As a parent, you might be wondering what steps to take for your child when they are dealing with severe issues, like mental health issues, behavioral concerns, self-injury, suicidal ideations, or addictions. How will you know if residential treatment is the right next step for your child? There are a few things to look out for if you are unsure. Each child has different needs for their treatment. Residential treatment may be one of the most inclusive and comprehensive forms of treatment available. Here are some of the signs that residential treatment may be the right step for your child to move forward:
- Has your child had multiple visits to the hospital psychiatric unit?
- Does it feel like your child is “in-and-out” of the hospital?
- Are you and your family constantly on-edge, waiting for the next emergency or crisis?
- Is your child a “frequent flier” at the hospital adolescent or youth psychiatric unit?
- Has a hospital clinical staff or social worker recommended residential treatment for your child?
- Does your child only appear to be safe while in the care of the hospital?
- Does your child seem to be falling behind in school and appear to have no chance to catch up?
- Are the behavioral concerns at school causing your child to miss class frequently?
- Are they being held back due to behavioral issues or absences due to being in the hospital multiple times?
- Are the behaviors in school only getting worse due to your child falling behind their peers?
- Does your child feel like they are in an endless loop of getting held back and feel frustrated or hopeless about their future?
- Many residential treatment facilities offer courses to help your child continue their education while in treatment.
- Is your child dealing with a lot of legal issues due to their behaviors or addictions?
- Have you tried “tough love” and teaching the consequences of breaking the law to no avail?
- Does your child continue to have legal problems despite the punishment received?
- You may believe that learning the consequences of their behavior may be the best approach to treating their issues. If your child appears to be in constant trouble despite their knowledge of the consequences, then they may need a more therapeutic approach to heal from their issues.
- Are there safety issues at home?
- Are you struggling to keep your other children feeling safe due to the behaviors of your troubled child?
- Is your child destroying things in the home, like kicking down doors, breaking windows, and throwing objects around?
- Are you in-and-out of the emergency room due to self-injurious behaviors, like cutting or striking walls and other hard surfaces?
- Is your child running away frequently and you are struggling to keep your child safe?
- Are things in the household getting too tense due to everyone’s elevated levels of stress?
- Has your child’s psychologist, psychiatrist, or therapist made the recommendation for more comprehensive treatment?
- If a professional staff person is making the recommendation, then residential treatment might be the next step for your child.
- Remember that professionals do not recommend residential treatment to everyone.
- Staff at hospitals and psychiatric units may make the recommendation for residential treatment following multiple visits.
Help for the Whole Family
Residential treatment programs are not a way of “dropping your kid off” to be someone else’s problem. Residential treatment allows your child to heal in a safe and therapeutic environment while you also work to heal the family unit. You may be involved in your child’s treatment actively during their stay in a residential facility. Many programs offer classes and support for parents to help their kids upon discharge. Fire Mountain hosts “Parent’s Weekends” to help coach the parents of troubled children. During these sessions, parents can learn the skills that they need to create a healthy and happy home.
The recovery of your child is contingent upon repairing the entire family unit. You may believe that by “fixing” your troubled child’s issues, that the entire family will heal. When one member of a family is struggling with severe issues, the entire family may be struggling in ways that are not readily apparent. Living with someone dealing with behavioral issues and addictions can affect the emotional wellness of everyone in the family. When your child is in residential treatment, take the time to reconnect with your entire family, and to check-in with your own mental health. You may need to work on other issues in the home to give your child the best chance at recovery upon returning home.
Teens and Suicide from Fire Mountain RTC on Vimeo.
Do you feel overwhelmed about your child’s continual struggle with emotions and behaviors? Do you feel like you have tried everything with little to no progress? Are you worried about your child’s future if they continue to spiral downward? You may be ready to take the next step to heal your family and your troubled child. If you find yourself in-and-out of the psychiatric unit with your child, dealing with legal issues, seeing your child held back in school for behaviors, or have had a professional recommend a more comprehensive treatment approach, you may want to consider residential treatment services. Fire Mountain Residential Treatment Center can help both you and your child as your child learns to recover. We offer courses for parents to heal their families as their child is in treatment. Call us today at (303) 443-3343 for more information and resources. We are here for you and your family!
