ABSTRACT
Emotionally disturbed children and adolescents have a wide range of presenting problems and distinct mental health needs. There are a number of different treatment models, and various forms of community intervention. Some programs treat the whole family, whereas others focus primarily upon the youth-in-residence. Nevertheless, urban-based residential programs appear to have a number of common features, such as having an organized system of communication, employing direct care staff, providing feedback of information, using the community as a resource, utilizing therapeutic activities, teaching social and life skills, and emphasizing behavior control. This chapter discusses the theoretical structure, philosophy, principles, and practices that were utilized to create a comprehensive mental health service for the “untreatable adolescent” known as the Four Phase System of Metropolitan Toronto, which existed from 1973 to 1990.
