Second Shelter: Family Strategies for Navigating Therapeutic Boarding Schools and Residential Treatment Centers

Raw and poignant. I found this book because I was researching novels about RTC's (residential treatment centers), since I'm in one. I'm about to graduate my program soon (it's been 2 years, and a very long journey) and so I'm feeling sentimental and curious.Besides too many commas in many of the writing, it is written well and I do recommend this for any parent of a struggling child, whether or not their kid is an adolescent or an adult. My family discovered the residential treatment facility world after I ran away ready to *TRIGGER WARNING* kill myself. When I had the support of my estranged brother at the time I needed it the most, my parents and I worked out that we needed to find a program for me. We didn't know about educational consultants and as such, I almost got sent to a scam center that is actually an abusive cult (Emergo Recovery in Ontario, Canada. Avoid at all costs, and do some deeper research into programs like that that seem too good to be true). Other parents aren't so lucky. If you're a parent or someone looking for a program to enroll in, read this book and educate yourself. And, hire an Educational Consultant; they've actually visited the programs they're recommending.Most reviews you'll find for places that are negative come from ex-clients that hated being told what to do and were uncomfortable with progress. It's a very expensive industry to run, so it's a costly tuition, but not much profit is made from it. I know that in my experience, the staff members do this work not for a paycheck (in the least), but because they're dedicated and passionate about the work itself.I like this book and I'm glad it's available. If a residential treatment facility a possibility in any way for you or a loved one, please buy and read this book. A few dollars offering an important perspective could save that life.

Second Shelter, by Rebecca Haid and Elizabeth Donnelly, is a must read for parents who are facing the difficult decision of finding the best therapeutic boarding school for their teen. Drawing on their personal experiences as parent and educational consultant, respectively, Haid and Donnelly have conducted extensive research of a largely unregulated industry to write a much needed, helpful guide. Differentiating the myriad kinds of therapeutic settings and models, they provide valuable suggestions on how parents navigate this challenging and expensive journey from dysfunction to health. Haid’s powerful personal descriptions of the stages that families progress through during that process are interwoven effectively throughout the text to move her personal narrative with her own children through to its positive resolution. Their advice to parents on how to partner with the school to achieve the best outcome, how to handle home visits, and how to deal with predictable regressions and the emotional rollercoaster of all the family members is invaluable. Second Shelter is a truly comprehensive, essential manual for parents who seek to find that “shelter” where the dysfunctional teen can transform into an adolescent who can once again function at home and at school.

This book helped me understand the real world of therapeutic boarding schools and Wilderness programs. A quick read, practical advice at a difficult time. Highly recommend.