For parents of teenagers 12–17
You've done everything you know how to do. There is a safe place for what comes next.
A licensed residential home in Reno where your teenager lives with awake staff around the clock, sees a child and adolescent psychiatrist on site, keeps up with school, and comes home with a plan the whole family understands.
You are not choosing this because you failed. You are choosing it because your teenager needs more hours of care in a day than any family can provide while also being a family. This page covers the practical questions parents ask us most: how to say it, what to pack, what the phone rules are, how school continues, and what your role is every week they are here.
Before you call
The practical part, for parents.
What to pack, what to say, what to do about work and school and phones. The stuff nobody writes down.
What to pack
- Five to seven days of comfortable clothes; laundry is on site
- Toiletries without alcohol as a listed ingredient; no aerosols or glass
- Current medications in original pharmacy bottles
- Insurance card and a photo ID if they have one
- School login details and any current assignments
- A few photos or a comfort item from home
- Leave at home: phones, tablets, smartwatches, vapes, anything with a cord, hoodies with drawstrings
Telling your teen
- Say it once, calmly, and do not negotiate the decision, only the details
- "This is not a punishment. This is because I am not willing to lose you."
- Expect anger. It usually is fear. You do not have to fix it in the driveway
- Tell them the concrete things: it is a house, there is a yard, you will talk every day
- If you need help with the conversation, call us first. We do this weekly
Your role during treatment
- Weekly family therapy, in person or by video
- Daily scheduled calls; we will tell you the window
- Honest updates from a named point of contact, not a switchboard
- A discharge plan you help write, including what changes at home
- Aftercare with our sister practice, Sai Mental Health, so nothing restarts from zero
Safety and accountability
The questions people are afraid to ask. Asked and answered.
You are handing us someone you love. You are entitled to know exactly how the house is run, who is awake, and what happens when something goes wrong. Ask us these on the phone, too. We will give the same answers.
Licensed and certified by the Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health. Physician-led. Complaints and inspection history are public record, and we will discuss ours with you directly.
- Is someone awake at night?
- Yes. Staff are awake and on the floor overnight, every night. Bedroom checks happen on a set schedule, more often for anyone on a safety watch.
- Who handles medications?
- Nurses. All medications, including over-the-counter ones, are stored securely and administered by nursing staff according to the psychiatrist's orders. Nothing is self-managed.
- Is the home licensed and inspected?
- Yes. Sai Residential Treatment Center is licensed and certified by the Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health, and is subject to state inspection and complaint investigation. We would rather you ask us about our record than wonder.
- What happens if a resident tries to leave?
- This is a home, not a locked facility, and we say that plainly. Staff follow a written protocol: verbal de-escalation first, immediate notification of the family or guardian, and coordination with local authorities when a minor's safety requires it. Elopement risk is assessed on day one and again whenever circumstances change.
- How are staff screened?
- Every employee passes a state background check and fingerprinting before working with residents, and completes training in crisis de-escalation, suicide prevention, medication safety, and mandated reporting.
- How do I reach my person, or reach you about them?
- Families get a named point of contact with a direct line. Residents have scheduled phone windows daily. If something happens outside those windows, we call you. We do not wait for you to call us.
Questions
What people actually ask us.
Will my kid hate me for this?
Some are angry on day one. Almost none are angry on day thirty. Teens who arrive furious usually settle within the first week once they realize the house is calm, the rules are consistent, and the adults are not going anywhere. Family therapy is where that anger gets worked through, with a therapist in the room.
What if they refuse to go?
Call us anyway. A parent or legal guardian can consent to treatment for a minor in Nevada, and we have admitted many teens who did not want to come. We will talk you through how to say it, what to expect at drop-off, and what we do in the first hours to lower the temperature. If the situation at home is unsafe right now, we can also help you decide whether the emergency room should come first.
Can they keep their phone?
No, not for the first stretch. Phones are secured on arrival. Contact with family happens through scheduled daily calls and visits, and phone privileges are reintroduced as part of the treatment plan. Every parent worries about this. Most tell us later it was the single most helpful rule.
Will they fall behind in school?
There is a school block every weekday. We contact the home school in the first days, receive assignments, and send work back. Credits continue. If the school has been part of the problem, that is something we can plan around together.
How often can I visit or call?
Scheduled phone calls daily and visits on set days each week, adjusted with the treatment team. You also have a family session with the therapist weekly and a named point of contact with a direct line.
How long will they be there?
Most adolescent stays run 30 to 90 days. Length is clinical, not fixed. We set an estimate in the first week and review it with you and the insurer regularly.
Is it locked? Is it safe?
It is a licensed home in a residential neighborhood, not a locked unit, and we say that plainly. Staff are awake overnight, medications are nurse-managed, and there is a written protocol if a teen tries to leave. See the safety section below for the specifics.
Admissions
Four steps. Usually within 48 hours. Same day when it has to be.
Getting someone into residential care should not feel like a second crisis. This is exactly what happens when you reach out.
- 01
Call, text, or request a callback
You reach a person who does this every day. Tell us what is going on. We listen first.
- 02
A short clinical screening
Twenty minutes, confidential, by phone. We confirm residential is the right level, and that we can genuinely meet the need. If we cannot, we tell you who can.
- 03
Benefits verified and explained
Usually within 24 to 48 hours. You hear the deductible, the out-of-pocket limit, and whether authorization is required, before you commit to anything.
- 04
Admission
A scheduled arrival, or same-day when safety requires it. We admit directly from emergency rooms and hospitals.