With over 20 years of experience working with children and families struggling with a RAD diagnosis, BHSA has developed and implemented a therapy program to help your family.


Many treatment centers list Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD) among the diagnoses that they treat, however, their approach to working with these families is no different from how they treat other patients.


There is hope and BHSA is here to help families like yours find it. It is possible for children with reactive attachment disorder can develop healthier relationships with caregivers and others, Our mission is to help families to be equipped with the skills necessary to help make that possible.

The impact of RAD on a family can be devastating and painful. We know this to our core, and acknowledge the profound amounts of stress that caregivers, parental relationships/marriages, and other children in the family experience. We are here to help in whatever way we can.

What You Need to Know

  • RAD Symptoms

    Your child may benefit from therapy if they:


    • Have difficulty developing trusting relationships
    • Have difficulty regulating their mood
    • Have recent attempts at treatment in outpatient therapy and/or inpatient hospitalization
    • Have difficulty with cause and effect thinking
    • Are demanding or clingy
    • Turn everything into a battle
    • Have difficulty showing empathy or remorse
    • Resist gentle loving interactions
    • Have difficulty with adequate behavioral controls
    • Are destructive to self, others, or material things
    • Are aggressive
    • Have a deep sense of feeling worthless or unlovable

    Clinically, the DSM-5 gives the following criteria for reactive attachment disorder:


    • The patient demonstrates a chronic pattern of being emotionally withdrawn and inhibited, which is demonstrated by rarely seeking or responsive to comfort when distressed. 

    • There is evidence of a chronic social and/or emotional perturbation characterized by at least two of the proceeding: social withdrawal and minimal responsiveness to others, negative affect, unfounded or inexplicable episodes of irritability, fearfulness, or sadness--or out of proportion reactions to normative stress.

    • The patient presents with a history of extremely insufficient care, entailing of one of the following: deprivation or social neglect of basic emotional needs for stimulation, comfort, and affection by caring caregivers; the constant flux of caregivers, resulting in a destabilized home environment; growing up in an unusual setting which limits the ability to form selective attachments

    • The child cannot also meet the diagnostic criteria for autism spectrum disorder as the two diagnoses (autism spectrum disorder and reactive attachment disorder) are mutually exclusive

    • The behavioral perturbation should manifest prior to the age of 5 years of age

    • The child must have a developmental age of at least nine months in order to qualify for the diagnosis

  • Our Lead Therapist

    Brenda Scheffler, LCSW - Lead Therapist - has over 25 years of experience treating youth and caring for their families. 


    As a clinical therapist and direct care staff member, she has a strong institutional knowledge of RAD, with over 70% of our patients at Youth Home having a primary RAD diagnosis. 


    She also adopted and raised 2 children as her own, own of whom was diagnosed with RAD, and served as a therapeutic foster parent for 7 years. 


    Brenda Scheffler, LCSW Qualifications:


    • Graduated in 1987 from the University of Missouri with a MSW
    • Has worked for over 25 years treating youth and families
    • Adopted two youth, one who was diagnosed with RAD
    • Was a therapeutic foster parent for seven years
    • Attended eight years of therapy with her son who was diagnosed with RAD
    • Continues to attend ongoing trainings pertaining to RAD treatment
    • Is qualified to train other therapists, direct care staff, and foster parents on RAD treatment
    • Is highly empathetic towards families who are going through this diagnosis with their child

  • Our Core Philosophy

    Youth who have a primary diagnosis of Reactive Attachment Disorder are often missing key experiences needed for bonding, and as such, traditional interventions do not work with poorly attached youth. 


    Children with characteristics of Reactive Attachment Disorder have difficulty regulating their moods, developing cause and effect thinking, developing trusting relationships, having empathy or remorse, and demonstrating adequate behavioral controls.


    We recognize the importance of attachment and bonding in relationships, and the profound negative impacts that can occur when early secure attachments are not developed.


    We believe that healing happens in the context of safe and trusting relationships. This is the core of our Trauma Informed Care approach. Learn more about TIC here.


    We use the Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) frequently in our treatment plans. It is an evidence-based treatment that helps children and their families address the negative effects of trauma, including processing their traumatic memories, overcoming problematic thoughts and behaviors, and developing effective coping and interpersonal skills.

Reactive Attachment Disorder Treatment

Do You Think Your Child May Have Reactive Attachment Disorder?


  • Is your child resistant to physical affection or closeness?
  • Do you find it challenging to comfort your child, even in times of distress?
  • Have you observed unusual behaviors in your child, such as avoiding eye contact or withdrawing from social interactions?

  • Do you feel like your child has difficulty trusting you or other caregivers?
  • Have there been disruptions or inconsistencies in your child's early caregiving experiences, such as changes in caregivers or living situations?
  • Are there delays in your child's emotional or social development that concern you?

  • Do you feel a lack of responsiveness or reciprocity in your interactions with your child?
  • Has your child experienced early neglect, abuse, or trauma that might be affecting their emotional well-being?
  • Are there challenges in your child's ability to regulate their emotions?

  • Do you find it difficult to establish a sense of security and trust with your child?
  • Have teachers or other caregivers expressed concerns about your child's behavior or emotional well-being?
  • Do you notice any disruptive or aggressive behaviors in your child that seem disproportionate to the situation?

  • Is your child struggling with forming and maintaining relationships with peers?
  • Have there been changes in your child's behavior or emotional state?
  • Has your child ever been in foster care?

  • Are you feeling overwhelmed or confused by your child's behaviors and emotions?
  • Do you feel that traditional parenting strategies are not as effective with your child?
  • Have there been disruptions in your child's early caregiving experiences, such as hospitalization, separation from primary caregivers, or multiple caregivers?

Why BHSA For Treatment

Years of Experience

Treatment often requires a multi-faceted approach and may include psychotherapy for the child, family therapy, parenting training, and special education services as well as other techniques. We have ample experience treating this disorder and offer therapy with confidence.

Trauma-Focused CBT Therapy

Planning for a patient’s discharge is an important step in the overall treatment at Youth Home. Discharge planning begins on day one of treatment. Our goal is to provide patients with the therapeutic and life skills necessary to function in a home setting.

Trauma Informed Care

Every employee that works on our campus, regardless of their position, is intensively trained in Trauma Informed Care. We are expected to act on that knowledge in every interaction with our residents and with each other.