How to Choose the Best Treatment Program for a Teen

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsOutpatient Treatment ProgramsResidential Treatment ProgramsCourt Ordered TreatmentHow to ChooseKeep Checking-In

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

Outpatient Treatment Programs

Residential Treatment Programs

Court Ordered Treatment

How to Choose

Keep Checking-In

Even when you know it’s the right thing to do, the decision to seek professional help for your teen can be difficult. While an ever-expanding array of treatment programs is available for adolescents, it is often difficult to know which one is right for your child.

Your first instinct may be to choose the “simplest” option that doesn’t turn life upside down so dramatically, but it may not always be the best choice. If you’re unsure what to do, work with your child’s counselor, therapist, and doctor to weigh the pros and cons of each option as objectively and lovingly as possible.

Treatment Program OptionsBroadly speaking, treatment programs are offered on an outpatient basis, allowing your child to live at home, or in a more structured live-in residential program.

Treatment Program Options

Broadly speaking, treatment programs are offered on an outpatient basis, allowing your child to live at home, or in a more structured live-in residential program.

Outpatient programs are those that provide treatment during the day while your teen continues to live at home at night.

“These therapists use talk strategies to help your child cope with their emotional experiences. It is best for parents to be included in these sessions to help foster trust and to ensure that everyone is on the same page, explainsJoseph Galasso, PsyD, CEO at Baker Street Behavioral Health in New Jersey.

Outpatient Options May Be Best When…The teen poses no risk to themselves or others at homeThe teen’s home environment won’t interfere with their ability to progress emotionally and/or behaviorally

Outpatient Options May Be Best When…

The teen poses no risk to themselves or others at homeThe teen’s home environment won’t interfere with their ability to progress emotionally and/or behaviorally

Intake starts with a diagnostic evaluation. This typically consists of a series ofpsychologicalor neuropsychological tests. The former helps identify emotional, behavioral, and learning difficulties that may be contributing to the teen’s difficulties. The latter seeks to determine if there is a neurological (brain-based) component that may help explain the child’s behavioral or thought processes.

Depending on the findings, individual,family, or group therapy may be recommended.For teens who are struggling at school or at risk of dropping out, outpatient treatment may also include exploring alternative schools that may be better able to address and meet their specific needs and concerns.

Your teen’s treatment plan will be developed based on the results of their initial evaluation and are highly dependent upon their individual diagnosis.

The 7 Best Online Therapy Programs for Kids

Intensive Outpatient Programs

If your child’s symptoms are more severe, your doctor may recommend an intensive outpatient program (IOP) or partial hospitalization program (PHP). Such programs often involve meeting three to five times weekly for a half-day or full-day session and incorporate medical evaluation, individual/family therapy, and group therapy.

“Once the patient completes the program, they can be stepped down to general outpatient therapy and medication management,” Galasso says. For teens that are engaging in self-harm, suicidal ideation/behavior, or who pose a threat to others, inpatient hospitalization may be the best option.

Residential programs provide full-time support and monitoring within a secure, inpatient setting. “It is a difficult decision to consider and enroll your child in a residential program,” Galasso says. However, it might be something that your provider may recommend, particularly if certain factors are present.

Residential Options May Be Best When…Your teen’s behavior is dangerousOutpatient treatment has proven unsuccessfulThere is a risk of harm to anyone in the homeWhen a teen has experienced habitual relapse

Residential Options May Be Best When…

Your teen’s behavior is dangerousOutpatient treatment has proven unsuccessfulThere is a risk of harm to anyone in the homeWhen a teen has experienced habitual relapse

By pulling your teen out of their environment, they may be better able to isolate and address issues without distraction, judgment, or interference.

Residential treatment programs can be broadly defined as follows:

In some cases, the treatment may be legally mandated. An example would be if a teen has been arrested or convicted of a crime and ordered to get a specific type of treatment as a part of their sentence.

If outpatient treatment is court ordered, it will be necessary to work with the teen’s counselor or court officer to determine the details of treatment (sometimes referred to as the diversion program).Your attorney can be included in this process, ensuring that your teen is able to access the most appropriate care possible.

Choosing the Right Option for Your Teen

The needs of every child are individual and specific. When choosing the treatment option best suited for your teen, focus on facilities that can meet their specific needs. While no one facility may tick all the desired boxes, working with a counseling team can help you make the most appropriate and strategic choice possible.

You may or may not be able to involve your child in the decision, but you’ll at least be assured that your child’s short- and long-term interests—namely, to get better and develop into a healthy adult—are being adequately served.

Keep Checking-In With Your Teen

Regardless of the option you decide on and where your child is at in their treatment progress, checking in with your teen is essential, Galasso says. "

With teenagers in particular, who are striving for independence and practicing distancing themselves from their parents and family unit, check-ins may be met with disdain or irritability.—JOHN GALASSO, PSYD, CEO AT BAKER STREET BEHAVIORAL HEALTH

With teenagers in particular, who are striving for independence and practicing distancing themselves from their parents and family unit, check-ins may be met with disdain or irritability.

—JOHN GALASSO, PSYD, CEO AT BAKER STREET BEHAVIORAL HEALTH

“Kids, and teens in particular, may take your silence as collusion or an unstated agreement with whatever internal process they may be experiencing,” he says. “If we don’t take the time to check in, regardless of how it is received, it is likely to be interpreted as agreement that they are not worth the time, or energy, or love to check on.”

In such cases, Galasso suggests setting a check-in rule when you are worried about your child’s behavior and progress. For example, you might decide to check every one of three times you are considering it.

Choose the Right Therapist for Your Troubled Teen

7 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Petrosino A, Turpin‐Petrosino C, Hollis‐Peel ME, Lavenberg JG.‘Scared Straight’ and other juvenile awareness programs for preventing juvenile delinquency.Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.Apr 30;(4):CD002796. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD002796.pub2Andretta JR, Worrell FC, Ramirez AM, Barnes ME, Odom T, Woodland MH.A pathway model for emotional distress and implications for therapeutic jurisprudence in African American juvenile court respondents.Cultur Divers Ethnic Minor Psy.2016;22(3):341-349. doi:10.1037/cdp0000053Huefner JC, Smith GL, Stevens AL.Positive and negative peer influence in residential care.J Abnorm Child Psychol.2018;46(6):1161–1169. doi:10.1007/s10802-017-0353-yBrack AB, Huefner JC, Handwerk ML.The impact of abuse and gender on psychopathology, behavioral disturbance, and psychotropic medication count for youth in residential treatment.Am J Orthopsychiatry.2012;82(4):562–572. doi:10.1111/j.1939-0025.2012.01177.xPagano ME, Wang AR, Rowles BM, Lee MT, Johnson BR.Social anxiety and peer helping in adolescent addiction treatment.Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2015;39(5):887–895. doi:10.1111/acer.12691McCormick S, Peterson-Badali M, Skilling TA.The role of mental health and specific responsivity in juvenile justice rehabilitation.Law Hum Behav.2017;41(1):55-67. doi:10.1037/lhb0000228DeAngelis T.Better options for troubled teens.Monitor on Psychology. 2011;42(11):69 (print).Additional ReadingPridgen B.Navigating the internet safely: Recommendations for residential programs targeting at-risk adolescents.Harv Rev Psychiatry.2010;18(2):131-138. doi:10.3109/10673221003684000

7 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Petrosino A, Turpin‐Petrosino C, Hollis‐Peel ME, Lavenberg JG.‘Scared Straight’ and other juvenile awareness programs for preventing juvenile delinquency.Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.Apr 30;(4):CD002796. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD002796.pub2Andretta JR, Worrell FC, Ramirez AM, Barnes ME, Odom T, Woodland MH.A pathway model for emotional distress and implications for therapeutic jurisprudence in African American juvenile court respondents.Cultur Divers Ethnic Minor Psy.2016;22(3):341-349. doi:10.1037/cdp0000053Huefner JC, Smith GL, Stevens AL.Positive and negative peer influence in residential care.J Abnorm Child Psychol.2018;46(6):1161–1169. doi:10.1007/s10802-017-0353-yBrack AB, Huefner JC, Handwerk ML.The impact of abuse and gender on psychopathology, behavioral disturbance, and psychotropic medication count for youth in residential treatment.Am J Orthopsychiatry.2012;82(4):562–572. doi:10.1111/j.1939-0025.2012.01177.xPagano ME, Wang AR, Rowles BM, Lee MT, Johnson BR.Social anxiety and peer helping in adolescent addiction treatment.Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2015;39(5):887–895. doi:10.1111/acer.12691McCormick S, Peterson-Badali M, Skilling TA.The role of mental health and specific responsivity in juvenile justice rehabilitation.Law Hum Behav.2017;41(1):55-67. doi:10.1037/lhb0000228DeAngelis T.Better options for troubled teens.Monitor on Psychology. 2011;42(11):69 (print).Additional ReadingPridgen B.Navigating the internet safely: Recommendations for residential programs targeting at-risk adolescents.Harv Rev Psychiatry.2010;18(2):131-138. doi:10.3109/10673221003684000

Petrosino A, Turpin‐Petrosino C, Hollis‐Peel ME, Lavenberg JG.‘Scared Straight’ and other juvenile awareness programs for preventing juvenile delinquency.Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.Apr 30;(4):CD002796. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD002796.pub2Andretta JR, Worrell FC, Ramirez AM, Barnes ME, Odom T, Woodland MH.A pathway model for emotional distress and implications for therapeutic jurisprudence in African American juvenile court respondents.Cultur Divers Ethnic Minor Psy.2016;22(3):341-349. doi:10.1037/cdp0000053Huefner JC, Smith GL, Stevens AL.Positive and negative peer influence in residential care.J Abnorm Child Psychol.2018;46(6):1161–1169. doi:10.1007/s10802-017-0353-yBrack AB, Huefner JC, Handwerk ML.The impact of abuse and gender on psychopathology, behavioral disturbance, and psychotropic medication count for youth in residential treatment.Am J Orthopsychiatry.2012;82(4):562–572. doi:10.1111/j.1939-0025.2012.01177.xPagano ME, Wang AR, Rowles BM, Lee MT, Johnson BR.Social anxiety and peer helping in adolescent addiction treatment.Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2015;39(5):887–895. doi:10.1111/acer.12691McCormick S, Peterson-Badali M, Skilling TA.The role of mental health and specific responsivity in juvenile justice rehabilitation.Law Hum Behav.2017;41(1):55-67. doi:10.1037/lhb0000228DeAngelis T.Better options for troubled teens.Monitor on Psychology. 2011;42(11):69 (print).

Andretta JR, Worrell FC, Ramirez AM, Barnes ME, Odom T, Woodland MH.A pathway model for emotional distress and implications for therapeutic jurisprudence in African American juvenile court respondents.Cultur Divers Ethnic Minor Psy.2016;22(3):341-349. doi:10.1037/cdp0000053

Huefner JC, Smith GL, Stevens AL.Positive and negative peer influence in residential care.J Abnorm Child Psychol.2018;46(6):1161–1169. doi:10.1007/s10802-017-0353-y

Brack AB, Huefner JC, Handwerk ML.The impact of abuse and gender on psychopathology, behavioral disturbance, and psychotropic medication count for youth in residential treatment.Am J Orthopsychiatry.2012;82(4):562–572. doi:10.1111/j.1939-0025.2012.01177.x

Pagano ME, Wang AR, Rowles BM, Lee MT, Johnson BR.Social anxiety and peer helping in adolescent addiction treatment.Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2015;39(5):887–895. doi:10.1111/acer.12691

McCormick S, Peterson-Badali M, Skilling TA.The role of mental health and specific responsivity in juvenile justice rehabilitation.Law Hum Behav.2017;41(1):55-67. doi:10.1037/lhb0000228

DeAngelis T.Better options for troubled teens.Monitor on Psychology. 2011;42(11):69 (print).

Pridgen B.Navigating the internet safely: Recommendations for residential programs targeting at-risk adolescents.Harv Rev Psychiatry.2010;18(2):131-138. doi:10.3109/10673221003684000

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Treatment Program Options#

Outpatient Options May Be Best When…#

Intensive Outpatient Programs#

Residential Options May Be Best When…#

Choosing the Right Option for Your Teen#

Keep Checking-In With Your Teen#