How does one measure success? Is there a given set of criteria that must be met before something is deemed a success? With adolescent behavioral health residential treatment, success is dependent on a robust foundation. This foundation is the treatment facility in Los Angeles that your child will be admitted to.
What makes a successful adolescent behavioral health residential treatment?
Los Angeles is home to several residential treatment facilities. Since not all these facilities can provide your teen with the level of care necessary for their behavioral problems, you may want to look for the best ones before making a decision.
Finding the right center will require you to check off these three characteristics during your comprehensive research:
1. Specialized treatment for every patient
Every behavioral health problem is unique to the adolescent experiencing them. Therefore, a good facility needs to provide each patient with a tailored program. Specific treatment programs may work for one teen but not another. The best facilities consider this so they can lead their patients towards recovery. Ultimately, the success of their patients is the success of the facility.
The treatment facility will also have to prepare patients in transitioning from residential to adolescent IOP programs for when they leave. This will provide their patients with the counseling and support they need once the issue starts to subside.
2. Dedicated and qualified staff
It is not easy to entrust your child’s well-being to people. Being wary of strangers is reasonably expected, especially when a behavioral disorder is involved. As such, it is crucial to find a facility that can measure up to the level of care that a parent can provide.
The treatment facility must employ staff with a solid background in behavioral health treatment. This background should include educational attainment, an internship, and a good track record of employment in the field. Aside from this, you should find out the ratio of staff-to-patient. You will want a facility that can provide your child with enough one-on-one time with the staff. The success rate will be higher if the staff has an adequate number of patients at their care.
3. Success of their alumni
Another characteristic of a successful adolescent behavioral health residential treatment is based on the alumni they have produced. If previously admitted patients are now living regular lives, it means the facility was able to resolve their issues. What better proof is there than seeing ex-patients efficiently handling real-world problems.
Fostering stability in the treatment program
If someone has achieved stability in a treatment program, then it means they have mended their once deteriorated health. Stability is the ability to maintain this healthy state for a prolonged and consistent period. Although missteps are to be expected, stability is attainable. It all comes down to your child’s commitment to the treatment program. Maintaining stability is easier if the facility provides its patients with a support system. Knowing that medical and emotional support is readily available makes sustaining stability much more feasible.
Promoting consistency in the treatment program
Residential treatment programs are very structured to minimize stress and limit self-doubt among patients. In an adolescent behavioral health residential treatment, the focus is set on the recovery goals. To maintain consistency, there must be no room for distractions. Your teen’s attention span might be limited at this time, so their recovery takes top priority. Everything else can wait.
With this in mind, you shouldn’t be too harsh on your teen if they stumble along the way. A perfect consistency, though appealing, is impossible to sustain forever. Moreover, focus on their incremental improvements. A treatment program is not an overnight cure. A successful recovery will take time.
Being more authentic in the program
Life at a Los Angeles adolescent behavioral health residential treatment continues on for your teen. Learning how to be authentic even during treatment will help them have a meaningful life and build genuine relationships.
They will be more authentic when their words, behaviors, and actions match their identity. Expressing themselves with honesty may be the most challenging part for them due to their destructive behavioral patterns. Remind them that they only need to be open with the people around them — the ones who love and understand them.
They should look at the treatment program as a way to step back and reflect on their choices. How they presented themselves to the world did not work out, so it’s time to change that around. Authenticity is not about being one version of themselves for their whole life. Authenticity involves honesty and continuous improvements.