Residential Treatment Centers

Definition, specifics and purpose of Residential Treatment Centers.

Residential care is usually reserved for the child who is having problems in all three major areas of his life: family, school and peers, and even then only when the problems have not been amenable to out-patient treatment. Residential treatment is 24-hour care and is different from a group home (which is usually staffed by one couple and where children are able to attend local schools) or a psychiatric hospital (which are generally used for severely disturbed children who are suicidal or who are undergoing detoxification or receiving treatment for psychoses etc.) A child who needs residential treatment remains at the facility for 12 to 24 months and goes to school on the premises.

Residential Treatment Centers include doctorate-level clinical staff, psychiatric intervention, intense therapy programs, and are safe and, in some cases, locked facilities.

Common problems of children placed in residential treatment include low self-esteem, inability or inadequacy at forming relationships, poor control of emotions, learning disabilities, adoption issues, drug/alcohol abuse, anxiety, ODD, OCD, bipolar disorder or depression.

The purpose of a residential treatment center is to effect long-term internal and external changes in a very troubled child. This is achieved by creating an individualized and consistent plan for addressing problems through several areas of influence: the academic milieu, intense therapy intervention, personal growth and peer culture, and the living environment. All of the components of the program work and communicate together to effect and empower change.

The best centers have the following:

Accredited Academics component
Behavior Modification component
Therapy component
Personal Growth (Leadership) component
Parent Education component
Aftercare component
Administration and staff training component