Now that your child is in a residential treatment center, they may be spending the holidays away from home. This change may be difficult for the family and the individual receiving treatment. Treatment programs try to make the holidays just as special as they are at home with family and friends through holiday activities and festivities. Spending the holidays at a residential treatment center is also a great opportunity for students to reflect on their treatment process and achievements.
Although your teen is in a treatment program and not at home, the holidays can still be a special time filled with activities and community. Staff members at residential treatment centers work hard to make the holidays a time to celebrate for individuals in treatment. The holidays are typically a time of the year where we like to slow down and reflect on the past year. Treatment programs help struggling teens reflect on how their depression, anxiety, and mental health issues have been positively treated.
At many residential treatment centers, staff and students work together to prepare meals and plan activities for each holiday. Having family-style meals and activities for the teens in treatment creates the essence of community, which is an important part of the holidays.
Some of the activities planned for struggling teens and staff members may include decorating the residential treatment facility for the holidays, doing a gift exchange, and celebrating cultural traditions.
Most residential treatment centers will encourage and support students who want to attend a service for their religious holiday. Parents can also request that their struggling teen attends a service with their family. Many students who have a similar religious background will get together in the residential treatment facility to participate in a religious tradition, like lighting a Menorah or decorating a Christmas tree.
There is typically an increase in communication between the residential treatment center staff and parents during the holidays. These communications usually include photos, updates on holiday activities, and updates on treatment. These updates are incredibly important for parents during the holidays, as they will be missing their child.
Most treatment programs will also encourage increased communication between the students and their parents over the holidays as well. This might include cards, letters, emails, calls, and video calls between the parents and their child. A natural sense of longing for family typically occurs over the holidays, so having more communication can avoid any feelings of loneliness.
Family visits to the treatment center are also encouraged over the holidays. Families can visit and participate in some of the holiday activities or choose to just spend time with their child. Depending on where the student is in their treatment process, an at-home visit can happen so that the struggling teen can visit with their extended family or attend religious services.
If a student has family that can’t make it to the treatment facility for the holidays, staff members will typically spend more time with them or encourage them to spend more time with other students to celebrate the holidays.
Spending the holidays away from family is difficult, but there are also benefits to spending time in a treatment program. Recovery from teen mental health issues, depression, anxiety, and other behavioral issues is a process that requires time and sacrifice.
Most struggling teens are more likely to abuse substances during the holiday months because celebrating with drinking or drugs are more acceptable behaviors during the holidays. These behaviors can be dangerous for everyone, especially a person struggling with substance addiction.
The holidays are often spent with family and friends, which can bring up bad memories of past behaviors for teens struggling with mental health issues. These situations can be triggering for students with depression, anxiety, or PTSD and cause them to regress in their treatment process.
Spending the holidays in a residential treatment center is a perfect opportunity for students to reflect on their treatment process and on past behaviors. The holiday season and new year are also great times for a struggling teen to focus on what more they want to positively change in their life. Reflecting on past experiences and behaviors can be a great motivation for students to continue through their treatment process. Taking the time to focus on mental, physical, and spiritual well-being at a treatment program can allow students to continue on their healing journey.
Spending the holidays away from family may seem lonely, but residential treatment center staff and students work alongside each other to make the holidays special. Your child will not be alone on the holidays, they will have meals and activities to participate in with other students and staff members.
The holiday season is also a great time for students to get to know each other better and celebrate religious or cultural traditions together. Students may want to spend their time teaching other students about their holiday traditions or learning about other student’s traditions. The holiday season also provides a perfect opportunity for students to celebrate their achievements and the achievements of other students in the treatment program.
While spending the holidays at a residential treatment center can seem difficult, the time spent there can provide opportunities to better yourself. Struggling with depression, anxiety, PTSD, substance abuse, or other mental health issues is hard for the person going through it and their family. Treatment programs are a supportive experience that can change your life for the better. The best gift you can give to your family for the holidays is to focus on your mental health and overall well-being.
