A Last Resort [One Minute Feature] - Trace Embry

Like most parents, you would probably do just about anything to help your child. This may even include shelling out thousands of dollars for residential care treatment for your troubled teen. But should you?

Today, we explore who residential treatment is for, and who it’s not. You may find there are more economical treatment options to try before signing your child up for residential therapy.

Why Residential Care Isn’t For Everyone

Largely, for financial reasons, I urge parents of troubled teens to do their best to avoid a residential treatment program. I’ve seen so many desperate parents ready to pull the equity from their homes, tap into college savings, retirement, and trust funds just to make residential care possible —and this doesn’t even include the humble requests they often make for church and family support.

For many parents, there comes a tipping point when things get so crazy that family counsel, pastoral counsel, professional therapy, and medication can all seem useless. That’s when therapeutic residential care may be the only option a parent can make. Like heart surgery, nobody wants to go through it, but, when successfully completed, they’re happy they did.

Photo via: Shepherd’s Hill Academy