Residents are provided with consistent feedback about their behavior to encourage good choices and foster personal responsibility. Our treatment model is structured to encourage expression of feelings, effective communication and community engagement through providing opportunities to practice new, more appropriate, ways of responding to their environment.
Residents are informed of expectations within their first week in the program and assisted in meeting them throughout their treatment as needed. Behaviors that are expected of all residents include:
Following staff prompts- Using language with respectful tone/content
- Completing daily hygiene
- Completing daily room care
- Completing community chores
- Attending school daily
- Completing required homework
- Following the dress code
- Treating peers with respect
- Maintaining physical boundaries
- Refraining from physical or verbal aggression
- Participating in activities and therapeutic groups
- Participating in individual and family therapy
- Refraining from the possession/use of contraband
When a resident displays behavior that is not within program expectations (e.g. showing disrespect towards staff or peers, refusing school and/or programming, stealing, lying, possessing contraband, eloping, threatening acts of aggression, etc.), a staff member will calmly and respectfully remind the resident that their behavior is inappropriate and will problem solve with the resident to find an appropriate solution. Interventions are always chosen based on the level of severity of behavior, and may include crisis communication and/or hands-on management of behavior if a resident in presenting imminent harm to self or others. Residential therapists attend weekly staff meetings with all residential and direct-care staff in order to provide individualized strategies and deescalation techniques to assist staff in working with all residents within the milieu.