Choosing your teen’s therapy is a challenging question with no concrete answer. You may feel helpless and in despair regarding your teen’s recovery. Residential treatment centers have both pros and cons that you need to consider when choosing the best way to lead your teen to recovery.
For example, you may be considering sending your teen out of state to a residential treatment center. Doing so can have unintended consequences. Your teen may not thrive in an out of state facility. They might need to feel close to home to make any meaningful progress.
This guide discusses all of the reasons why sending your teen to a residential treatment center might not be the most beneficial option. It also discusses cases when sending your teen to a residential treatment center is the best option for your teen.
Your teen’s treatment decision should be a family decision made with input from everyone. However, it is wise to get a mental health professional’s opinion.
Teens Shouldn’t Have To Go Out-of-State To Get Treatment
Teens are already in a sensitive position regarding their mental struggles such as depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and substance abuse. When you uproot them from their home, it can go both ways, either producing positive or negative outcomes.
Your teen can thrive in the new environment, or they can falter. The overwhelming nature of moving when they are already in a vulnerable mental state can prove too much to handle. Teens also may succeed initially and then struggle returning to their home environment.
Additionally, teens shouldn’t have to travel out of state to get treatment. Having to do so increases costs and puts financial strain on an already stressed family. To avoid this financial strain, you should support the initiative for residential treatment centers in your community.
Residential treatment centers for mental health should be normalized. Getting treatment for your teen also shouldn’t require travel expenses. Having vast distances between you and your teen can also have a detrimental effect on their mental health.
As a result of the distance, your teen may feel isolated and like they don’t have a support system. Teen treatment centers use effective, intensive therapy. However, they shouldn’t do so at the cost of a teen feeling detached from their family.
Treatment Centers Are Only the First Step
Another mistake parents often make in their approach to treatment centers is thinking they are the final step in their teen’s recovery. Teen treatment centers are a practical first step in a struggling teen’s recovery. However, they aren’t a single-serving solution to all of your teen’s struggles.
When you send your teen to a residential teen treatment center, you should try to remain as involved as possible. In many cases, the rules will prevent you from having contact with your teen during treatment. However, after they complete the first round of treatment, you can consult with a mental health professional to determine what measures you can take to help your teen.
Remaining involved in your teen’s treatment process is important, but you shouldn’t try to control their treatment program. Your teen should have some autonomy over their treatment program, and you should support them in their treatment journey.
Residential treatment centers are an excellent way to start your teen’s journey, but they aren’t the end destination. Recovery is an ongoing process that requires continued efforts.
Out-Patient Treatment Might Suffice
If your teen’s condition isn’t particularly concerning and they just need access to care to ensure they stay on the right path, in-patient therapy might be the best option for them.Outpatient teen residential treatment allows your teen to continue fulfilling their everyday obligations such as school and social life while learning how to cope better and manage their conditions.
However, if your teen has a more severe condition, out-patient therapy might inadequately address their struggles. In this case, parents should consider sending their teens to an in-patient clinic to manage their symptoms.
Reasons To Send Your Teen To A Treatment Center
Despite the drawbacks to sending your teen to residential treatment centers, there are quite a few benefits. One of the most apparent benefits of residential treatment centers is that they remove your teen from the harmful environment contributing to their mental conditions.
If your teen isn’t exposed to the negative influences that contribute to their destructive behavior, they are less likely to engage in that behavior. Whether your teen is dealing with bullies and feeling depressed or coping with peer pressure and substance abuse, removing them from the environment contributing to their negative behavior is a sensical strategy.
Residential teen treatment centers represent a safe haven for your teen to clear their head and have access to professional help and monitoring. It also puts them in a controlled environment with teens who have the same struggles.
Another benefit to in-patient treatment centers is that they offer 24-hour treatment. If your teen has a severe condition, they need to have around-the-clock monitoring. This type of monitoring gives your teen the best chance at recovery.
Seeking Professional Help
This guide provides you with some of the pros and cons of residential treatment centers, but it doesn’t give you a professional opinion on your teen’s specific concerns. Every teen is different and having a mental health professional diagnose your teen can help put you in a better position to develop an effective treatment strategy.
Comprehensive assessments diagnose your teen’s condition. These assessments include evaluations for mental health and substance use conditions.
Conclusion- Why You Shouldn’t Send Your Teen To Residential Treatment Centers
Choosing whether a teen residential treatment center is right for your teen depends on their condition and personality. Sending them across state lines to go to a residential teen treatment center might not be the best idea.
However, residential teen treatment centers have many benefits, such as 24/7 access to healthcare professionals who specialize in their condition and other teens with similar struggles.
