Last Resort [One Minute Feature]

I like to equate residential care to heart surgery. It’s often needed to correct an underlying problem, but it should be viewed as a last resort.

When to Seek Residential Care

I urge parents of troubled teens to do their best to avoid a residential treatment program. I’ve seen so many parents, desperate for help, pull the equity from their homes, tap into college savings, retirement, and trust funds just to make residential care possible.

For many parents, however, there comes a tipping point when things get so crazy that family counsel, pastoral counsel, professional therapy, and even 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: Shepherds Hill Academy