What
is a Residential Treatment Program?
When
Should I Consider A Residential Treatment Program For My Teen?
What
Are The Differences In Programs?
What
Kind Of Questions I should Ask When Considering A Program?
Where
Can I Find Financial Assistance?
When
Should I Consider A Residential Treatment Program For My Teen?
Placing your teen in a
residential treatment program is a very serious decision and requires
significant consideration of numerous factors.
Usually the decision is made because the urgency and desperateness of the
situation leaves you with little choice. For
example:
In almost all these cases, you
are not deciding to put your child into a treatment center; you are only
cooperating with the inevitable natural consequences of their erroneous
lifestyle.
(By permission from Relief
For Hurting Parents, by Buddy Scott)
What Are
The Differences In Programs?
There are a number of
differences in residential treatment programs.
The following describe some of the differences we have found:
Target
Problem – Most programs target a certain behavior change such as defiance
of authority, gang activity, drug and alcohol abuse, physical and sexual abuse.
Length
of Program – Most programs we have found are on average 1 year in length.
However, some are as short as 60 days and some as long as 2 years.
Gender
– Programs may be strictly for boys, girls or coed.
Age
– Most programs seem geared for the age range of 15-18.
An important point to note for non-voluntary programs:
If the child turns legal age while they are enrolled in the program, they
do not have a legal right to leave. In
other words, if you place your child in a program prior to turning 18 (in most
states this is the legal age), by law they are required to finish the program.
There may be a few states where the legal age is 17.
Voluntary
– This is an important consideration usually driven by the nature of the
target problem the teen is dealing with. Some
programs are truly voluntary which means that the teen must be reasonably
willing and compliant to work the program.
As a result, the security is not as big of an issue and usually will
result in less program staff. Non-voluntary
programs are necessary for teens who do not recognize they have a problem and
subsequently may be subject to run-away. In
this case, security is usually assured by either a lock-down facility or an
isolated facility location where there really is no place to run to.
Philosophy
– An important consideration for any program is their treatment of philosophy.
We have found that most programs could be classified into one of three
philosophies:
Christian based programs believe that even though you can learn to modify
your behavior, the true cure comes only from a heart change as a result of
entering into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.
There can be some diversity within Christian programs based on how this
is applied to the life of the teen. Some
may be forceful while others believe it is best to expose them to the gospel and
“live it” before them.
Christian Ethics based programs see the answer coming by the teen
modifying their behavior to a “Christian” set of ethics and morals
Humanistic
based programs see the answer as coming from within the teen through some change
in how they view themselves and others. This
is a man-centered philosophy vs. a God-centered philosophy, and usually
emphasizes things like loving your self and positive self-esteem.
Humanistic programs may not discourage a teen from finding answers in
some spiritual type relationship whatever that may be.
Parental
Involvement – Some programs require parental involvement as part of the
treatment. The role of the
parents/family as part of the teen’s recovery can be important, especially in
the long run when the teen returns home. Required
parental involvement and presence can create a difficulty and indirectly
increase the cost especially if the program facility is far from home.
Cost
– It is generally safe to say that all residential treatment programs are
expensive. We found the average
cost to be somewhere between $2,000 - $3,000 per month.
Some programs require additional fees such as an application, monthly
spending money, activity fees, and clothing allowance.
Be sure to figure in any required parental/family travel and lodging in
the total cost.
What
Kind Of Questions I Should Ask When Considering A Program?
1.
Is the program voluntary or non-voluntary?
2.
What age and gender does the program accept?
3.
What type of problem does the program target?
4.
What are the admission procedures?
5.
What is the average length of stay to complete the program?
6.
How are medical and dental needs met?
7.
What is the daily and weekly schedule like?
8.
What licensing of affiliation does the facility have?
9.
What is the history of the facility?
10.
What is the philosophy of the facility?
11.
How are the spiritual needs of the teen addressed?
12.
How are the education needs of the teen met?
13.
Does the program provide for post-program follow-up care?
14.
How does the program transition the teen back into the home/society?
15.
Is there 24-hour staff supervision?
16.
What is the resident to staff ratio?
17.
What is the possibility of the teen running away and how is it handled?
18.
How is discipline administered and examples of type of infractions?
19.
Are there any alumni and family references?
20.
What training and qualifications do the counselors have?
21.
How many counseling sessions per week does the teen receive?
22.
Is parental involvement required, and how often?
When is visitation allowed?
23.
How often do the parents receive updates on the teen’s progress?
24.
What is the per-diem charge and are there any additional expenses?
25.
Typically does medical insurance cover any of the program costs?
Where
Can I Find Financial Assistance?
Financial assistance is limited
to few possibilities:
Sallie
Mae Loan – Sallie Mae loans are
educational loans available thru the SLM Corporation. These are government loans available towards schools that
don’t quality for other government lending.
Can be used for Kindergarten through 12th grade.
The program facility must be on their list or be approved.
If not, the approval process is relative easy.
Loans are payable up to 15 years usually at a good rate for an unsecured
loan. Contact the SLM Corporation
at 1-800-559-3220. We found them
very helpful in our situation. www.salliemae.com
Health Insurance – Psychiatric counseling portion of the treatment program may be covered provided that the counselor is licensed and on the companies list of providers. Most companies will require some type of pre-approval or referral. The amount that is covered is fairly insignificant in relation to the entire program cost, but every little bit helps.
Scholarships
– Check with the treatment facility to see if there is any type of
scholarships available.
Church
– Check with your church to see if there is any help.
Your pastor may know of a benefactor who is willing to help.