Guide · 4 min read
What to Pack for Residential Treatment (and What to Leave at Home)
A practical packing list for adolescent and adult residential treatment: clothes, toiletries, medications, documents, comfort items, and the things that will be sent home.
Reviewed by Dharmendra Goyal, MD, board-certified psychiatrist · Updated September 10, 2026
Packing is the one part of admission that families can control, and it tends to absorb all the anxiety. Here is the list we send after the screening call, with the reasons behind the rules so they make sense.
Bring
- Five to seven days of comfortable, weather-appropriate clothing. Laundry is done in the home, so more is not better.
- Sleepwear, slippers or house shoes, and one pair of closed-toe shoes for outdoor time.
- Toiletries in plastic containers, with no alcohol listed as an ingredient (mouthwash and some hair products are the usual surprises). No aerosols, no glass.
- All current medications in their original pharmacy bottles with the label intact, including inhalers, vitamins, and anything over the counter. Nurses store and administer everything.
- Insurance card, photo ID, and for adults, pharmacy and primary care contact information.
- For teens: school login details and any current assignments, so the school block can start on day one.
- A notebook and pen. A few photos. One comfort item, such as a pillow or blanket from home.
- Reading material, if wanted. A modest amount of cash is not needed; personal funds are held in a ledger and returned at discharge.
Leave at home
- Phones, tablets, smartwatches, laptops, and anything with a camera. Phones are secured on arrival and returned in stages; contact with family happens through daily scheduled calls.
- Vapes, nicotine products, and anything containing alcohol or cannabis, including CBD.
- Weapons of any kind, including pocket knives and multitools.
- Anything with a cord longer than a few inches, and for adolescents, hoodies and sweatpants with drawstrings. This is a safety rule, applied to everyone.
- Valuables, jewelry, and large amounts of cash.
- Revealing clothing or clothing with drug, alcohol, or violent imagery.
What happens to belongings on arrival
A staff member goes through bags with the resident present, respectfully. Anything on the leave-at-home list is either sent home with the family that day or held in a labeled, secured bin and returned at discharge. Money and valuables are logged in a ledger that the resident signs, and returned within 24 hours of discharge.
If you forgot something
Families can drop off approved items during visiting windows. Toiletries and basic clothing are kept in the home for anyone who arrives with nothing, which happens more often than you would think, and is never a problem.
Talk it through with a person.
Call or text (775) 800-1136, answered 24 hours a day, or request a callback. No obligation, and we will tell you honestly if residential is not the right level.
This guide is general information, not medical advice, and does not create a patient relationship. If someone is in immediate danger, call 911 or 988.