What Are Programs that are “Residential” and How Can They Help?
Often in life, when we are in the throes of a challenging situation and feel our backs against the wall, we find ourselves scrambling to find solutions, googling suddenly relevant information and searching desperately for experts to teach us what we need to know to deal with what’s unexpectedly in front of us. There exists a lot of confusion about what a “residential program” means and the assumption that goes into googling it is that there is only one absolute definition, that all residential programs can be included in one concise description. The truth is that there are various programs that fall under that umbrella, including Wilderness Therapy, Residential Treatment and Therapeutic Boarding Schools. These programs are all “residential,” in that the individual remains “in residence,” but there are as many nuances within each of these different types of programs as there are colors under the rainbow. Finding a program that best fits the individual’s needs is a bit like online dating. They must find the specific traits that are most important and then connect with a lot of contenders until they find the best match. As with most things, not all programs are created equal and not all will be the right partnership. Having an objective third party, whether a trusted friend or a consultant, can be helpful to illuminate what their emotions might be blinding them to.
So how do these programs work and why can they help when nothing else seems to?
Personal Accountability Programs focus on helping the individuals take personal accountability. Through intensive individual, group and family therapy, residential staff work on helping the individuals learn to stop blaming others for the choices they’ve made and to take ownership over how they got to where they are.
Removal from Negative Environment and Peer Influences Programs remove the individuals from their negative environments and/or peer influences. Whether they are experiencing a contentious home situation or a detrimental peer group, it is an opportunity to leave that setting and instead be in an objective environment where they can be vulnerable and open up to peers that may share their same feelings.
Incentive Systems Some programs have level systems, so individuals learn their actions have consequences. If they make poor choices or don’t do their levels work, they don’t gain privileges. The potential to move up or down the levels incentivizes individuals to change their behavior. This kind of leveled incentive system works for many adolescents but not all. Some need a more subtle incentive system which avoids the feelings of failure of a standard levels system. Knowing what an individual might need helps the decision-maker discern which program is right.
Structure/Containment Programs provide the structure and containment to follow through with consequences that can often be impossible to achieve at home. Many are in remote areas where there is nowhere to run.
Scaffolding Therapists, behavioral staff and a levels program provide intensive scaffolding to support the individuals as they learn coping skills that they can then use to regulate themselves. When individuals can utilize coping skills, they feel more in control and begin to make better choices.
Parent Workshops and Family Therapy Residential programs are particularly skilled at helping parents recognize the ways they are unwittingly contributing to their child’s behavior and learn tools to change their own behaviors. Parent workshops and family therapy, whether via phone or in person, are incredibly beneficial and essential for the child to return home successfully.
Check out this website to hear directly from parents and kids about their experiences at Residential Programs: Thrivingnow.me