Spinning our Wheels: When Residential Care becomes Reality

All too often, caregivers are given the recommendation from their trusted provider that their child needs a higher level of care for behavioral health challenges and neglect to follow-up. From my experience, caregivers' initial response is typically from a place of shock, fear, denial, guilt, blame, and shame. Moreover, I hear caregivers taking on the sole responsibility of trying to keep their child safe in unsafe situations. Unfortunately, society has conditioned caregivers that residential behavioral healthcare is a very scary place with four padded walls, bars on the windows, and little to no visiting hours to see their children. While this can be true for some, and let's face it, the ultimate goal is the safety of our children, most residential behavioral healthcare centers are far from this description.

This presentation will help caregivers gather an understanding of what to expect when their child may be recommended a higher level of care, including the therapeutic environment, professional training, support for caregivers, length of stay, and managed care reimbursement. In addition, we will debunk behavioral healthcare misconceptions and help caregivers come to an understanding that their child may need more structure than they can provide at the time.