Examining the Outcomes of Youth Admitted to a Residential Treatment Center

Residential Treatment Centers (RTCs) house youth with severe behavioral, psychological, psychiatric, or substance abuse problems. These youth are unsuccessful in other treatment modalities, including outpatient services, or they are too ill or unmanageable to be placed in non-secure settings, day treatment programs, or foster care. Services include special education, individual/family/group therapy, psychoanalytic therapy, psycho-educational counseling, behavioral management, and medication management. This study examines relevant research regarding RTCs, specifically the factors that influence outcomes for clients such as trauma, post-discharge factors, costs and benefits of RTCs, and finally alternatives to RTCs. The study assesses outcomes and continuum of care of thirty youth who were admitted to an RTC in Los Angeles County. The purpose is to examine factors associated with success in terms of recidivism and social/family functioning post discharge to determine how effective Level 14 is based on admission characteristics, discharge plans, and outcomes