Residential treatment (RTC) is a 24-hour intensive care for individuals suffering from substance abuse or mental health disorders, generally prone to cravings, who require constant support to prevent relapse. These are patients who cannot go more than a couple days without falling into the pattern of substance abuse. RTC is a community-based environment, a high level of care that is not quite inpatient hospitalization but more structured than partial hospitalization or outpatient care. Patients cannot leave without permission and are subject to random drug and alcohol tests to ensure sobriety.

Residential treatment is targeted towards patients that have already completed detoxification, but still require 24/7 support to manage their substance abuse, as well as patients who are struggling with minor medical complications due to withdrawal or addiction. If said medical complications are severe or life-threatening, clients should be placed in a hospitalized setting until more stable.

Inpatient and outpatient treatment often utilize similar therapies, but outpatient clients may return home, while residential clients live on-campus for the duration of the program. This allows for benefits such as lack of opportunities to relapse due to continual support, as well as an immersive treatment experience with fewer distractions. Residential treatment is not quite the same as inpatient rehabilitation, however, as inpatient rehabilitation takes place in a hospital setting and is required for patients that have recently overdosed and require specialized supervision, as well as patients who are actively suicidal or homicidal. 

Residential treatment assigns each patient a treatment team with a therapist, physician, dietitian, nurse, and ancillary staff. This team provides medication and therapy, leads group discussion, and helps the patient acquire skills concerning positive coping and conflict resolution. Each patient will participate in an average of five to six hours of therapy each day, including but not limited to treatments such as medically-assisted detox, individual therapy (such as cognitive behavioral and dialectal behavioral therapy), family therapy, nutritional counseling, recreational and group therapy, 24-hour nursing supervision, and aftercare and discharge planning. Group therapy may engage in discussion surrounding topics such as substance abuse, introduction to the 12-step program, sexuality, grief and loss, trauma survival, self-esteem, family patterns, assertiveness, and interpersonal relationships. The program lasts about 30-90 days, depending on the patient. There is no treatment for everybody, but residential rehabilitation has proven to be an incredibly effective form of care for substance addiction.