Other Types of Treatment Programs

Here is a brief overview of other types of treatment programs courtesy of theNational Association of Children’s Behavioral Health www.nacbh.org.

Acute Psychiatric Hospital

24-hour medical treatment setting for youth with behavioral/emotional/psychiatric disturbances that require an acute level of care. Services are intended to be short-term and to help stabilize the youth for placement in a sub-acute level of care or return to a community-based setting with supportive services. Average length of stay is 10 days.

Intensive/Acute Residential Treatment

Congregate care setting that provides 24-hour care that functions as a diversion or step-down from inpatient care. Primary focus is treatment of behavioral/emotional/psychiatric disturbances in order to return to sub-acute level of disability/treatment. Intake/admission in emergency on acute basis. Staffing characterized by 24-hour awake staff, ratios ranging from 1 staff member for every 3 patients to staff member for every 6 patients. Average Length of Stay is no greater than 45 days. Treatment and educational services provided on site.

Residential Treatment

Congregate care setting that provides 24-hour care. Intake/admission either on acute basis or based upon review process over time, often involving pre-placement visit(s). Primary focus is treatment of behavioral/emotional/psychiatric disturbances in order to return to community-based level of disability/treatment. Staffing characterized by 24-hour awake staff with ratios ranging from 1 staff member for every 3 patients to staff member for every 10 patients. Average Length of Stay is 45 days to 18 months. Treatment services provided on site. Educational services are available on-site.

Group Home

A congregate care setting that provides 24-hour care. Intake/admission based on review process over time, usually involving pre-placement visit(s). Primary focus is providing residence and opportunity for continued therapeutic growth. Staffing characterized by 24-hour awake staff with rations ranging from 1 staff member for every 6 patients to staff member for every 16 patients. Average Length of Stay is 1 year to 3 years. Treatment services are provided in the community, as needed. Educational services may be accessed through the community or on-site.

Traditional Foster Home

A family setting that provides 24-hour care. Intake/admission is based on a review process over time. Primary focus is providing a home for youth who cannot return to their families of origin, either as a permanent disposition or while awaiting either return to their families or permanent adoption. Average Length of Stay is up to 2 years. Treatment services are provided in the community, as needed. Educational services are accessed through the community. Qualifications, training level, and formal supports to foster parents is variable.

Therapeutic/Professional Foster Care

A family setting that provides 24-hour care. Intake/admission is based on a review process over time. Primary focus is providing a home for youth who cannot return to their families of origin, either as a permanent disposition or while awaiting either return to their families or permanent adoption. Secondary emphasis is on promoting clinical gains through provision of a therapeutic home environment. Average Length of Stay is up to 2 years. Treatment services are provided in the community, as needed. Educational services are accessed through the community. Foster parents often have professional “helping” degrees. Minimally, they received a high degree of training and formal supports. Program may require that one of the parents does not work outside of the home, especially during non-school hours.

Emergency Foster Care

A family setting that provides 24-hour care. Intake/admission based on emergency access. Primary focus is providing shelter for youths removed from families or abandoned during assessment and /or awaiting availability of appropriate disposition. Staffing characterized by 24-hour awake staff with ratios ranging from 1 staff member for every 6 patients to staff member for every 14 patients. Average Length of Stay is up to 45 days. Treatment services are provided in the community, as needed. Educational services are accessed through the community. Qualifications, training level, and formal supports to foster parents are variable.

Emergency Shelter

A congregate care setting that provides 24-hour care. Intake/admission based on emergency access. Primary focus is providing shelter for youth removed from families or abandoned who are undergoing assessment and/or awaiting availability of appropriate disposition. Staffing characterized by 24-hour awake staff with ratios ranging from 1 staff member for every 6 patients to staff member for every 14 patients. Average Length of Stay is 10-45 days. Treatment services are provided in the community, as needed. Educational services may be accessed through the community or on-site.

Partial/Day Program

Daytime or after-school ambulatory treatment program. Intake/admission based on review process over time, often involving pre-placement visit(s). Primary focus is treatment of behavioral/emotional/psychiatric disturbances to maintain community-based placement. Treatment services are provided on-site. Educational services are sometimes available on-site or through affiliated school. Program runs 4-23 days, 5-7 days/week.

Intensive Outpatient

Daytime or after school ambulatory treatment program. Intake/admission based on review process over time, often involving pre-placement visit(s). Primary focus is treatment of behavioral/emotional/psychiatric disturbances to maintain community-based placement. Staffing characterized by ratios ranging from 1 staff member for every 4 patients to staff member for every 7 patients. Average Length of Stay is 1 week to 12 months. Treatment services are provided on-site. Educational services are sometimes available on-site or through affiliated school. Program runs 2-4 hours/day, 3-5 days/week.

Outpatient

Daytime or after-school ambulatory treatment program. Intake/admission based on review process over time, often involving pre-placement visit (s). Primary focus is treatment of behavioral/emotional/psychiatric disturbances to maintain community based placement. Staffing characterized by ratios ranging from 1 staff member for every 4 patients to staff member for every 7 patients. Average Length of Stay is 1 week to 12 months. Treatment services are provided on-site. Educational services are sometimes available on-site or through affiliated school. Program runs less than 2 hours /day, 1-3 days/week.

Independent Living

Program that provides social, educational and vocational services to prepare youth for independence. Skill building may occur in one-on-one or group setting. Treatment services are provided in the community, as needed. Staffing and supervision levels vary according to need and residential setting. Residential settings range from single-occupancy apartments to group homes.

In-Home Therapy/Family Support

Services provided within the consumer’s home to address family dysfunction and/or individual behavioral/emotional/psychiatric disturbances, by a professional or para-professional. Strong emphasis on psychoeducational model. Frequency of service contacts varies between 4 hours and 10 hours per week. Primary foci are maintaining integrity of the family (e.g. preventing protective service removals), improving general level of family functioning, and ensuring family’s access to on-going community-based services, as needed.

Respite Care

Support services provided flexibly and defined by the needs of the family. They are provided by a range of individuals and may include day care, overnight or weekend care, therapeutic services and recreational activities, either within the child’s home or at another location. Primary focus is on providing a period of respite for the parents or family of a youth with serious behavioral/emotional/psychiatric disturbances, to allow them to continue to live together in the community.