Institutions without walls for emotionally disturbed children. Chedoke Child and Family Centre, Hamilton, Ontario.
The parent-therapist program was developed as an alternative to residential treatment centers for severely emotionally disturbed children. Five healthy nuclear families function in a group as an extended family. Each family receives a salary and is responsible for the care and protection of an emotionally disturbed child. Mental health professionals provide the parents with education and supervision. By the end of 1976 a total of 36 children ranging in age from six to 15 had been treated by 20 different parent-therapist couples for periods ranging from nine to 26 months. A comparison of the program with those of two residential centers showed that there was no difference in treatment outcome but that costs for the parent-therapist program were half those for the residential centers.
D000124:Achievement; D000293:Adolescent; D000342:Affective Symptoms / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D002648:Child; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009864:Ontario; D010290:Parents; D012114:Residential Treatment; D012456:Salaries and Fringe Benefits; D012737:Sex Factors; D012931:Social Environment