About Waco Center for Youth – Waco
The Waco Center for Youth is a long standing residential behavioral health center for teenagers in Waco, Texas. In fact, it has been serving teens since as far back as 1979 and continues to do so today.
This state operated facility is for kids ages 13 to 17 who have behavioral health struggles like co-occurring addictions and mental illnesses. Note that this is not a dedicated addiction rehab but their services are more generalized for behavioral health so it’s primarily for kids with addiction who have other behavioral health needs, too.
During your child’s program, they’ll have a personalized treatment plan that’s tailored to their needs. The program as a whole focuses on guiding teens in recovery while also identifying and harnessing their strengths. It’s not just about trying to stop your child from a behavior but also trying to replace that behavior with positive fulfillment elsewhere.
Your child will have individual therapy and group therapy throughout their program. They’ll learn social skills and other life skills too like self regulation. The facility also has more unique therapies and activities like equine therapy and a challenge course. Your family will be highly involved along the way too with family therapy sessions.
Of course, this is a long term recovery center so your child may be here for several months. Don’t worry about their education suffering because during their treatment they’ll continue their education through the Axtell Independent School District.
I should note that you cannot apply for admission to this state facility on your own. Your child has to be referred by a local mental health authority or state hospital or by Child Protective Services.
