Residential Treatment Centers for Teens: Effective - Yes.
Residential Treatment Centers for Teens: Effective – Yes
I have worked at Aspen Ranch, a Residential Treatment Center for at risk teens, for four years. I have held many positions including direct care staff and Shift Manager. I am going to prove that residential treatment centers for adolescents are, in fact, effective. I will be starting with a brief history of RTC’s (Residential Treatment Centers) and then be moving forward with facts and opinions on the matter to prove this point.
History of the Residential Treatment Center According to D. J. Kolko inpatient services, specifically intended for troubled adolescents, first began to appear in the United Stated in the 1920’s. The lack of outpatient services and the parents’ feeling of not being able to raise their teenager correctly combined to fuel the growth and spreading of treatment centers across the nation. (Shapiro, 2003) Residential treatment centers have grown tremendously over the past twenty years and now offer a wide variety of help to teens including basic residential facilities, school settings, personal and group therapy, chemical dependency counseling, Alcoholics Anonymous groups, behavior management techniques, recreational therapy, and some even include equine therapy.
Research Studies A big argument has been set forth by those opposing residential treatment centers that there are too few studies conducted on the effectiveness of these programs. Up until the late 1990’s this was true. Studies have been conducted by J. F. Curry (1991), J.R. Weisz (1992), S. I. Pfeiffer and S.C. Strzelecki (1990), and M. Blackman, J, Eustace, and T. Chaudhury (1991). Curry discovered in his study that 60 – 80% of youth had improved functioning at the time of a follow-up compared to the onset of treatment. (Shapiro, 2003) In some controlled studies by Weisz it was discovered that treated adolescents where 76 – 81% better, behavior wise, than those not treated in residential treatment centers. (Shapiro, 2003)
I have worked at Aspen Ranch, a Residential Treatment Center for at risk teens, for four years. I have held many positions including direct care staff and Shift Manager. I am going to prove that residential treatment centers for adolescents are, in fact, effective. I will be starting with a brief history of RTC’s (Residential Treatment Centers) and then be moving forward with facts and opinions on the matter to prove this point.
History of the Residential Treatment Center According to D. J. Kolko inpatient services, specifically intended for troubled adolescents, first began to appear in the United Stated in the 1920’s. The lack of outpatient services and the parents’ feeling of not being able to raise their teenager correctly combined to fuel the growth and spreading of treatment centers across the nation. (Shapiro, 2003) Residential treatment centers have grown tremendously over the past twenty years and now offer a wide variety of help to teens including basic residential facilities, school settings, personal and group therapy, chemical dependency counseling, Alcoholics Anonymous groups, behavior management techniques, recreational therapy, and some even include equine therapy.
Research Studies A big argument has been set forth by those opposing residential treatment centers that there are too few studies conducted on the effectiveness of these programs. Up until the late 1990’s this was true. Studies have been conducted by J. F. Curry (1991), J.R. Weisz (1992), S. I. Pfeiffer and S.C. Strzelecki (1990), and M. Blackman, J, Eustace, and T. Chaudhury (1991). Curry discovered in his study that 60 – 80% of youth had improved functioning at the time of a follow-up compared to the onset of treatment. (Shapiro, 2003) In some controlled studies by Weisz it was discovered that treated adolescents where 76 – 81% better, behavior wise, than those not treated in residential treatment centers. (Shapiro, 2003)
References: Behrens, E. & Satterfield, K. (2006). Report of findings from a multi-center study of youth outcomes in private residential treatment. Salt Lake City, Utah: Canyon Research and Consulting Inc. James, S., Leslie, L.K., Hulburt, M.S., & Slymen, D.J. (2006). Children in out-of-home care: entry into intensive or restrictive mental health and residential care placements. Retrieved December 1, 2007, from ProQuest direct database. Lorandos, D.A. (1990). Change in adolescent boys at teen ranch: a five-year study. Retrieved December 1, 2007, from ProQuest direct database. PR Newswire. (2007). Teen therapeutic residential programs can have lasting positive effects, new study says; study shows longer-term personal and behavioral improvements can be achieved at private therapeutic residential schools and programs. Retrieved December 1, 2007, from ProQuest direct database. Russell, K.C. (2007). Summary of research from 1999-2006. Outdoor Behavioral Healthcare Industry Council, University of Minnesota. Shapiro, V.B. (2003). Is long-term residential treatment effective for adolescents? A treatment outcome study. Colgate University Journal of the Sciences.