Promising Approaches to Engaging Families and Building Strengths in Residential Treatment

In order to improve post-discharge outcomes for children, it has been proposed that residential treatment centers place a greater emphasis on engaging families and building on strengths of the youths in treatment. This review presents the theoretical and empirical support for several promising strategies for engaging families, such as behavioral parent training, parent support groups, and systems approaches. Approaches to building on strengths, such as strength-based assessment, supporting social network relationships, adventure-based learning, and service learning are also reviewed. Suggestions are provided for integrating these approaches to construct a model residential treatment program.