A residential treatment center is a place meant to give your teenager a comfortable, home-like environment where they can receive the additional help and support that troubled teenagers in general are looking for. Students at one of these centers usually participate in several weekly group and individual therapy sessions designed to help troubled youth find balance and answers in their changing world.
The amount of time spent at one of these facilities can vary from teenager to teenager, as each scenario is different depending on the situation presented by each teenager. Usually the time spent is around 90 days, but can be longer or shorter depending on the teenagers progress. During this time, teenagers are given therapy sessions both individually and as a group. These sessions have several benefits, such as helping the youth to realize that they aren’t alone in their struggles, and giving them the opportunity to talk through their doubts, worries, and questions with peers that have similar experiences and under the guidance of an accredited therapist. The steady environment of a residential treatment center tends to lend to the ongoing process of healing and growth that a troubled youth can be searching for, which makes it possible for progress to be possible. In an ideal situation, a youth attending one such treatment center is able to make new friends, realize that their world is something that is understandable and help them to make the steps in their lives that they need to take in order to adjust to their changing views in life. Usually a treatment center is built to be more like a home, and less like a facility.
This tends to make students feel more comfortable, and less like patients. This also can have the effect of making youth feel as though they are more capable of applying the lessons they learn in the center to their regular lives outside of this controlled environment. Everything is done on an individual pace, so youth will not feel rushed through the system, nor will they feel like they are being held up by other members at the center. In our experience, this helps students also to develop an individual sense of progress, something that can potentially help build self-esteem and a sense of accountability. This type of center is meant to help your teenager understand their world better. By helping them to do this, most teenagers will be better prepared to face their world, and will understand better how to interact with others in a less abrasive way. Ultimately, the goal of these centers is to bolster your teenager, and help them realize their full potential.