At Child Residential Treatment Finder, we help you find residential, group home and out-of-home placement for children who need care. We also support you in parenting or in the classroom with challenging children with behavior and mental health issues, those with autism, and those with Intellectual Disabilities (ID).
Find Treatment for Children in Need
Child Residential Treatment Finder was launched in 2020 to help parents, social workers, teachers and other caring adults to find treatment for children who need it.
Children who need out-of-home placement may include those struggling with:
- behavior issues
- mental health diagnosis
- violent outbursts
- RAD and attachment disorders
- autism, autism spectrum disorder (ASD)
- developmental delays and intellectual disabilities (ID)
- drug and alcohol addiction
- Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) or Conduct Disorder (CD)
- out of control behaviors
- sexualized behavior
- and others

Why We Have a Heart for What We Do
When your child has severe behavior issues, you feel isolated and alone. You may be weary and beaten down from caring for a child who is incredibly difficult.
Other people do not understand the extremely difficult situations and parenting decisions you face.
You have tried all the therapies, treatments, and programs yet your child has gotten worse instead of better. You may feel at the end of your rope. (And if you secretly have days where you hate your child, and then feel guilty for doing so, please know you are not the only one.)
You may have come to a place of realizing that for the safety of everyone in your family, and for the wellbeing of your child, he or she needs to be placed outside of your home. This isn’t a decision any parent wants to face, and yet here you are.
You may also be incredible frustrated that the places where you are supposed to find help are not able to provide you with answers. The “experts” may even try to blame you for your child’s problems.
That’s why we are here to help. We have been in your shoes and will guide you to the treatment options you need during this difficult time.
You Are Not Alone
Here, you will find helpful resources for parenting a difficult child, plus listings of specific residential treatment programs most appropriate to your child’s needs. We walk you through the steps of securing a program and getting the necessary funding.
Plus we will help you take care of yourself during this most difficult time.
All of this information is provided at no cost to you.
Your Next Steps
How can you get the help you need?
- Comment! We would love to hear about your situation or recommendations of programs that are helpful. Parents of other special needs children are often your best resource so you’ll be helping yourself and others.
- Sign up for our email list where you will immediately receive a helpful checklist for how to find residential treatment for your child.
- Browse our site. We continually add new information for parents of kids with behavior and mental health issues.
- Click here for help finding a treatment program that is the best fit for your child’s needs.
- Need help getting funding? Residential treatment is extremely expensive and most families cannot afford to pay for it directly. Click here for information about Medicaid, insurance, and grants to pay for treatment.
- Are you exhausted and depleted? Here are resources for taking care of yourself and strategies for parenting your child.
- Need further help? Contact us here.
Why You Can Trust Us
Child Residential Treatment is organized by Alyssa Carter, a parent just like you who made the difficult decision to place her child into residential treatment. After years of struggle to secure a placement, her child received helpful treatment and today is healthy and thriving.
She knew there were other parents who were in similar situations and vowed to help them. She became a Family Advocate in the state of New York and worked as a certified advocate for several years.
As an advocate, she met with families in their homes, taught parenting courses and led support groups, attended IEP meetings and court hearings, and provided empathy, encouragement and mentoring to parents of children with mental health challenges.
In addition, she and her husband were foster parents for many years. She has experience parenting children with RAD, medical issues, genetic conditions, intellectual disabilities, developmental delay, apraxia, anxiety, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, sexualized behavior, aggressive and violent behavior, children surviving sexual abuse, and other many other behavior challenges.
Now she runs Child Residential Treatment Finder to help other parents.
Alyssa Carter’s Credentials
- Bachelor of Arts in Education
- Teaching certification, Grades 1-9, Elementary and Middle School
- Licensed foster parent
- Certified Nurse’s Assistant (CNA)
- Certified Family Advocate
- Parenting with Love and Logic – attended
- Empowered to Connect – attended
- Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) – attended
Note: Alyssa Carter is a pen name out of respect for her child’s privacy.
Business information:
Name: Child Residential Treatment Finder
Site: www.childresidentialtreatment.com
Email: [email protected]