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Family as a Member of the Treatment Team

From our perspective, family is defined as those special people who are willing to support a child through treatment. It is important for you to know that we believe your supportive participation in treatment is an essential element for a positive outcome. We understand it is difficult for a parent or other supportive individual to turn care of a child over to strangers, and therefore we remain sensitive of this.

Supporting a child in treatment is a journey for both of you. As with every journey, it’s important to know the final destination as well as what to expect along the route.

The Journey’s Route
The exact route that each child and family takes is somewhat unique; however, there are certain road signs that generally mark the journey. These can best be described by common questions many people have as they support a child through the treatment process:

Question: How am I supposed to feel?

Answer: Families and supportive individuals report a range of feelings early in the treatment process. Fear, anger, embarrassment and a sense of loss seems overwhelming. The first steps are to accept the youth needs help and believe with your supportive participation in the treatment process he or she can change. Like any other process, getting through these feelings takes time and patience. You will find the work you do in family therapy helps you better understand and resolve them.

Question: How will we know exactly what is expected of us?

Answer: You will meet with a therapist who is assigned to work with you and your child through this process. An agreement is established outlining the frequency and focus of family therapy and when and how often visits are allowed.

Question: Will I be able to call between visits?

Answer: Yes you will. With your help, a list of individuals who can safely exchange phone calls with the resident is developed. To minimize disruption to the treatment program, certain times of the week are established for personal phone calls. There may be times when a resident is too upset to take or make a call. This is a therapeutic decision made by staff.

Question: What if I disagree with something in the program?

Answer: The treatment process is a very unique experience. It would not be unusual to find yourself questioning some aspect of the program; however, most of the time, educating families and others about what we are doing and why is the key to resolution of these issues. You will ultimately have access to the supervisor of the treatment unit or facility administration for issues you feel cannot be resolved.

Question: What do I do when I get a call from the youth I am supporting begging me to rescue him or her from the program.

Answer: Kids in a residential program are asked to do difficult emotional work. Sometimes in an effort to avoid working on such issues, they may try to bring you into the situation. The best course of action is to call or meet with us and collect a complete set of facts. We never want you to stop advocating for what is best. Please remember we are all on the same side, and we want all of our kids to be successful as well.

The Journey’s End
After the residential portion of the journey ends, we work to return a child back to his or her support system, whenever possible. The mental, emotional and physical health of the caregivers, safety and the readiness of the youth all play a role in this decision. Some youth go directly home after treatment and are surrounded by support from the larger helping system, and some may go to a group or foster home on a temporary basis until a move back home can safely be arranged. Others may live in these alternative arrangements for a more extended period of time.

Regardless of the youth’s final destination, he or she needs your help upon leaving the residential program. You are an integral part of the team needed to help keep your child safe and healthy.