and friends explains. Your young adult can choose to include you in the end-of-day conversation.
Do they need to avoid driving after one-day TMS?
No sedation is used, so the main concern is tiredness after a long day. Check driving guidance with the care team.
How soon should we expect to see something?
It varies. Some people notice changes within the first couple of weeks, and for others it takes four to six weeks, as described in the weeks-after section above. The care team measures progress at follow-up.
What if nothing changes?
Bring it up at a follow-up appointment. The care team can look at how things are going and talk through other options. You can also speak with Nushama’s care team directly.