Describes behavior and background of adolescents in a therapeutic community and proposes that all experiences in the residential context need to form a single integrated psychotherapeutic process. Central consideration is of the significance of food and its treatment potential in this total process. (Author)

Robert, a fifteen-year-old resident in a residential treatment program, was diagnosed with significant hearing impairment. He communicates primarily through American Sign Language, although he speaks relatively well and has some hearing ability. Katie, a youth worker who has participated in Life Space Crisis Intervention (LSCI) training, worked…

Addresses difficulties in conducting psychotherapy with inpatient adolescents and describes how the idea of working closely with adolescents positively and realistically enables adolescent workers to meet the challenges of residential work. Offers a perspective on the adolescent worker's ongoing therapeutic relationship with inpatient adolescents.…

Notes that some children and adolescents display what might be called "negative resilience" in that they are intractable to almost all efforts of adults to mold or redirect them. Sixteen-year-old Kevin describes how he furiously fought all efforts to change him and how he found courage to turn his life around. (Author/NB)

Effective residential care of disturbed adolescents depends on integration of treatment programs. For a unit to be successful, an important function of its director is monitoring the therapeutic input so the recurring conflicts of aims do not render staff ineffective. Director qualities required include a capacity to be at ease with divergent…

The senator from Massachusetts introduces this special issue by reviewing his family's interest in persons with mental retardation, the potential of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Intermediate Care Facilities for the Mentally Retarded (ICF/MR) program, and the importance of improving care for residents of ICFs. (DB)

Provides overview on the role, character, and diversity of services school counselors experience in residential settings (psychiatric hospitals, correctional programs, residential treatment settings). Documents the existence of school counselors in forensic "educational" settings. Considers school counseling services of consultation and…

This commentary on Erb's (1995) article on institutionalization of individuals with severe impairments identifies several points of disagreement, including the appropriateness of placement of such individuals in large institutions, the financial cost of community supportive living, and whether individual needs can best be served in institutions or…

This commentary on Erb's (1995) article on institutionalization argues that living in one's home community is better than being forced to leave it to obtain needed services. The commentary also criticizes the assertion that supported living programs funded through Medicaid waiver are not cost-effective compared to traditional institutional or…

Robert Erb responds to commentaries to his paper on institutional placement for individuals with severe disabilities and the costs of community and institutional placements. Risk-and-benefit issues, in addition to cost-and-benefit ones, are addressed. (SW)

Presents case of adolescent student at residential program for chemically dependent adolescents who had dyslexia and attention deficit disorder. Explains features of attention deficit disorder with and without hyperactivity and discusses prevalence of attention deficit disorder in chemically dependent population. Explores diagnostic issues,…

The article addresses special problems of aging in persons with mental disabilities, including needs of persons living out their lives in institutions, normalized services for community residents, early preparation for aging, and appropriate residential placement. (DB)

The article briefly reviews the history of deinstitutionalization and supports the development and use of a comprehensive evaluation process to evaluate the human and environmental factors that affect the potential for successful placement of handicapped persons in community-based residential facilities. (JW)

Historically, in the field of developmental disabilities, the place of residence determines the level of support provided. This has led to a situation in which the more home-like the residence, the less public financial support it receives. The more disabled an individual is and the more difficulties that individual presents, the further he or she…