PARENTS

ERE are some things you should know ahead of time: program we have

You must understand the unique treatment developed. We strongly . recommend that you visit Elan before your adolescent is enrolled. We want you to meet the staff and talk to other students. We don't want to surprise you, we want you to know what we are all about.

The success of the Elan program depends on your strong cooperation and support. Above all your adolescent must know that you will no longer accept out of control behavior and that you stand behind Elan's demand that he or she grow up. We may ask you to make these demands by letter, by telephone or in person at various times during his or her stay.

Visits, Letters and Phone Calls:

We will want you to visit your child - when the time is right, when he or she has changed enough to act in an appropriate manner, has changed enough to start interacting with you productively. A visit before that time may cause you and your child to go back to the old unsatisfactory way of doing things and may reinforce those old patterns. In about 6-8 months the student should become autonomous enough to be capable of negotiating and interacting with his or her parents in a way appropriate to an adolescent rather than a petulant child. Then we will ask you to visit Elan. The purpose is to