Therapeutic community (TC) is a treatment approach, initially developed to address substance abuse and subsequently extended with a variety of services related to family, education, vocational training, and medical and mental health. The TC is an evidence-based, self-help approach that evolved outside the mainstream of psychiatry, psychology and medicine and serves diverse populations. The TC's basic approach is to treat the whole person through the use of peer communities employing community-imposed sanctions and penalties as well as earned advancement of status and privileges as part of the recovery and growth process.