Assessment & Stabilization Programs are specialized residential programs that help to determine the underlying reasons why a client is struggling, stabilize them with behavioral and therapeutic interventions, and assess the need for medications and proper medication assisted therapy.
These programs can be a first step in the process for clients who are not successful at home and require more intensive treatment than they can receive locally. An interdisciplinary team of clinicians such as psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, educational specialists, etc. will conduct a comprehensive assessment, which can include both formal testing as well as comprehensive observations of how the client responds to the residential programming and milieu therapy.
These programs are intended for clients with complex psychological presentations, including but not limited to acute anxiety, depression, suicidality, psychosis, substance abuse problems, aggressive behavior, and developmental disorders. The typical length of stay is 30-60 days. Many times, this process provides diagnostic clarification and helps to guide next steps in treatment.
A wilderness therapy program can be used as a way to intervene in an individual’s life to immediately stop self-defeating or risky behaviors and help them gain insight into their individual emotional needs or issues. Removing all outside stimulation such as social media, technology, and other negative influences, the client can begin to gain a different perspective into their own behavior patterns. In this short-term controlled setting, it is inevitable that the challenges seen in the home environment will emerge and can be addressed. Clients are naturally held accountable for their choices in a supportive and emotionally safe environment. Individual and group therapy is offered weekly, as well as experiential and/or adventure based therapeutic activities. Clients can begin to build self-esteem, confidence and healthier ways of coping as they meet the challenges of living outdoors and developing deeper personal insight.
Families begin engaging in the therapeutic process by having weekly family therapy calls with their assigned therapist. They are provided with opportunities to attend family workshops and retreats, as well as visit the field and engage in an intensive therapeutic process with their family member who is in treatment.
Wilderness and Outdoor Therapeutic programs offer a way for families and professionals to assess the client free from substances, technology, and other negative influences and stressors. In addition, the wilderness setting is ideal for conducting psychological and educational testing in order to clarify the individual’s diagnosis, treatment and educational needs. We are able to obtain insightful clinical observations and a well-rounded assessment of how the individual engages with both peers and adults.
Wilderness therapy programs typically last for 8-13 weeks depending on the progress each client makes and the plans for transition following wilderness treatment. This is an ideal intervention for a range of clients, and when referring to wilderness programs we specifically target programs, and therapists within those programs, who are specially trained to work with a certain type of client. For example, an individual who is on the Autism Spectrum who would benefit from wilderness would be placed in a different program or group and would work with a different therapist than someone who has primarily struggled with substance use or addiction. We excel in not just matching clients to the right wilderness programs, but to the right therapist within that program who we know has a clinical sweet spot for working with certain types of cases.
Therapeutic boarding schools (TBS) and residential treatment centers (RTC) provide specialized clinical structure and support for clients while at the same time offering accredited academic programming. While there are nuanced differences between the two types of programs, each will provide clients with ongoing individual and family therapy, group and social experiences and opportunities to practice skills that they may have learned in their previous treatment placements. For adolescents, therapeutic schools offer rolling, year-round admissions so that students can enroll at any point in the school year, attend full academic curriculum during the summer and potentially catch up on academic work that they may have fallen behind on as a result of the therapeutic struggles they’ve had. The schools and programs have specializations in the types of students that they excel in working with, have academic supports in place for certain educational needs, and provide students with opportunities to engage in activities and hobbies that are new to them or that they have been previously passionate about. Having a consultant advise on this type of placement is crucial to the overall success, both therapeutically and academically, as the needs of every student are unique and not one program fits all.
The average length of stay in a TBS will range from 9-18 months and may be a little shorter at an RTC. It is also important to recognize that TBS’s do not have the level of staffing to work with students who present with significant resistance or who have lacked the opportunity to develop insight and awareness into the reasons for placement. Therefore, most TBS programs will require students to complete a primary treatment program (ie. wilderness therapy or assessment/stabilization program) prior to consideration for enrollment. It is their ultimate goal to make sure that students that they are enrolling in their program are ready for the opportunities that will be presented to them both therapeutically and academically.
Some children and adolescents have specific learning disabilities and/or developmental disabilities that require intensive academic, behavioral and social skill interventions. These schools and programs have subtle differences from each other since they are highly specialized in their respective areas. Some programs or schools will work with mental health issues such as anxiety or depression as well. Issues addressed include but are not limited to Autism Spectrum Disorder, Nonverbal Learning Disorder, Dyslexia, ADHD/ADD, Learning Disabilities, and Intellectual Disabilities.
Young adult transition programs are designed to support young adults over the age of 18 with specific learning disabilities, addiction and/or mental health issues and range in specialty, clinical sophistication, structure and length of stay.
In addition to the therapeutic and psychiatric services provided, the young adults benefit from other services such as college, vocational and sober living supports and independent life skills. Those supports may include individual and group therapy, 12-step meetings, mentoring and coaching around relationships and daily living.
Young adult transition programs are community based and clients are attending college or trade schools, participating in community service and volunteering or are actively employed while enrolled in the program. The goal of these programs is to launch young adults into a healthy, fulfilling and independent life.
Adult residential programs specialize in treating individuals with addiction, eating disorders and co-occurring mental health issues such as depression, anxiety and trauma. These programs utilize evidence-based therapeutic modalities, individual and group therapy, family therapy, 12 step-meetings, as well as mentoring and coaching around relationships and responsibilities of daily living. The average length of stay in an adult residential setting is 30-90 days. Based on the individual’s needs, upon completion of the program a client may return home or continue in an aftercare program that supports their integration back into daily life while continuing to provide therapeutic support. Some options might include attending an intensive outpatient program or temporarily spending time in a therapeutic living environment. Adult intensives or workshops are another possible option for clients who are currently functioning in their lives, but desire more intensive work focused on specific issues such as healing relationships, dealing with trauma, or even living a more centered life.
While many adult clients we work with are coming to us with a level of motivation for change, some are not. In those cases, we are able to support families through the process of looking at treatment options, as well as work collaboratively with intervention services to help the individual gain access to treatment.
Certain families or clients may present with a unique set of needs that might not fall into any of the programs outlined above. Please contact our office for more information about other options.