Intensive Residential Treatment

The Intensive Residential Treatment (IRT) program serves up to 36 children and adolescents with significant behavioral health needs. These children have behavioral and emotional difficulties that require out-of-home care and a high level of supervision and assistance.

The mission of IRT is to provide a safe and supportive environment where children can learn skills that will assist them in developing more meaningful lives, and for them to be able to succeed in a less restrictive setting. This is accomplished by emphasizing four basic goals for success across all environments: Being Ready, Responsible, Respectful, and Safe. These core values are stressed in everything done in the program, and ultimately help children build on their own personal strengths in order to function more independently as responsible members of their families and communities.

Visit our FAQ for answers to common questions about our residential programs.

Use our intake appointment checklist to make sure you bring all required items, and follow our packing list as you prepare for your child’s stay at Brewer-Porch.

Contact the program coordinator, Corliss Banks, LPC, via phone (205) 348-4058 or email cbanks@ua.edu with any further questions.

Detailed Description

The Intensive Residential Treatment (IRT) program serves emotionally and behaviorally disturbed children within the state of Alabama. Children served in the intensive program generally have severe histories of abuse or neglect and have not responded to traditional outpatient services. The admission criteria for children to be considered for treatment in the IRT program are:

• Legal residency of the state of Alabama
• 6-18 years of age
• Permission of legal guardian for the child to be referred to/enrolled in the program
• Ability to function in a group setting and otherwise be able to benefit from treatment
• Not adequately benefited by outpatient or other community-based interventions that would enable the child to remain in a less-restrictive environment
• DSM-IV diagnosis with the range of 290-316 or identification by a mental health professional as having serious emotional or behavioral problems requiring intensive residential treatment. The applicants may be delinquents or chronic runaways, display manipulative behaviors, have difficulty maintaining self-control, display poor self-esteem, and have difficulty accepting authority. Referrals may also be diagnosed as autistic or have autistic-like behaviors. Referrals may also exhibit significant disruptive behaviors, such as impulsive aggression and self-injurious behaviors.
• A need for constant 24-hour adult supervision and intense treatment, which could include the use of psychotropic medications
• If diagnosed with conduct disorder or has experienced significant involvement in the juvenile justice system, exhibits a significant accompanying mental illness or emotional disturbance contributing to the antisocial behavior

The IRT treatment team consists of experienced professionals from multiple disciplines including psychology, counseling, social work, psychiatry, nursing, and education. Treatment is individualized for every child in the program, with the primary focus being on positive reinforcement to increase desired behaviors. Each child’s treatment plan is reviewed and revised every 30 days.