POWER OF ATTORNEY


	Know all by these presents, that the undersigned hereby constitutes
and appoints each of Chris Minar, Jack Polson and Brent Turner, signing
singly, the undersigned's true and lawful attorney-in-fact to:

(1)	execute for and on behalf of the undersigned, in the undersigned's
capacity as an officer and/or director of Psychiatric Solutions, Inc.
(the "Company"), Forms 3, 4 and 5 in accordance with Section 16(a) of the
Securities and Exchange Act of 1934 and the rules thereunder;

(2)	do and perform any and all acts for and on behalf of the undersigned
which may be necessary or desirable to complete and execute any such
Form 3, 4, or 5, complete and execute any amendment or amendments thereto,
and timely file such form with the United States Securities and Exchange
Commission and any stock exchange or similar authority; and

(3)	take any other action of any type whatsoever in connection with the
foregoing which, in the opinion of such attorney-in-fact, may be of benefit
to, in the best interest of, or legally required by, the undersigned, it
being understood that the documents executed by such attorney-in-fact on
behalf of the undersigned pursuant to this Power of Attorney shall be in
such form and shall contain such terms and conditions as such
attorney-in-fact may approve in such attorney-in-fact's discretion.

The undersigned hereby grants to each such attorney-in-fact full power and
authority to do and perform any and every act and thing whatsoever requisite,
necessary, or proper to be done in the exercise of any of the rights and
powers herein granted, as fully to all intents and purposes as the undersigned
might or could do if personally present, with full power of substitution or
revocation, hereby ratifying and confirming all that such attorney-in-fact,
or such attorney-in-fact's substitute or substitutes, shall lawfully do or
cause to be done by virtue of this Power of Attorney and the rights and
powers herein granted.  The undersigned acknowledges that the foregoing
attorneys-in-fact, in serving in such capacity at the request of the
undersigned, are not assuming, nor is the Company assuming, any of the
undersigned's responsibilities to comply with Section 16 of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

This Power of Attorney shall remain in full force and effect until the
undersigned is no longer required to file Forms 3, 4, and 5 with respect
to the undersigned's holdings of and transactions in securities issued
by the Company, unless earlier revoked by the undersigned in a signed
writing delivered to the foregoing attorneys-in-fact.


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned has caused this Power of Attorney
to be executed as of this 1st day of September, 2004.


                                /S/ WILLIAM M PETRIE
 				____________________________________
				Signature

                                WILLIAM M PETRIE
                                __________________
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