Home » How to Choose a Program
As you set out on your journey of finding a potentially appropriate residential or wilderness program, in general, is trust, but verify. Trust that what the program says about their program is true, but verify it with reliable third-party sources, state agencies, and online resources.
Ensure that the program you are researching is either licensed or has a governing body recognized by the state. Be aware that some states have MUCH less licensing requirements than others.
If you are considering a therapeutic program, ensure the license covers mental or behavioral health, not just education.
Ask for the state agency that licenses the program. Contact the agency to make sure their license is current. (Yes, programs operate on a lapsed or revoked license all the time).
If the program can’t name the state agency under which it is licensed or refuses to provide the information, don't engage.
If the program is not licensed, operating in the state under an exemption, contact the state’s Attorney General and request information regarding any public complaints made against the program.
Check to see if an independent accreditation body accredits the program. While not necessarily an indicator of ethical operation or therapeutic effectiveness, accreditation can nonetheless ensure a level of confidence for parents that the program will maintain a safe environment for their teenager.
Mental and behavioral health accrediting bodies, such as Joint Commission, CARF, or COA, provide rigorous requirements for procedures, and policies.
Teen Challenge may accredit their own locations. They act as a non-profit, religiously accredited organization with basic educational and operational requirements and a strong curriculum focused on emotional growth. They are not a safety, procedure, or policy accrediting body; they rely on state laws and regulations to ensure the safety of residents.
Educational accrediting bodies such as AdvanceEd provide requirements for the educational methods and practices of a program that will allow high school credits to transfer in and out of the program properly.
If the program claims accreditation from any of these organizations (or any organization not listed here), contact the accrediting body and make sure that they are still accredited.
Ensure that the program you are considering can effectively address the problems your child is facing.
For neurodiverse children (ADHD, ASD, OCD, etc.), ask about the program's qualifications for treating neurodiverse needs.
Ask about the criteria for admission, what kinds of problems the program can address, and where it excels.
Ask what it will take for your teenager to be dismissed from the program.
Ask how many residents have been dismissed within the last six months.
Ask the program to describe the specific problems they had with the last resident they dismissed.
If the program will place your child without question or assessment, consider finding another program.
Ask how discipline is maintained and safety is considered. Ask if punishment of any kind is used, including corporal punishment, forced sitting in an uncomfortable position, extended isolation, withholding of food, or change in food intake in order to punish. If any of these methods are used, consider finding another program.
Ask about program policies for a child who refuses to eat food or drink water.
Ask whether staff have been trained in safe restraint, when restraint may be used, and how restraint is reported to the state and parents.
Ask if isolation is used, when isolation may be used, how it is used, and how reporting of isolation is handled with the state and parents.
Request verification that the program has conducted background checks on all its staff members.
Ask about staff qualifications, their degrees, credentials, their licenses, and how long they have been doing this work.
Ensure you thoroughly understand the refund policies of the program you are considering. Many programs require a substantial upfront investment, or the entire amount. Please make sure that a clause in your contract protects you from losing the entire amount in case of a failed placement.
Negative reviews online can sometimes be helpful, but you do need to take into account a few things. First, negative student reviews can often sound like horror stories because the student may have a bit of an axe to grind. Students who do not complete their program often hold very tightly to a significant amount of anger and resentment toward their parents, the program they were essentially forced to attend, and the world. They also often get groups of friends involved who are of the same mindset in an effort to harm the program they attended.
We’re not saying that every negative student review is written out of spite — in fact, some reviews may be fully truthful and entirely heartbreaking. What we are saying is that it’s important to be mindful of the writer, his or her motive, and their potential mental and behavioral health at the time of writing.
Second, keep in mind that a ton of positive reviews may be the result of unethical internet marketing tactics. Many programs hire firms in places like India to write and post glowing reviews. Be mindful of the fact that not every review is real.
Last, but not least, make sure that you’re getting at least some personally-validated feedback. Your best source will always be a parent whom has had a child in the program you are considering within the last 9-12 months. Ask the program for parent references, professional references, and written testimonies from students. If the person has nothing but good to say about the program, make sure that they actually had a child attend the program within the last three years, because program operating quality can change drastically within a short amount of time. Ask how their student is doing now, because long-term results speak louder than words.
The program leaders and principals are qualified to run a program, and are well-rounded in their experience and training. The program leaders have or are pursuing management skills and training. The leadership has worked with teenagers or children and have a passion to do so. They understand the current cultural context for children and have worked in the field for more than 5 years.
The methods used in the program are well-tested and understood in general to be effective in treating the problems children face. Evidence-based treatment as well as methods which are understood to have weathered the test of time are acceptable (structured environment, scriptural studies, emotional growth programs, etc.)
The staff of the program are well-adjusted, well-trained, and qualified to do their work. Each staff member is placed appropriately into the role they are qualified to fulfill.
The program is accountable to some sort of oversight, whether it be a board, a governing body, a strong accrediting body, or licensing with the state. If under an exemption for state licensing, the program should have a strong governing and oversight body.
The program operates under a set of ethical or moral principles which guide its decisions. The program has an ethical mandate to do the most good it possibly can do.
The program is accountable to its mission and vision, and strives to maintain its operations within the confines of that mission and vision.
The program has staff that is either available 24 hours a day, or available to return phone calls from parents within a 6-10 hour timeframe.
The program is consistent in its communication with parents about how the program works, the goals of the program, what success looks like, what they can expect from their child, how problems are resolved, and how emergencies should be handled appropriately.
The program is clear, to the point, and unconfusing in its communication with parents. The program works continuously to remove any inconsistencies or unnecessary verbosity in its communications.
The program has a common language and methods which communicate empathy for the families who are a part of their program. The program recognizes the position these families are in and works to give hope to parents for the future, rather than criticizing parents for perceived failings.
Treatment methods used in the program are consistent with measurable outcomes. Every student that enters the program goes through the same process and must reach specific goals in order to move forward in their program or treatment plan.
The program is consistent in its results and strives to maintain or improve its current level of results. The program knows what "success" looks like at the end of a student’s stay.
The program maintains a regular training schedule and operates with the expectation that staff must be consistently trained to the point where they themselves can become trainers in order to maintain program consistency.
The program’s leaders are unified in their purpose, work well together, and are fully aligned with the program’s vision and mission.
The program’s staff are in sync with leadership, as well as the heartbeat of the program, its purpose, mission and vision, while at the same time bringing their own unique qualities and strengths for the betterment of the program.
The parents the program serves understand the program, how it works, what to expect from their teenager, and why the program operates in the way that it does. Parents are unified with the program in providing a strong front for positive change in their teenager’s life.
The program has well-defined guidelines for the level of care it can or cannot provide. The program does not place just any teenager, but maintains a complete understanding of the problems the program can address and the level of care it can actually provide.
The program has a set of complete contingency plans for problems that arise or emergency situations, classified from the most likely to the most unlikely. The program has a communication plan for situations which require parental intervention. When a new problem arises which does not have a contingency plan, a new plan is created and written down.
The program has a complete policies and procedures handbook for leadership and staff, which is made available to parents upon request.
The program leaders and staff are willing to ask questions. They are willing to inquire of others as to how to make the program better, and willing to admit that the way they are currently operating may need to change.
The program operates under the assumption that it can always improve, gain new knowledge, and grow from others’ experiences, successes, and failures.
The program is willing to share methods, ideas, and collaborate with like-minded people in order to serve families rather than serve their program. The program has a mindset that if you cannot help a particular family, you are willing to help them find a more appropriate placement.