Residential Treatment Centers Information

Gathering as much helpful information as possible about residential treatment centers is an essential first step for parents to decide on residential or non-residential therapy for their teen. There is a lot of conflicting information from different sources about private therapeutic programs, making it quite a task to sift through to find reliable information.  

It sounds cliche, but it is true. Each child is different and responds to situations differently. The same applies to treatment centers. They are not all created equally. 

Making an Informed Choice For Residential Treatment Programs for Teens

With so many programs, how can you choose the one that best meets your teen’s needs? The criteria for your decision should include size, specialties, therapy philosophies and offerings, outcomes and reputation, staff credentials, location, and certifications and licenses. 

Size is important in finding the right residential treatment center as the number of patients and staff-to-patient ratio indicates the individualized care and attention each resident will receive. 

Your teen’s needs will be better addressed when you understand the specialties, such as mental health issues, ADD or ADHD, drug rehab or eating disorder treatment. 

Are therapy philosophies and offerings, and will they help your teen achieve lasting changes and healing? Additionally, get honest feedback. What are the treatment center’s outcomes and reputation? What do other parents have to say? You need to ensure you get passed the marketing information and confirm they provide the highest quality care. 

Make sure that the center’s staff has the necessary credentials and is appropriately licensed, and if location matters to you, be sure to factor that into your search as well. Taking the time to thoroughly consider all the necessary criteria is vital in ensuring that your chosen treatment facility will meet your child’s needs.

 

Alternative Treatment Programs: Should You Consider Military or Therapeutic Schools to Help Troubled Teens?

Troubled teens often need an extra layer of support and guidance that can come from specialized therapeutic and military schools. Military schools provide structured environments emphasizing order and discipline, creating a system that gives teenagers structure and purpose. It is especially suited for those teens who may not be thriving in a traditional academic environment, allowing them to build the discipline and drive to get them on the right track.

Therapeutic boarding schools focus on providing teenagers with residential treatment that helps them with behavioral and mental health issues—involving counseling, activities, and individualized attention to help teens build on their strengths and learn to manage their weaknesses better. It provides a safe and nurturing environment that enables teens to recognize their potential and foster personal growth.

The Difference Between Therapeutic Boarding Schools and Residential Treatment Programs

It can be hard to distinguish between a therapeutic boarding school and a residential treatment program. Both offer therapeutic and academic help to troubled teens, but a therapeutic boarding school goes a step further by combining this help with educational and athletic opportunities and provides a boarding experience for teens. Residential treatment focuses on medical and therapeutic services, providing a highly structured, closely monitored life experience with therapies. A few hybrid programs offer a mix of medical services and academics. 

Residential treatment is often a better option for a teen with severe behavioral issues or mental health needs, as it offers around-the-clock therapeutic care. For teens with mild to moderate behavioral and mental health issues, a therapeutic boarding school is typically the most effective option for providing guidance, education, and lasting support. Therapeutic boarding schools come in many flavors, so parents can choose a program that is consistent with their values or specializes in working with teens with specific conditions. 

Religious boarding schools are those schools that are run after a particular religious tradition. The curriculum is mostly the same as traditional boarding schools, but some additional courses and activities are related to the student’s spiritual growth. For example, Catholic boarding schools would probably have catechism classes or classes where students can learn more about the Catholic faith. Most religious boarding schools are ecumenical, not exclusively for students of the same faith.

The Potential Benefits of Therapeutic Boarding Schools

Therapeutic boarding schools provide a much-needed safe haven for students struggling with behavioral issues, special needs, and disorders such as ADD/ADHD, dyslexia, and more. The main benefit of TBS is small class sizes with teachers specially trained to help teens provide support and encouragement, individual attention, and much more than academics and therapy. 

Different children have different needs, which may be addressed by different types of boarding schools and/or residential treatment centers. It’s very important for parents to work closely with their family doctor/therapist in order to know which school would be a good fit for troubled teens. Even the most well-meaning efforts may come to nothing if the teen is not the right fit for the school.