Abstract
Day treatment has been used to treat children with disruptive behavior disorders for over 20 years. This modality is increasingly appealing with the move toward providing children with the least-restrictive treatment. These less-intensive services are also cost-effective, which aligns with managed-care goals. Several studies over the past decade have supported the effectiveness of the day treatment model, and now this model has evolved to include partial-day treatment programs. Partial-day treatment programs are attended for as little as 6 hours per week, in contrast to the 6–8 hour full-day treatment setting. Partial treatment settings offer the added advantage of allowing referred children to continue in their regular school programs. The present article describes the design and implementation of an after-school partial-day treatment program for children referred to community mental health services for emotional and behavioral problems. Program evaluation is needed to determine whether these less intensive services can be effective in treating referred children.
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Robinson, K.E., Dow, R.T. & Nicholas, P.M. Expanding a Continuum of Care: A Report on a Partial-Day Treatment Program. Child & Youth Care Forum 28, 221–228 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1021947912777
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1021947912777