Become A Therapeutic Foster Parent

Denali Family Services’ therapeutic foster program offers intensive behavioral health services and supports within a healthy family setting, enabling youth to thrive in their community.

A Safe Home Can Change Everything

Nearly 200 Alaska youth were referred to therapeutic foster care in 2025—but there aren’t enough homes to meet the need. Without a therapeutic foster home, some youth must receive treatment in institutions or outside Alaska. You can help change that.

Therapeutic foster care provides youth with complex behavioral and emotional needs a safe, stable home while they receive specialized treatment and support. Therapeutic foster parents are trained and supported as essential members of a professional treatment team, helping youth build the skills, relationships, and stability they need to thrive.

Denali Family Services’ (DFS) therapeutic foster care program offers these youth (aged 3 to 21), and the families that care for them, invaluable support within a community-based family setting.

Benefits of Becoming a Therapeutic Foster Parent

Therapeutic foster care is a more specialized form of fostering, where parents are trained to care for youth living with emotional, behavioral, or mental health challenges. Therapeutic foster families can be either single-parent or two-parent homes, and can provide either full-time or part-time care.

Becoming a therapeutic foster parent with DFS offers many benefits, both for the foster child and parent, such as:

Specialized training and support with a professional DFS team
Weekly financial compensation (plus up to $1,500 for first time families)
24/7 on-call support
In-house clinical and case management services
Access to respite services
Individualized treatment planning
Support from licensing supervisors

Licensing & Training

The State of Alaska, Office of Children’s Services has licensed DFS as a Child Placement Agency. This means that we recruit and license foster homes to care for youth with emotional, behavioral, or mental health needs enrolled in services with DFS.

As a potential therapeutic foster parent, DFS will:

Assist you through the licensing process
Provide you with trauma-informed and evidence-based training designed specifically for you
Provide therapeutic services to the foster youth, such as community or school support, case management, and other clinical services as needed
Support you through the State’s licensing process and provides all the training you need to provide trauma-informed care
Answer a 24-hour call line to provide support and resources

As a foster parent, you are part of the treatment team for the foster child with the goal of helping them thrive in their respective homes, schools and communities.

“Foster care can feel overwhelming—but with Denali Family Services, we’re never navigating it alone. We feel heard, supported, and truly partnered with every step of the journey.”

DFS Therapeutic Foster Parent

Interested in becoming a Therapeutic Foster Parent?

Anchorage (907) 274-8281

Wasilla (907) 376-3275