How Long is Residential Treatment for Teens?

If your child is about to begin a stay at a residential treatment center, you’re bound to have a lot of questions. What types of therapy will be involved? Will our family be allowed to visit? And, of course, how long is a teen residential treatment program?

In this blog, we’re taking a closer look at how long a standard residential treatment program lasts for most teens. We also discuss how these treatment centers can continue to support your teen—even after they’ve left the facility.

Polaris Teen Center is a residential treatment center designed to address the mental health and behavioral wellness of teens. We offer comprehensive care and a variety of unique therapy techniques to ensure your teen gets the support they need.

How Long Does Residential Treatment for Teens Last?

At Polaris, we believe that a personalized approach to care is the most effective. By developing personalized treatment programs for each patient, we can better meet the unique needs of everyone who enters our facilities. However, we cannot set a standard timeframe for the length of a residential treatment program. A standardized, “cookie cutter” approach to treatment is not as effective. The length of your child’s residential treatment should depend on their unique healthcare needs, progress during the program, and the goals for the entire family.

At Polaris, we require a minimum 45-day commitment from our patients. This allows us to fully understand and address your teen’s mental health disorder or behavioral disorder. However, it should be noted that some treatment programs will last longer than the minimum 45 days. Each teen’s length of stay at Polaris Teen Center is based on their individual needs and personalized recovery plan.

We utilize a range of evidence-based treatments to provide comprehensive and effective care for your teen. Our therapeutic facilitators specialize in a variety of therapy techniques, such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavioral therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, somatic experiencing, and more. We also focus on providing your teen with real-world skills for coping with their disorder on a daily basis, including strategies like grounding techniques for anxiety.

Can I Visit My Teen at Their Residential Treatment Center?

Many parents are concerned about the level of contact they are allowed to have with their teens once they are admitted to a treatment center. At Polaris, our goal is to help the entire family unit heal, which is why we value the connection between parent and child. That’s why we happily allow family members to visit during several points of the patient’s treatment program. The visiting hours will of course vary from patient to patient and will be based on your teen’s individual treatment plan and therapy schedule.

What Happens After My Teen Leaves Their Residential Treatment Center?

Treatment is a journey that continues after your teen’s stay at a residential treatment center. That’s why, we integrate aftercare as a key component of our treatment plans. But what does an aftercare program involve?

Aftercare refers to ongoing or continual treatment patients receive following their stay at a residential treatment center. The details of an aftercare program depend on the needs of each patient. But in general, aftercare may include things such as individual case management, continued therapy sessions, substance monitoring, academic support, coaching and goal setting, and even community building.

Aftercare may be critical in reducing the risk of relapse and ensuring that your teen can use what they learned at Polaris to improve their lives each day. Aftercare can help your teen perform better in school, improve their behavior at home, and maintain positive life-coping skills. Recovery is an ongoing process that requires continued support and care. Whether your teen is experiencing a mental health disorder, behavioral disorder, or substance abuse problem, our mental health services and aftercare programs can help your entire family achieve a lasting healing process.

Who Can Be Treated at Residential Treatment Centers?

If your child is experiencing a behavioral or mental health disorder, such as major depressive order, social anxiety disorder, or gender dysphoria, a residential treatment center for teens can be an effective choice for treatment.

As one of the most comprehensive approaches to care, residential treatment centers are in-patient centers that provide around-the-clock care for your teen. They also offer your teen access to highly trained and empathetic doctors and mental health professionals. Many teens have entered these treatment centers, and as a result, they have been able to develop strategies to help them confront their mental health disorder and live happy, productive lives.

When seeking out a residential treatment center for your teen, it’s important to find the right one for their specific condition and overall wellness needs. We understand that no two roads to recovery are the same, which is why we pride ourselves on taking a personalized approach to care.

Our expert staff can effectively treat a wide range of mental health and behavioral disorders, including:

• Major depressive disorder.
• Bipolar disorder.
• Anxiety and panic disorders.
• Trauma-related disorders.
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
• Self-harm behaviors.
• Emerging personality disorder.
• Autism spectrum disorders.
• Gender dysphoria.
• Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
• Attachment-related disorders.
• Grief and loss.

And more. While this list includes many of the most common patients we work with, there are many other mental health and behavioral disorders we can help to treat. Finding the right treatment center for your teen is an essential first step toward recovery. That’s why we incorporate a comprehensive admissions process to determine whether or not Polaris would be an appropriate choice for your family.

Conclusion – How Long is Residential Treatment for Teens?

When your child begins their residential treatment program, one of your first thoughts will probably be wondering when they’ll return home. However, it’s important not to rush therapy so that your teen benefits from the ample resources provided by these specialized centers. Generally, a treatment program will last somewhere between three weeks to a few months, but the specific timeframe will depend on your child’s wellness needs.

Polaris is a residential teen treatment center that utilizes a highly individualized and comprehensive approach to care. Our expert staff of doctors and mental health professionals have experience working with teens experiencing a range of mental health and behavioral disorders. Polaris focuses on giving your teen the tools they will need to manage their condition and live a happy, fulfilling life. When your family is in crisis, remember one important fact: you are not alone on the path toward treatment.

Contact us today to see if Polaris may be right for your family. For more information about our Polaris Programs, call 1 (844) 836-0222 to confidentially speak to a member of our admissions staff.