What Are NATSAP's Best Practices Guidelines?

NATSAP's Best Practices guidelines are the National Association of Therapeutic Schools and Programs' written principles of good practice for its member organizations. According to NATSAP, the association "has strived to develop these guidelines for principles of good practice." They function as a shared standard that member schools and programs are expected to work toward, rather than a certification or rating that a program either passes or fails.

What the guidelines are for

NATSAP's stated mission is to serve as "an advocate and resource for innovative organizations which devote themselves to society's need for the effective care and education of struggling young people and their families." The Best Practices guidelines sit inside that mission: they translate the association's expectations for member organizations into written principles.

In practical terms, the guidelines give members a reference point for how a therapeutic school or program should operate, and give the association a basis for describing what membership stands for.

Who they apply to

The guidelines are aimed at NATSAP member organizations — therapeutic schools and programs that serve struggling young people and their families. They are an internal, association-level standard, not a government licensing rule or an accreditation body's requirement.

That distinction matters when you are evaluating a program: NATSAP membership and adherence to its Best Practices guidelines are separate from state licensing, accreditation, or clinical certification. A program can be a NATSAP member and still hold (or lack) other credentials.

What areas the guidelines cover

NATSAP's public description frames the guidelines at the level of "principles of good practice" rather than listing every individual standard. The association's broader member-benefit structure points to the areas these principles touch:

• Care and education — the core work of serving young people and their families, which NATSAP names directly in its mission.
• Ethics and professional conduct — the expectation that members operate responsibly toward the families they serve.
• Advocacy — listed among member benefits, reflecting the association's role in representing the field.
• Ongoing development — networking, conferences, and member resources that keep organizations current with the field.

If you need the specific text of the guidelines, they are published under the "Best Practices" section of natsap.org, where the association links to the full principles.

How families and programs can use them

For programs: the guidelines work as a self-assessment checklist. A member organization can compare its own policies and day-to-day practices against the stated principles and identify gaps.

For families: the guidelines are a vocabulary for asking better questions. Rather than treating NATSAP membership as a seal of approval, you can use the Best Practices framing to ask a program how it handles care, education, and ethical obligations — and then check the answers against what the program actually documents.

Where to go next

• Read the guidelines themselves in the Best Practices section of natsap.org.
• Use the Membership Directory to see which organizations are NATSAP members.
• Check Upcoming Events (regional and annual conferences) if you want to see how the field discusses these practices in person.

One caution: NATSAP's public materials describe the guidelines as principles, not as an enforcement mechanism. Treat them as a starting framework for your own evaluation, and confirm licensing, accreditation, and clinical qualifications directly with each program.