Questions to Ask an Admissions Team Before Your Teen Starts Treatment

The questions to ask an admissions team cover six areas: licensing and accreditation, who will treat your teen, how your family will be involved, what insurance covers, how school is handled, and what happens at discharge. Admissions staff take these calls every day, and a program that is a good fit for your teen will answer each one plainly, without pressure, and without making you feel like you're being difficult for asking.

Most parents make these calls on very little sleep after a frightening week, and it's easy to agree to the first program with an open bed, so keep this list by the phone and write down who you spoke with and what they said.

What should you ask about licensing and accreditation?

Ask which state agency licenses the program, whether the license is in good standing, and whether the program is accredited by a national organization. AACAP notes that states differ in how they license programs and that some programs are also accredited by national agencies, and it advises parents to ask whether a program has been reported to state authorities, why, and how any investigation turned out (AACAP, 2023). AACAP's guide on adolescent substance use treatment suggests asking whether a hospital or residential program is approved by The Joint Commission, one of the national accrediting bodies (AACAP, 2026).

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) makes the same point in a 2018 guide written for substance use treatment, asking whether a program is licensed or certified by the state, is "currently in good standing," and has qualified staff (SAMHSA, 2018). A program that hesitates to name its licensing agency, or tells you accreditation "doesn't really matter," is giving you useful information.

What should you ask about staff and credentials?

Ask who will actually treat your teen, what their licenses are, and whether a child and adolescent psychiatrist is part of the team. AACAP suggests asking about "the credentials and experience of the members of the treatment team" (AACAP, 2026), and AACAP's 2026 guide to partial hospitalization and intensive outpatient programs describes a typical team as including child and adolescent psychiatrists, other prescribers such as nurse practitioners, therapists and social workers, nurses, direct care staff and psychologists (AACAP, 2026).

Ask how often your teen will see a therapist one on one and the psychiatrist or prescriber, who is on site overnight in residential care, and whether the program has experience with teens who have similar struggles, which AACAP recommends looking for, and what therapies they use, since AACAP's guides encourage parents to ask whether treatments are evidence-based.

What should you ask about family involvement?

Ask how often you'll talk with your teen's therapist, whether family therapy is part of the plan, and what the rules are for calls and visits. AACAP describes model residential programs as offering family therapy and contact through on-site visits, home passes and phone calls, says you should be able to find out how your teen is doing at any time, and tells parents to "be wary of programs that withhold family contact" (AACAP, 2023). AACAP's 2026 guide lists "active involvement of parents and caregivers" as part of what PHPs and IOPs typically include.

Some programs limit contact for the first few days while a teen settles in, and a clinician can explain why that helps, but there's a difference between a short, explained adjustment period and a program that keeps parents at arm's length. Ask also about safety and discipline, since AACAP says no program should use physical punishment, manipulation or intimidation. Our guide on what a good program looks like goes further into the signs of a program that treats families as partners.

What should you ask about insurance and cost?

Ask whether the program is in network with your plan, whether it needs prior approval from your insurer, what you'll owe out of pocket, and what happens if coverage ends before treatment does. AACAP's guides suggest asking what treatment will cost and whether it's covered by your health plan, and AACAP's 2026 guide reminds parents that mental health coverage differs between plans and that parity laws require mental health benefits to be comparable to other medical care.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) describes the federal parity law as one that "generally prevents group health plans and health insurance issuers" offering mental health or substance use benefits from imposing less favorable limits on those benefits than on medical and surgical benefits (CMS, 2026). Many programs will check your benefits for you, but call your insurer yourself as well, and our guide on how insurance works for teen mental health treatment explains prior authorization and appeals.

What should you ask about school?

Ask whether your teen will attend school during treatment, who teaches them, and how the program works with your teen's home school on credits and assignments. AACAP suggests asking whether a teen "will have to miss school or can they continue their education while participating in treatment" (AACAP, 2026), and its guide to PHPs and IOPs lists school support and communication as part of what a PHP typically provides.

If your teen has a 504 plan or an individualized education program (IEP), ask how the program will honor it and who will talk with the school before your teen returns. Our guide to 504 plans and IEPs explains what those plans cover.

What should you ask about discharge planning?

Ask what discharge planning looks like, when it starts, and who your teen will see the week after the program ends. AACAP suggests asking how treatment is "transitioned (step-down) to less intense treatment" as a teen improves, and lists planning the transition to outpatient treatment as part of what PHPs and IOPs typically include. SAMHSA's 2018 guide asks whether a program provides "ongoing treatment and supports," noting that quality programs "provide treatment for the long term."

A good discharge plan names the next level of care, a specific provider, and a first appointment, and the program's clinician talks directly with that provider before your teen leaves. Our explainer on levels of care describes the steps teens often move through on the way back to weekly therapy.

Which questions matter most, and what should a clear answer sound like?

The questions that matter most are the ones about safety, licensing, family involvement and what happens after discharge, because those are hardest to fix once your teen is enrolled. The table below pairs each question with why it matters and what a clear answer tends to sound like.

The person on the phone won't know everything, but AACAP's residential guide says staff who can't answer your questions should refer you to someone at the program who can.

When should you start calling programs?

You should start calling programs once a licensed professional has recommended a level of care, and you can make the calls while you wait for an opening. This list can help you compare programs, but only a licensed professional can evaluate your teen and recommend what kind of care they need, so start with our guide on how to know what level of care your teen needs if you don't have a recommendation yet.

• If a professional has recommended outpatient therapy, an IOP or a PHP, call two or three programs this week and use the questions above to compare them. SAMHSA's 2018 guide notes that the ability to get an appointment quickly is one indicator of quality.
• If a professional has recommended residential care, take a little more time to compare, ask your teen's current therapist or psychiatrist for their view, and ask to speak with the clinical director as well as admissions.
• If your teen talks about hurting themselves or not wanting to be alive, don't wait for a program to call back. Call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline), or call 911 if your teen is in immediate danger, and see our page on crisis options for parents.

Our Getting Help guide collects everything we've written about finding and paying for care.

This article shares practical guidance for parents and is not medical advice. We're not clinicians or doctors. If your teen is struggling, contact a licensed mental health professional or your teen's doctor, and if you have a serious concern about their safety, call 911 or call or text 988. Editorial standards