The Forgotten Path: Facility Partner Perceptions on Youth Transitions from a Residential Treatment Facility School to Neighborhood Schools

Many youth with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) are served in residential treatment facilities (RTF) due to their excesses and deficits across domains (e.g., academics and behavior) and mental health issues negatively affecting their overall functioning. Youth with EBD who display antisocial behaviors (e.g., verbal or physical aggression, bullying, property destruction) with or without mental health symptoms may need more intensive treatment services than those available in their neighborhood schools; thus, placement in an RTF may be the most appropriate setting to receive their education, programming, and treatment services. The programming and treatment provided in RTFs offer youth 24-hour, 7-days a week supervision in a therapeutic environment, while being supported by a team of professionals with expertise in the youth’s specific areas of need (Jolivette, 2016). RTF settings provide youth with a) low youth-to-teacher ratios, b) highly structured classrooms, c) access to a range of positive behavior supports, d) access to adult mentors, e) explicit social skills instruction, and f) individualized behavioral interventions across all domains (e.g., Sprague et al., 2014), along with trauma informed practices (American Association of Children’s Residential Centers, 2014).