Residential Treatment for Troubled Teens

Posted On In Boarding School Info, Therapy, Treatment

Residential Treatment for Troubled Teens

Sometimes, parents at their wits’ end feel they have no other option than to consider residential treatment for troubled teens.  But private residential treatment facilities “can cost as much as a year in college; they’re mostly the province of well-off parents.”(1)  While some insurance companies will cover treatment if the school is properly accredited, residential treatment centers, “which are more like boarding schools than traditional hospitals, can become accredited under standards that have little to do with the daily programs and activities practiced in them. Many RTCs are not accredited at all.” (2)

In part because of the RTCs’ unusual status, and in part because of lax regulations, some “residential treatment programs have amassed a disturbing number of complaints from kids and parents who … allege that the schools physically and mentally abuse their students.” (3)

Therefore, if you are considering residential treatment for troubled teens, be sure to ask tough questions of the center’s representatives.  For example, make certain the RTC conducts background checks on its employees. “If the answer is yes, find out who does the background check and how extensive it is. Call the company to confirm that it provides background check services for the treatment program. If the answer is no or the program does not conduct background checks, consider it a red flag.” (4)

Residential treatment is expensive, so ascertain what level of care the RTC intends to provide your child for the money you will be asked to pay.  “Ask whether your child will have group or individual therapy sessions. … Ask how often the sessions will take place and who will conduct them. Once enrolled, confirm with your child that the promised level of care is being received.” (5)

If you will desire to maintain close contact with your teenager, you should make certain that your RTC allows this.  “Some programs prohibit, monitor, or otherwise restrict verbal or written communication between you and your child. Find out what is allowed and prohibited before you enroll your child.” (6)

There are many more questions to ask any potential center that provides residential treatment for troubled teens.  If you would like more information, please visit:


Endnotes

  1. Meza-Wilson, Anthony and Christy Harrison. “Safe Choices for Troubled Teens.” AskQuestions.org. 2004. Retr. 22 Mar. 2012 <http://www.askquestions.org/articles/teens/>
  2. Ibid.
  3. Ibid.
  1. “Considering a Private Residential Treatment Program for a Troubled Teen? Questions for Parents and Guardians to Ask.” Federal Trade Commission. 2008. Retr. 22 Mar. 2012 <http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/products/pro27.shtm>
  2. Ibid.
  3. Ibid.