About
The Association of Christian Therapeutic Schools and Services (ACTSAS)
is an accreditation agency and cooperative network dedicated to helping
Christian school and services of a therapeutic nature earn the public’s
trust through adherence to Ten Standards, which focus on integrity and
excellence in care of the residents and users of those services.
Founded in 2012, ACTSAS provides accreditation to leading Christian
therapeutic organizations (for-profit and not-for-profit) that
faithfully demonstrate compliance with the established standards.
It’s not always easy to earn people’s trust. Just as people are more
likely to trust an accredited college or a product with the Good
Housekeeping seal, parents are more likely to entrust their child or
family member in a therapeutic organization that has been independently
been verified to be trustworthy. ACTSAS exists to help Christ-centered
organizations earn the public’s trust. At ACTSAS, we believe that to
honor God, we must keep His laws and Christ’s principles for dealing
with people. To that end, we have developed Ten Standards for
therapeutic organizations.
There is no charge for membership in ACTSAS, but membership must be
sponsored by a current member, and the Ten Standards must be agreed to
and adhered to. For fee-based services that wish to display the ACTSAS
Seal of Confidence, there may be a review and site visit fee to cover
the cost of our verification personnel. Members must consider themselves
and portray their organization publicly as one believing in and
practicing Christianity, and they must have some therapeutic activity or
service to the therapeutic community.
ACTSAS Enhances Credibility of Christian Therapeutic Schools and Services
Membership in ACTSAS contributes to the integrity and image of the
entire therapeutic community. The greater the credibility of the
individual member organization, the greater its contribution to the
total membership. That the image of Christian boarding schools and other
therapeutic services has been scarred by the actions of a few
organizations is undeniable. However, membership in ACTSAS is a powerful
statement that a organization acts responsibly and honors its commitments.
Although ACTSAS membership spans a broad spectrum within the Christian
community, common denominators link member organizations. Spiritually,
all proclaim “Jesus is Lord!” as each unique organization creatively
spreads the good news of the Gospel. Despite many factors that segment
ministries, ACTSAS membership utilizes these common denominators to
unify the Christian community.
ACTSAS is not self-regulation. It is peer accountability, a biblical
demonstration of the church caring for its own. Peer accountability has
proven effective in many professions, such as accounting, legal,
medical, and higher education.