Can Parents Contact Their Child in a Residential Treatment Facility?

Sending your child to a residential treatment facility can be one of the hardest decisions you will ever make. Whether you send your child to a top-notch residential treatment facility like Polaris Teen Center or are simply bringing them to a clinic, sending your child to a treatment center for substance abuse or another kind of addiction might leave you feeling angry, embarrassed, or sad.

Your teen will also have many different feelings and they resent you or feel very lonely being in the treatment center when you are not around.

This is why many parents wonder if they can contact their children while they are receiving treatment or if they have to wait until the treatment is over.

Can I Call and See My Child While They Are In Rehab?

This question is complicated because it depends on the treatment facility they are in and the laws of the state you live in. You will need to ask the facility if you are allowed to call or come and see your child before treatment begins.

The type of treatment also matters. Teens and children suffering from depression or anxiety might be able to see their parents more often compared to teens who are suffering from substance abuse.

Just make sure you know all the rules of the treatment center before you enroll your child because you don’t want to get caught off guard thinking you can see your child and then you can’t.

Rules for Contacting Your Child

No matter what treatment center they are in, they will most likely not have access to their phone or internet all the time. This means you cannot call them or text them whenever you want.

Most centers have designated times when your child can use their phone. During this period, they can call you and you can talk to them.

Other treatment centers never allow their child to have access to their phone, but they allow them to use phones at the facility to make calls. In this case, you will probably be told in advance that they can call during a certain day and time.

You might also be able to visit your child at the center once a week if the treatment facility allows visitation. For teens undergoing substance abuse rehab, you usually cannot contact them for the first few weeks.

After a designated time, you will be able to see your child as long as they are following the program rules.

Your Child Has a Say So

One thing to keep in mind is that your child is usually able to tell the treatment center if they want to be able to contact their parents or not. At the beginning of treatment, your child might be resentful or they might feel like they do not want to see you.

This is normal and you should try not to feel bad. If your child is depressed, they might not feel like interacting with family and friends so they might not want to see you for a few weeks at the beginning.

Whatever you do, just give your child time and allow them to also make their own calls so they can also feel like they have some control over their life.

Should I Contact My Child?

If you are given the option of contacting your child, you might be wondering whether you should do so or not. Maybe you feel confused about whether your child would want to see and talk to you or not.

The best thing to do is to reach out to your child first. Although they may feel angry and resentful, you don’t want them to feel as if they are neglected or forgotten about as well. Let them know if they don’t want to speak to you, it’s fine.

However, they should always feel like you are there for them if they want to talk. Even if your child ignores you, they might come around after a few weeks so make sure you continue to show your support and let them know you are there for them whenever they are ready.

What to Expect for Communication

As stated before, your child will not have access to their phone for most of their treatment. Some will not have their phone for the entirety of their treatment. This means you will not be able to text and call them whenever you want.

However, there is usually some form of communication from most treatment centers whether it be once a day or once a week.

You might also be able to see them in person once a week or at the end of a treatment phase.

If something is wrong with your teen or extra help is needed, someone at the treatment center will call you and ask you to come in if it’s not something that can be solved over the phone.

Although it can be scary to not be able to talk to your teen all the time, keep in mind it’s usually for the best as being in a treatment facility is their time to focus on themselves and think about how they can become better.

Your child’s mental health is important so it can be normal for them to withdraw during the beginning of treatment and feel like they do not want to talk to anyone in the family. If your child has substance addiction, they might also not want to be around you or talk.

This is all normal and should not be taken personally. You can always call someone at the facility and ask about your child if they do not want to personally talk to you.

The Bottom Line

Your child is away from you and a mental health treatment facility or a rehab center can be difficult for both of you. Most parents want to contact their children while they are in treatment so they can see how they are doing.

Your child will have a chance to call you at designated times whether on their own phone or a phone provided by the facility.