Therapeutic Day School or Therapeutic Boarding School?

You've made the decision to enroll your child in a therapeutic school environment. Here, you know that he can get the structure and therapeutic component he needs for success. But how to decide between a therapeutic day school and a therapeutic boarding school?

It's important to consider how much help your child needs with the emotional and social issues that get in the way of her success. While a day treatment program can offer a therapeutic school environment, your child will return home at the end of the day. Are her problems mostly a lack of self-esteem due to difficulties with academics? Does she follow family rules most of the time, accept parental guidance? If you can say yes to these things, a therapeutic day school may be all that is needed for her to get on the right track to success.

But if your child has behavioral difficulties at home most of the time, has trouble following family rules and accepting parental guidance, or if you suspect that he is using drugs or alcohol regularly and is not willing or able to stop, a therapeutic boarding school might be a better option. Here, there is a structured environment and intensive therapeutic intervention around the clock. Such an environment is a safe haven for your child — away from peers who may be selling pot in English class, from Internet chat groups that are likely to reinforce negative behaviors, and even from too many choices and too much unstructured time to make poor choices.