72.3 THE NUTS AND BOLTS OF RESIDENTIAL TREATMENT

Abstract

This presentation will describe how residential treatment differs from other levels of care and provides a necessary service for those children and adolescents with severe and complex mental health needs. V. Susan Villani, MD, will describe the nuts and bolts of residential treatment beginning with the admission process, followed by the 7 components of care and the phases of treatment. She will compare and contrast how a residential treatment center operates to inpatient, day hospital, and outpatient settings. She will explain the everyday workings of a residential treatment center emphasizing the need for attention to milieu treatment, individual treatment, family engagement and treatment, as well as the provision of educational services adapted to the needs of the resident. The importance of psychopharmacologic management of residents thoughtfully integrated with the other components of care will be described utilizing brief clinical examples. The presentation will conclude by emphasizing the role of the child and adolescent psychiatrist as leader of the multidisciplinary team, while also operating from a holistic approach to care, in order to assure successful treatment. The clinical examples will demonstrate how the holistic approach combined with the phases of treatment over time resulted in successful treatment and return home. Children and adolescents with severe mental health needs require the comprehensive services of residential treatment centers in order to successfully return to their families and community.