Teen residential in California
Residential care for teens.
Teens are served by four separate systems: private treatment homes, short-term residential therapeutic programs, locked treatment, and teen substance use programs. Which one fits depends mostly on who pays and who refers.
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- Private homes
- Families call directly; many bill commercial insurance.
- STRTPs
- Mostly through county child welfare, probation or mental health.
- Locked
- Two community treatment facilities statewide.
- Substance use
- Youth programs licensed by Health Care Services.
Getting in
What to know before you call.
Questions to ask
- How is school handled, and will credits transfer?
- How often are parents involved, and how?
- What are the rules on phones and visits, and why?
- What happens after self-harm: do you keep the bed?
- What is the plan for coming home?
If your teen has Medi-Cal
Ask the county mental health plan for an assessment; it arranges most STRTP placements. If a school district is involved through an IEP, residential placement can also come through special education. Ask the district in writing.
Before you agree to a placement
The site's teen residential decision desk separates every California care level, and the exact-record check shows what the state file can prove about a named program. Also see teen eating disorder programs.
The directory
Every teen residential program in California.
Greater New Beginnings
Fred Finch Children's Home, Inc.
Ruby's Place, Inc
Eden Counseling Services,Inc-Crisis Receiving Home
Millie's Youth Services, Inc.
Monroe Operations LLC
Monroe Operations, LLC
Monroe Operations, LLC
The Refuge, Inc.
The Refuge, Inc.
The Refuge, Inc.
Seneca Family of Agencies
Seneca Family of Agencies
Sunol Hills, LLC
T&T House of Champions, Inc.
Rite of Passage Atcs, Inc.
Rite of Passage Atcs, Inc.
Environmental Alternatives
Environmental Alternatives
Rite of Passage Atcs, Inc.
Oakendell Corporation
Rite of Passage Atcs, Inc.
Cultural Awarenes, Inc.
Beloved Ones
Beloved Ones
Discovery Practice Management, Inc
Evolve Growth Initiatives, LLC
Evolve Growth Initiatives, LLC
The numbers · state data as of 1 October 2026
Where the beds are.
- Los Angeles County: 99 programs
- Riverside County: 42 programs
- Orange County: 40 programs
- San Bernardino County: 40 programs
- Fresno County: 38 programs
- Sonoma County: 31 programs
- San Diego County: 30 programs
- Kern County: 27 programs
- Contra Costa County: 20 programs
- Sacramento County: 19 programs
| Kind | Programs | Beds listed |
|---|---|---|
| Private teen treatment home | 121 | 776 |
| Children's crisis residential (state label) | 2 | 14 |
| Short-term residential therapeutic program | 309 | 2,233 |
| STRTP, no DHCS approval row found | 24 | 151 |
| Community treatment facility | 2 | 68 |
| Teen substance use residential | 42 | 171 |
19 of 58 counties have none. In the directory above, tick “Include neighboring counties” to see what is nearby.
Questions people ask
Teen residential, answered.
What is an STRTP?
A short-term residential therapeutic program: a youth residential program licensed by the Department of Social Services. The ones listed here also hold a mental health program approval from the Department of Health Care Services.
Can parents place a teen privately?
Yes. Privately run teen treatment homes take calls from families directly, and many bill commercial insurance. Most STRTP placements come through county child welfare, probation or mental health.
How does school work during residential treatment?
Programs handle schooling differently. Ask how many hours of school a day, who teaches, and whether credits transfer back to the home school.
Are there locked residential programs for children?
Two community treatment facilities in California can provide secure care for children. Most teen programs are unlocked.
What if my teen's school district is involved?
If your teen has an IEP, residential placement can sometimes come through special education. Ask the district in writing.
Also on this site
Related kinds of care.
Eating disorder residential
Residential eating disorder care for teens and adults.
Open GuideSelf-harm and suicidal thoughts
What to do tonight, and what a good program does differently.
Open 1,115Substance use residential
Every residential and detox program the state licenses.
Open 2,259All residential care
Every type, every county, with a map and search.
OpenResidential care ends. Someone still has to be there every week.
The TherapyCalifornia directory is not open yet. We are recruiting therapists and will publish a profile only after its openings, prices, insurance details and licence can be checked. Availability will be reconfirmed every month, and nobody will be able to pay for a higher place.
See the directory promise →Where every row comes from.
State records
- CDSS community care licensing file, May 2025 (latest posted)
- DHCS certified residential mental health programs, FY 2025–26 Q4
- DHCS substance use facility list, downloaded 1 Oct 2026
Private teen homes. The CDSS file lists 342 children's group homes but does not say which are treatment programs. We kept the ones run by youth treatment operators we could identify by name, from the file dated May 2025, the latest the state has posted. That list can miss an operator; if a teen treatment home is missing, tell us. A licence record does not establish age range, fit, quality, safety or an open bed.
STRTPs. A DHCS mental health program approval is not the separate CDSS facility licence. Neither proves age, fit, admission or an open bed. For a named program, use the exact-record check.
What a row can prove. That the state listed a named program, its operator, city and capacity in a dated file. It cannot prove quality, safety, fit, payment, admission or an open bed. Inclusion is computed from those files and is never purchased.
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