The expansion of treatment interventions in child and adolescent residential milieu therapy in recent decades to include a multiplicity of approaches and techniques has resulted in the reformulation of residential treatment as a "tapestry of therapies" as opposed to a unified effort to maintain a uniquely growth-promoting total environment (Epstein, 2004). Coloring the "tapestry" in recent years are myriad interventions labeled as evidence-based that are implemented in residential settings with drastically increasing frequency. Despite these developments, the ongoing lack of specificity in describing the treatments and interventions received by subjects leaves ambiguous which aspect(s) of the "tapestry" are effective and why. In contrast with the majority of the current research, which measures "objective," concrete behavioral outcomes or level of symptomatology as assessed by treatment providers, qualitative study of the effects of residential treatment from the subjective point of view of the youth in treatment affords a unique depth of understanding of the nature of the treatments themselves, their "active ingredient(s)" and their interconnections with individual intrapsychic and environmental dynamics. The present study explores qualitatively through open-ended clinical interviews of eight participants the subjective experience of adolescents in treatment at the Orthogenic School in order to shed light on the ways in which the total constellation of treatment variables (inter)act on their recipients in relational milieu treatment. Specifically, this exploratory study seeks to illuminate ideas about what the school does for its students. Results suggest primary therapeutic importance of student-dorm staff relationships, followed by program structure and peer and therapist relationships. Aspects of the treatment indicated to be detrimental were segregation of genders and inconsistency of rule implementation between staff. Implications and directions for future research are discussed. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]