For families who have decided to look at residential treatment for their child, there is a great variety of options to consider. Traditional Boarding, Specialized Boarding, Residential Treatment, Hospitalization, Big vs Small, Lacrosse vs Soccer, Debate Team vs Chess Club, Spring Musical vs Winter Term in Mexico. The choices go on and on and on; a quick glance at any school’s website and you’ll see shiny science labs, sports and activities, and happy students walking through autumn colors on their way to class. Each school will also talk about getting to know your student as an individual, the uniqueness of their community, and the caring and involved nature of their highly trained and deeply dedicated staff – and each school will be authentic, and accurate, in their self-description.
So how does a family begin to weed through the marketing gloss and begin to find not the best school, but rather the best fit?
I’ve often told families schools are a lot like pants – there are some that look great in the catalog, or perfect on other people, and they may even have the correct measurements, but put them on and you find out that they just fit you poorly, pinching or billowing in all the wrong spots. Another pair may fit just right, feeling like they were tailor-made for your unique fashion and function needs. Schools are a lot like pants, fit is everything.
Understanding the categories of schools, as well as their unique elements, can help your family conceptualize the options, and begin to hone in on a set of schools that are a potential fit for you, your child, and your family.
Traditional Boarding Schools, which are typically less-restrictive, are to the left, and their elements are highlighted green.
Specialized Boarding Schools tend to be more supportive, and may also be more restrictive than traditional schools, but less restrictive than residential treatment and hospital options. These moderately restrictive/highly supportive elements are highlighted in yellow.
To the right, you’ll see Residential Treatment Schools and Hospitalization. These settings, and their elements, tend to be more restrictive and have a greater focus on clinical interventions. The elements are highlighted in red.
You will see some cross-over between categories – this is to demonstrate where elements of one setting tend to inform or mirror the elements of another setting.
Caveat: These categories are broad and porous and are provided simply to combine similarities and distinguish broad differences. Each time I drew a line I could think of a few exceptions, or at least schools which would take exception, to the distinctions. Additionally, for the purpose of this article schools that self-describe as “therapeutic boarding schools” are generally represented under the heading of RTC, as in many states all therapeutic schools must be licensed as RTC’s. Use this chart only as a starting point to consider broad categories and inform the questions you ask – elements of individual schools vary.
Elements | Traditional Boarding School | Specialized (Alternative, LD, Etc) Boarding School | (Different levels of care) | |
Focus of Enrollment | Academic Rigor A Focus on College Acceptance Student Enrichment | Building Academic Engagement or Skills Remediation | Personal Development Family Systems Work Building Academic Engagement | Clinical Intervention for Stabilization and Primary Treatment |
Business Structure | Non-profit Board Operated Operations are funded with a mix of tuition, endowment, and donations Fund Raising and Capital Campaigns are common | Non-profit Board Operated Operations are funded with a mix of tuition, endowment, and donations Fund Raising and Capital Campaigns are common | For Profit Owner Operator or Corporate Owned All operations, buildings, and scholarships are tuition-funded | For Profit Owner Operator or Corporate Owned All operations, buildings, and scholarships are tuition-funded |
Tuition | Annual Tuition Due Up Front No refunds for expulsions or withdrawals | Annual Tuition Due Up Front No refunds for expulsions or withdrawals | Billed Monthly Refunds may be pro-rated | Billed Monthly Refunds may be pro-rated |
Calendar | Traditional Long Breaks Summers Off Some ‘Filler’ Programming may be provided | Traditional Long Breaks Summers Off Some ‘Filler’ Programming may be provided | Year-Round Limited Family Visits | Year Round Limited Family Visits |
Enrollment Dates | Primarily traditional start-of-year dates | Primarily start-of-year dates Some rolling enrollment options | Rolling Enrollment | Rolling Enrollment |
Access to Clinically Trained Staff | A therapist or counselor may be available on campus or in the community A small percentage of students will have a full-time individual therapist | A therapist or counselor may be available on campus or in the community A moderate percentage of students will have a full-time individual therapist | Each student is assigned a therapist for targeted clinical work Group Therapy is a part of the process | Each student is assigned a therapist for targeted clinical work Group therapy is a part of the process |
Access to a Psychiatrist | Students on medications generally use a doctor from home | Students on medications generally use a doctor from home | A local psychiatrist may be contracted & be part of the treatment team for monthly medication management | A psychiatrist is generally on staff |
Academic Rigor | Strong College Preparatory Curriculum | Rigor is often matched to student ability, with a focus on remediation and building engagement | Academics and therapeutic progress receive equal, or even integrated, attention | Academics are second to clinical stabilization and treatment Academics may be integrated into treatment |
Varsity Athletics | Multiple offerings, often with compulsory athletic participation | Limited offerings Access to alternative activities like hiking, climbing, farming, etc. | On-campus athletics only Compulsory participation in alternative activities like hiking, climbing, farming, etc. | No athletics Limited participation in alternative activities like hiking, climbing, farming, etc. |
Student Autonomy | Campus may be “Open” Students can come and go Day students may make up a healthy mix of the population Unsupervised off-campus excursions are possible | Closely Supervised Campus Community Day students may make up a small or healthy mix of the population There may or may not be be a loose Tier or Level system which equates to autonomy on and/or off campus | Closed Campus, generally staff-secured No Day Students Closely monitored movements with a high level of supervision on and off campus | Closed Campus, generally locked-door No Day Students Highly monitored and structured movements with the highest level of supervision on campus, with limited off-campus options |
Access to Electronics | Open Access Students have cell phones and computers | Open Access Students have cell phones and computers | Limited Access Students don’t have cell phones Computer usage is monitored | No Access No cell phones and possibly no computers, depending on facility |
Discipline | Strict honor code Little tolerance for rule testing / breaking “One-Strike” Policies are common for major infractions Demerits, Community Service, Work Time, and Limited Privileges are common disciplinary tools Suspensions or Expulsions | Marginal tolerance for rule testing / breaking “Three Strike” Policies are common for major infractions Demerits, Community Service, Work Time, and Limited Privileges are common disciplinary tools Suspensions and Expulsions | High programmatic tolerance for disruptive behaviors Demerits, Community Service, Work Time, Limited Privileges, Loss of Stage Progress or Loss of Home Visits are common disciplinary tools Staff may be trained in restraints or therapeutic holds for student and staff safety Suspensions are uncommon Expulsions generally lead to higher levels of care/treatment or hospitalization | High programmatic tolerance for disruptive behaviors Limited Privileges, Loss of Stage Progress or Loss of Home Visits are common disciplinary tools Staff may be trained in restraints or therapeutic holds for student and staff safety Suspensions and expulsions are are uncommon |
Faculty | Faculty often live and work on campus and faculty families are an integral part of the school community “Triple Threat” staffing structure (Teaching, Coaching, Residential Work) | Faculty often live and work on campus and faculty families are an integral part of the school community “Double Threat” staffing structure (Teaching and Coaching or Residential Work) | Some residential staff may have multi-day shifts, including overnighting on campus, but most staff come and go | Staff work in shifts to provide supervision and clinical oversight |
School to Family Commun- ication | Limited | Regular communication | High Levels of sophisticated communication, including family work | High Levels of sophisticated communication, including family work |
As you’ve noticed, all of the Traditional School elements are clearly in the “green” column, while all elements of the Hospital Placements are solidly “red”. Where things get fuzzier, both in the general categories of this article and the specifics of any individual school, are with the Residential Treatment Centers and the Specialized Schools. Each of these models blur the edges, mixing their approach to create their unique and targeted balance of structure and support. Chances are, your child’s needs fall somewhere between two, three, or even four categories, but there are some key elements which can help you narrow down your search criteria.
While there will undoubtedly be many factors to weigh as you consider your options, taking stock of your child’s actual (and maybe not your aspirational) academic and therapeutic needs, the likelihood of their having behavioral or emotional challenges, the sophistication of support structures which are baked into the school’s fundamental focus, and the ramifications (including financial) if a change of placement is needed – these can be key elements in your final decision. Looking closely at the matrix above, you may discover that traditional vs rolling enrollment is the make-or-break element in your decision, or that a clinically-supported family services model makes you lean toward a RTC instead of a specialized school. Possibly the risk of losing a year’s tuition if your child struggles behaviorally is a critical factor, but the chance of playing Varsity Volleyball far outweighs that factor. Each of these elements will be intensely personal to each family.
The chart above is (admittedly) painted with broad brush strokes, and solely intended to stimulate your own questions and curiosities, and to help you be a more informed consumer. In reality the boundaries are often even more porous than the chart might imply, so asking targeted questions to individual schools or a placement specialist can help you narrow down options and find the right fit.
Think back to your closet, and that one pair of pants that just never fits right, not matter how many times you’ve tried them on. Now imagine having to sit through an entire year of school in those pants. Parenting, adolescence, and parenting adolescents is hard enough without unnecessary pinching and billowing. Go for fit and function – the fashion will follow, and your child will (eventually) thank you.
About the Author
Jake Weld holds a masters degree in education and has over twenty years of experience in traditional, LD, and therapeutic schools, adolescent and young adult programs, and conventional, wilderness, and residential settings. He has served as the Executive Director of a therapeutic boarding school, the Assistant Headmaster of a specialized LD boarding school, and as the Academic and Program Director of various schools and programs. He is currently the Director of Admissions and Business Development for Mansfield Hall, a specialized college support program in Burlington, VT, and Madison, WI.