Residential treatment is a form of therapy that involves the total life of a disturbed child in a planful organization that is built upon a defined theory of treatment. It requires the child to live in a special setting, where he is cared for by trained personnel who mold their everyday interactions and relationships with him toward therapeutic ends. Characteristically, within a residential treatment center (RTC), a host of specific therapies are present that are organized around a common strategy of treatment. It is this quality of integrating the details of everyday living with a wide variety of therapies that gives residential treatment its unique character. In particular, this pattern of treatment usually includes the child’s family, either as individuals or as a family unit. (51 pp.)