Overview

The Troubled Teen Industry (TTI) is a network of programs that exploit families in crisis by marketing themselves as solutions for struggling kids and teens. These facilities include wilderness therapy programs, therapeutic boarding schools, boot camps, group homes, and other residential settings. Behind the polished marketing lies a troubling reality: many of these programs rely on abusive and harmful practices.

Why Oversight Is Needed

Abuse and neglect are far too common in these programs. Survivors have shared countless stories about physical restraints, solitary confinement, emotional abuse, and other harmful practices. Despite this, many programs continue to operate unchecked, putting more kids at risk. Tragically, a significant number of children have died in these facilities, including those operated by members of the National Association of Therapeutic Schools and Programs (NATSAP).

Organizations like NATSAP, the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA), and the Outdoor Behavioral Healthcare Council (OBHIC)—formerly known as the Outdoor Behavioral Healthcare Industry Council—provide these programs with legitimacy, making it easier for them to avoid scrutiny.

The Troubled Teen Industry is dominated by large chains that operate programs across the country. Corporations like Acadia Healthcare, Universal Health Services (UHS), Family Help & Wellness, Teen Challenge, Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health, Newport Healthcare, Embark Behavioral Health, Altior Healthcare, Eckerd Connects, Vivant Behavioral Health, NeuroRestorative, and Rite of Passage Inc. profit from the industry while benefiting from its lack of regulation. These chains run numerous facilities, often prioritizing revenue over the well-being of the children in their care.

Attempts to regulate the industry, like the Stop Child Abuse in Residential Programs for Teens Act (SCARPTA), have failed, leaving the system with massive gaps in oversight. We need real accountability to protect vulnerable kids and stop the harm these programs are causing.