Therapeutic Group Homes * Children and Youth with Emotional Disturbance
PH-6300.8600 * YF-5000.1700-100
Programs that provide an alternative living environment and mental health treatment services in licensed, non-secure facilities for children and adolescents with significant emotional or behavioral problems who have some capability to engage in community-based activities. Although the types and combinations of treatment vary, treatment services typically include individual, group and family counseling, behavior modification, vocational training, recreational therapy and skill building. Therapeutic group homes are generally licensed by the state; offer a less restrictive treatment environment than residential treatment, but are more restrictive than therapeutic foster care; and are located in the community where residents attend local schools.
A disorder arising in childhood or adolescence which is marked by an inability to learn or other functional deficits that cannot be explained by intellectual, sensory or health factors; an inability to build or maintain satisfactory interpersonal relationships with peers, teachers and other adults; inappropriate types of behavior or feelings under normal circumstances; a general pervasive mood of unhappiness or depression; and a tendency to develop physical fears associated with school problems or other issues that is severe enough to adversely affect the child's educational performance or ability to engage in age-appropriate activities. Characteristics may include hyperactivity, aggression or self-injurious behavior, withdrawal, immaturity, and learning difficulties.