Therapeutic Day Treatment and School-Based Support Services

What is Therapeutic Day Treatment or TDT?

Therapeutic Day Treatment is a school-based program designed to successfully address mental
health, emotional, behavioral and substance abuse issues that create a barrier to effective learning.
NCG’s counselors facilitate strategic interventions designed to address disruptive behavior
immediately without interrupting the class to address one child’s acting out. Effective interventions
improve classroom dynamics and allow educators to teach. An immediate intervention by a
counselor gives a child the best opportunity to redirect problem behavior so he/she can return to
learning while protecting the learning environment for their classmates.

How Does TDT work?

The day treatment team provides therapeutic activities including individual and/or group
counseling, behavior management, crisis intervention, family counseling and psycho-educational
interventions. Once a child or adolescent has been determined to be eligible for Therapeutic Day
Treatment, a diagnostic evaluation is conducted, followed by the development of an Individualized
Service Plan designed to cover therapeutic activities before, during and after school, as well as in the
home and during holiday and summer breaks.

Who is eligible for TDT?

Therapeutic Day Treatment participants are school-aged children and adolescents whose serious
mental health, behavioral and emotional difficulties have resulted in significant functional
impairments in major life activities, and have become increasingly disabling over time requiring
frequent, supportive and intensive interventions. These youth are at-risk of removal from their
home or school, their ability to handle self-contained or resource classrooms without intensive
interventions has been seriously compromised, they have difficulty with interpersonal relationships
and require recurrent interventions at home and/or in the community. Children in preschool
enrichment and early intervention programs may also be eligible if their emotional or behavioral
difficulties are so severe they cannot respond to program structure without additional support.

How is TDT funded?

Medicaid funds this service for youth who are current recipients and meet the eligibility criteria for
the program. A resource for children and adolescents who are in need of TDT but are not eligible for
Medicaid funding is through the Comprehensive Services Act, requiring participation in a Family
Assessment Planning Team Meeting (FAPT).

How can my school get a TDT program?

To set up a program in your school or to request additional information, please contact the Director
of the NCG office in your area. NCG Directors are available to provide additional information about
TDT and facilitate a private-public partnership in your school district to better meet the special
needs of school-aged youth through TDT and other school-based support services.