ABSTRACT
Residential programs have a long history of treating youth with emotional and behavioral disorders. Although efforts to reduce reliance on residential settings have decreased the prevalence of these settings, some youth still need more structure and support than what a family setting can provide. This chapter provides an overview of the current challenges and opportunities facing residential programs. Like other interventions, residential programs are seeking to understand what works for whom and how to build an evidence base to support their effectiveness. Despite a widespread focus on family care settings, this chapter argues for sustaining an essential place for residential programs within a system of care. The text introduces three innovative residential program models as having potential impact into the future. These include short-term programs that leverage the holistic environment to enhance the effectiveness of manualized evidence-based practices; hybrid programs that blend residential weekday stays with weekly home visits that include support from residential staff; and therapeutic boarding schools where youth with emotional and behavioral disorders can receive educationally enriched programs.
