Commonly Asked Questions

Absolutely. Many parents have expressed concern over the younger siblings at home. They are thrilled with how our coaching inevitably became an early intervention that helped their other children as well.

Changes in family communication, having clear family rules and consequences, and the increased unity between parents are all key reasons why the entire family benefits from Homeward Bound.

It is common for parents to tell us that our program has been more helpful than any other therapy or education they have received. The home visit is unquestionably one of the reasons this is true.

Spending time with you in your home helps your coach develop a special bond with your family. It also allows the coach to see subtle nuances in your teen's behavior during ordinary daily activities. This insight is critical in order for your coach to provide personalized, practical recommendations for your family. All of these insights become an integral part of a very concrete plan that you and your coach are able to put together within days of your teens return home.

In addition to putting a solid plan in place, the home visit also provides an opportunity for your coach to connect with key individuals – whether it is family, friends or professionals – who can then become a significant support for your teen and family during the transition.

This is a common situation for families with older children. Whether your young person is moving in with extended family, continuing on to college or to an independent living situation, we are there to help. We can meet with local professionals and organizations, help set up schedules and activities to create structure, and put a plan in place for success in their new environment and roles. With our initial on-site visit and weekly contact, your son or daughter will have support, mentoring, and confidence for adjusting to their next step in life.

We have an extremely good success rate! In fact our success with teens is especially impressive considering that a majority of our clients (over 80%) brought their teens home prematurely due to financial hardships or simply out of a desire to try and make it work at home before considering the next level of out-of-home treatment.

In a survey conducted with parents who had completed our process at least 6 months prior, almost 85% felt that the treatment their son or daughter had received (the wilderness program and/or therapeutic boarding school/RTC) along with Homeward Bound's aftercare support, had enabled them to have successful outcomes with their teen.

The remaining 16% were divided into two categories. About 10% said that they were still not sure how things would turn out as there were still considerable challenges with their teen. Just over 5% had sent their teens back into treatment, or would have if they had the financial ability to do so, or if their teen had not already turned.

In addition to teen outcomes, we know that a great majority of our families attain a higher level of overall functioning as a family. Family communication remains open and solution-oriented as opposed to falling back into constant conflict or avoidance. Marriages are strengthened as parents unify around the principles and practices they learn from their Homeward Bound coach.

Even younger siblings who may be starting to struggle as well, will begin to settle down and benefit from the changes made in the home.

Hopefully most young people are doing great in the program as they near graduation, but this does not predict a successful, smooth transition when they come home. No amount of treatment or success in treatment can prevent all challenges during the transition. We have simply come to accept that all young people struggle in some form or fashion during the transition. What makes the difference is how they, and you as parents, respond to those struggles. And that is precisely what the Homeward Bound model is designed to do – to help you prepare for and respond well to challenges when they arise.

As you look for an aftercare service, the number one thing you want to determine is whether there is a match between your personal philosophy and the program's philosophy. The truth is, Homeward Bound is not for every family. Our model requires the involvement of the parents—at least the serious commitment and involvement of one parent.

We have found that some parents are not interested in being a significant part of the aftercare process. These parents are not a good fit for Homeward Bound. Other parents are looking for a teen coach—someone who they can pay to become a mentor to their teen. Someone who will promise them that they can help their teen succeed by working closely with their teen. Parents looking for that type of service are also not a good fit for our program.

Most young people reject the idea of a "paid friend." Our approach is quite different, and yet much more natural. While we do mentor the teens we work with, we do not rely on our relationship with the them to make the transition successful. Instead, we help you identify and involve natural mentors who will play a significant role in their life for months and years to come.

These mentors are far more effective than any paid mentor can be. If these philosophies resonate with you, then we know we can help your family successfully navigate the transition home.

Homeward Bound is the pioneer of nationwide, in-home aftercare services in the adolescent treatment industry. Six years ago, our founder, Dr. Tim Thayne, became discouraged as an owner and therapist of a well respected wilderness program. He saw too many teens struggling at home after making great strides in treatment.

He decided to tackle this gap in treatment, and his mission became focused solely on what had to be done at home to guarantee better outcomes and less relapse. Since that time, Homeward Bound has led the aftercare initiative and helped put in place the current guidelines for best practices.

We have learned from our successes as well as our mistakes. As a result, we have a very solid, proactive model for helping families achieve a smooth and confident transition for both the teen and the rest of the family. We have traveled the road of aftercare hundreds of times.

As a result, we know what is normal and what is not. Thus, we help parents prepare for and respond to the common challenges they will undoubtedly face during the transition. While we have an extremely well-designed model and although we have served hundreds of families from all across the US and into Canada, what really defines our service is the quality of our transition coaches. Each one is genuinely committed to the cause of reuniting families.

And because their caseloads are small, they are able to provide the personalized attention needed to help their families succeed.

Helping create common ground and a concrete plan that both parents can unify around happens to be our forte. Many of our families have come to us by way of professional referrals, simply because the conflicted nature of the parent relationship could sabotage the teen's ability to be successful at home.

We've had great success in "hopeless cases", where parents believed a unified approach was impossible.

Yes we do. If you engage in our program and apply the principles and practices we teach, and yet in the end you still believe that your investment was not worthwhile, we will refund 50% your enrollment fees, as well as give both you and your teen an additional 4 weeks of weekly scheduled coaching sessions at no charge (a $1,000 value).

Our goal is to provide 100% satisfaction to every family we serve. If this is not happening at any point along the way, please let your transition coach know so we can better serve your family.