Residential Treatment Services
Intensive Treatment Program – Conduct/Behavior Disorder
The highly structured Intensive Treatment Program serves male and female youths who have not been successful in traditional mental health care settings yet demonstrate a capacity for growth.
A successful resident in the Intensive Treatment Program will obtain individual insight into their behaviors and develop a sense of community. The skills developed within the program will serve as a foundation for continued growth after discharge.
The Program's Purpose
The purpose of intensive treatment is to remove the resident from their surroundings and provide them with an opportunity to process their behavior and set goals in a structured treatment environment.
The focus of treatment is to allow the resident to adopt and practice three basic principles:
- Respect for self
- Respect for others
- Respect for property
The Therapeutic Approach
The therapeutic approach is to help the resident implement a concrete sense of mortality and community. The therapeutic milieu is strict, with a daily regime that involves a back-to-basics approach. The resident will work to reach daily and community goals, which focus the resident on compliance and respect for their treatment program.
Reinforcing Positive Behavior
Residents are provided with the basic essentials to sustain themselves and must earn all the “wants” or privileges. They are taught the basic principle that effort in school and treatment will provide them the opportunity to obtain all the extras such as TV, video games, use of gym equipment and music.
Positive choices, such as participating in treatment, are rewarded by residents earning their way through the program and through receiving daily “wants.” Negative choices, such as aggression and apathy toward tasks, are given as little attention as possible.
For example, if a resident chooses not to get out of bed in the morning, staff members will encourage the resident to get up and give him two prompts to do so. If the resident stays in bed, they do not earn points toward treatment advancement, nor do they earn the “wants” for the day until they choose to participate.
When residents make the decision to engage in treatment they earn the focus of the staff and the treatment professionals and the rewards.
Completion of the Program
Completion of the program is the first stage of treatment. The desired effect following a resident's participation in the program is a successful return to a less-intensive level of treatment with a renewed outlook. This may be in a less restrictive unit within Heartland or a step-down placement within the resident's community.
Program Highlights
- Ages 12-19, male and females
- Individual therapy
- Group process therapy
- Family therapy
- Expressive therapy
- Group rehabilitation
- Medication evaluation/doctor's visit
- Monthly treatment teams
- On-site public schools
- Behavior modification program
- Length of stay is 6-12 months
Program Components
- Individual
- Group and family therapy
- Daily activities
- School structure
- Treatment team meetings
- Doctor's visits
Daily Activities Include
- Physical sports
- Leisure education and skill development
- Adventure experimental therapy activities
- Independent living skills
- Communication groups
- Task-orientated groups
- Off-campus activities such as community events, parks and fishing