Become a Therapeutic Parent

Make positive change and help youth thrive through Treatment Foster Care.

Therapeutic Parents:

  • Keep youth in the community

  • Prevent the escalation of delinquency, youth violence, and pregnancy

  • Increase positive academic engagement

  • Improve brain stress regulatory systems among youth

  • Treatment Foster Care aims to keep youth ages 7–11 suffering from emotional, behavioral, or psychological stress in their natural environment. It is a Medicaid-covered service for children on the SED-W.

    Youth served in Treatment Foster Care reside in a therapeutic home with a therapeutic parent for approximately 9 months to a year. Treatment Foster Care is not a traditional foster care placement and has specific mental health treatment criteria required for eligibility.

  • Therapeutic parents provide a safe and nurturing environment for youth while supporting their treatment goals. These individuals or couples:

    1. Create opportunities for youth to successfully live in a family setting

    2. Enjoy working with children and want to promote positive change

    3. Are willing to work together with a team of treatment professionals

    4. Demonstrate flexibility and can adapt to a change in plans

    You do not need previous experience to become a therapeutic parent.

  • Therapeutic parents receive:

    • Initial and ongoing training

    • Daily monitoring

    • Weekly group support

    • 24/7 access to in-the-moment coaching

    • Monthly compensation

Learn More

Fill out the form below to learn more about becoming a therapeutic parent.