Residential Treatment For Youth

10 Minutes

Edited & medically reviewed by THE BALANCE Team
Fact checked

Residential treatment for children and teens is the most intensive type of treatment available. Although still living at home, certain children, young people and adolescents can get mental health care and therapy. Others, however, who have major behavioral issues or live in unsafe environments, will have to live in a residential setting with ongoing medical care.

Residential luxury rehab is only sought-for if other, less intensive community-based treatments have failed or if outpatient treatments are insufficient to meet the young person’s needs. To put it another way, residential treatment is the last resort after you’ve exhausted all other options.

Psychiatric in-patient care in a healthcare institution is not the same as a residential treatment program is. Residential programs normally include lengthier stays, whereas psychiatric treatment is primarily for persons in crisis who need help for a short amount of time.

Making the decision to put a child or adolescent in a residential treatment center can be a difficult one. The type of assistance provided inpatient psychiatric care to a family varies by location, but it may include:

  • Training programs for parents and guardians
  • Family therapy or counseling
  • During moderated family visits, in-home support to help families and adolescents adopt new strategies
  • Parents or guardians who are concerned about their teen or young adult’s behavior might join support groups conducted by and for them.
  • Support via telephone
  • Mental health awareness  and education

Children and teens in residential treatment are placed in a controlled setting with constant supervision.

Here’s an example of what that could look like:

  • Even though this may not always be the case, particularly in transitional placements or group homes, most residential amenities are locked – this means the child could not leave without oversight by staff.
  • Most centers provide a small school as part of their services. The school is required by law to follow the guidelines of any school, as well as the Individual Education Plan (IEP) if one exists.
  • In order to focus on socializing, kids in residential therapy frequently go on community outings.
  • Children may be housed in apartments or cottages.
  • A behavior system with positive encouragement, rewards, and punishments is usually included in most programs.
  • Many facilities have the lawful power to physically detain children if they are a danger to themselves or others.
  • Unless there are special circumstances, most programs welcome family involvement and have set visiting hours. Parents are kept in the loop by therapists and program directors. Regular meetings are held to discuss the child’s progress.

If your child struggles with any of the following, speaking with a therapeutic placement consultant for a residential treatment facility for youth may be beneficial.

  • Mental Illness
  • Eating Addictions Or Eating Disorders
  • Safety Concerns For Self Or Others
  • A Lack Of Home And Domestic Support

Residential programs for youth are divided into four levels.

Level 1: Treatment that is only needed for a short period of time.

Level 1 residential sessions are less rigorous, short-term programs meant for kids transitioning from a higher level residential facility or newcomers who aren’t sure what they require. Level 1 programs, such as wilderness treatment programs or therapeutic boarding schools are a good place to start if you want to give your teen a break from their existing habits and routine. Teens at a level 1 facility are obligated to abide by the rules and engage in individual and group activities, as well as have more freedom than those in higher-level residential treatment centers or programs. Teens can be raised to a different higher level of residential treatment centers if necessary, which is addressed in more detail below.

Level 2: Extension in Length and Security

A level 2 rehab program may be a superior option if your kid has a record of defying authority, fleeing, or abusing substances. For your son or daughter’s protection or in the event of a medical emergency, a level 2 residential treatment center will provide better security and supervision. More rigorous individual therapy or therapeutic boarding schools for behavioral difficulties and mental health concerns are common in Level 2 residential treatment centers and programs.

Level 3: Live-In Programs with a Strong Structure

This level of treatment is better suited to dealing with recalcitrant or self-harming teenagers. They frequently have more security and restrictions than a juvenile jail institution or rehabilitation program. A level 3 program will last longer than a level 1 or 2 programs, and educational support will be available.

Level 4: Extensive Psychological and Behavioral Therapy

The most serious forms of therapeutic treatment are reserved for Level 4 residential facilities. Level 4 treatment is for children or adolescents who are a danger to themselves or others. They will be treated in a setting that resembles a mental institution, with constant monitoring and security as trained specialists attempt to change their self-destructive and aggressive tendencies.

Parents, teens and families may consider enrolling their youngsters in a residential treatment center for youth if their teen is struggling with major behavioral disorders. A short-term or long-term residential program for youth is available across the globe.

Short-term behavioral rehabilitation programs last a few weeks on average. The programs are frequently held in a hospital setting, and enrolled youths are subjected to rigorous treatment regimens under the supervision of a physician or other medical personnel. The child or teen usually starts an outpatient treatment plan after a few weeks of treatment.

While a short-term therapy program may benefit certain teenagers, it is not always the best option. The fact that this alternative only lasts a few weeks is a negative, and some kids may require a lengthier stay to create lasting behavioral adjustments. Furthermore, the hospital environment can be less welcoming than a residential living situation for troubled teenagers.

Long-term residential facilities for youth, sometimes with therapeutic programs, offer an alternative to or a progression from short-term, treatment centers. Teens join in 12- to 18-month residential treatment programs. When compared to a standard hospital setting, the youngsters live in a community-based atmosphere that can feel more like home. Teenagers who complete the course have had at minimum a year to put their new abilities into practice, giving them a better chance of enduring behavioral change.

Additional benefits of long-term programs versus short-term ones are discussed below.

It’s possible that the child’s behavior will not change when they return from a short-term residential facility for youth. Some patients seek long-term care for their children in these situations. Long-term behavioral health institutions provide several major advantages over short-term programs, including the ability to achieve more permanent behavioral changes.

For starters, many long-term teen mental health and behavioral health issues’ facilities also serve as boarding schools. In addition to getting continued therapeutic care, the adolescent is able to complete their education. After completing a long-term program, a teenager can easily move to a more regular classroom setting. It is critical to make this shift as painless as possible in order to achieve long-term behavioral change.

During a long-term program, therapists and mental health experts can also create deeper ties with each adolescent. Short-term interventions may cause the adolescent to become alienated and hide behind protective barriers that are ultimately ineffective in reaching behavioral goals. The treatment center’s trained staff also can create enduring trust and rapport with each kid during long-term programming. The treatment center’s staff can better comprehend each teen’s basic values, motives, and anxieties as a result of this deeper relationship.

Finally, teenagers can build important ties with other enrolled teenagers throughout long-term programs. The importance of relationships between each youngster was underlined in a recent piece in Women’s Fitness Magazine about the advantages of long-term residential care. The other kids are just as important as the professionals in terms of therapy and healing. Residents at the programs can build self-regulation skills through collaborative therapeutic activities and with their peers, and this “positive peer pressure” is critical to attaining long-term behavioral improvements.

Dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) is one of the common types of therapy being utilized at teen residential treatment programs, which is an evidence-based treatment for teenagers who have trouble controlling their behaviors and emotions.

The ability of a teen to build a solid sense of self is sometimes hampered by behavioral problems and emotional dysregulation (impairment or abnormality). Making and maintaining rewarding, meaningful relationships with family and peers is part of this. Avoidant or impulsive behavior might be the outcome of dysregulation of emotions or an attempt to regulate or achieve control.

The 5 skill sets listed below were created to address the issues that come with emotional dysregulation.

  • Adolescents who practice mindfulness improve their attentional control and self-awareness while also reducing pain and enhancing joy.
  • Distress tolerance educates people on how to manage their emotions and embrace reality as it is.
  • Emotion regulation helps a teen how boost happy emotions while lowering negative ones.
  • Interpersonal effectiveness trains teenagers how to increase their ability to form and sustain relationships with their peers and family members while also increasing their self-esteem.
  • Through validation, behavior modification methods, and dialectical thinking and behaving, treading the middle path skills provide solutions to reduce family conflict.

Additionally, an effective approach would employ behavior management methods to encourage and generalize pro-social behavior at school, at home, and in the community. Positive reinforcement is the most successful behavior management approach for increasing a desirable behavior, according to research. The program employs a number of favorable behavior supports to help clients mold and make positive decisions both in and out of the program.

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