NATSAP

Shifting Models: From “Emotional Growth” to “Positive Youth Development”

PR Committee — Sat, 16 Jun 2012 15:50:54 +0000

Positive youth development (PYD), a comprehensive framework of support designed to ensure that all youth grow up to become contributing adults, suggests that helping young people focus on and develop their strengths is the best way to prevent them from engaging in risky behavior.

But what about those teens who have already engaged in risky behavior? Troubled teens needing some kind of course correction, like those served by therapeutic schools and programs?

A recent case study, “Positive Youth Development: Bridging Theory into Practice at Therapeutic Schools and Programs,” focuses on Shortridge, a therapeutic boarding school in rural New England, which switched from an emotional growth approach to helping struggling teens, to one guided by PYD.

To be sure, the change in guiding philosophies required a paradigm shift on the part of staff, parents, students, and outside professionals alike. The school used a Logic Model to put theory into practice: mission statement and goals were revised, along with the strategies and activities to achieve them. “Positive Development Plans” replaced traditional treatment plans, and “authoritative” (dealing warmly but firmly with students in a rational, inclusive manner) replaced “authoritarian” in defining the adult-youth relationships on campus.

“Bringing youth to the table,” a tenet of PYD, got students directly involved in the design of new policies and protocols, selection of extracurricular activities, and even in the development of consequences for poor student behavior.

Finally, techniques for evaluating the effectiveness of the PYD approach were refined to include ways of measuring positive outcomes, not just the reduction of problems.

The complete study appears in the current issue of the Journal of Therapeutic Schools & Programs. Read it here.

Parental Support for the Placement Process

PR Committee — Mon, 21 May 2012 13:00:21 +0000

By Dr. Teri Solocheck and Sue Barnes, President, NATSAP Alumni Advisory Council

Parents and guardians are often in emotional turmoil when it comes to researching residential treatment or wilderness program options for their children. In many instances they are feeling completely out-of-control and helpless in situations which may range from parenting a child who is suicidal or practicing other self-destructive behavior; a child who is exhibiting anti-social behavior (especially against authority); a child who has substance abuse issues; one who has been diagnosed with a mental health problem; or all of the above. These issues exacerbate the typical chaos of adolescence, and it can be difficult for a parent to separate out what is adolescence and what is more troubling behavior.

It is no wonder that many adults in the position of trying to make what may be the most important decision in their parenting lives, can be completely lost and unable to even formulate the questions that will give them the facts they need to make an informed decision.

Some of the concerns parents may be worrying about include:

How do I know if my child is in need of placement and what type?
How will I know my child will be kept safe?
What kind of security systems does the program have in place?
What if my child doesn’t like the program?
What if my child learns “worse” behaviors from other students?
Will my health insurance cover the program fees?
What does success look like?
When my child graduates from a program, can they pick their “normal” schooling back up where they left off?
What does graduation entail?
What qualifications do the staff have?
What academic curriculum is used?
What problems do other students in the program have?
My child is unique, with unique issues — how can any program guarantee my child will be “fixed”?
How often can I visit with my child? How often will they be coming home? Can family and friends communicate with my child during their stay?
Will my child’s unique hobby/sport be supported?

An educational consultant can serve as the point person for a child or teen, collecting background from parents, clinical information from treating professionals, and educational information from schools to determine the best type of program for the individual student.

Parents bring many questions to the placement process. As their child progresses through treatment, questions continue. This is a time of great anxiety for parents who need the same support, guidance, and patience as their children through this difficult time.

Private vs. Public Treatment for Troubled Teens

PR Committee — Tue, 15 May 2012 15:33:52 +0000

A number of outcome studies conducted over the past several years have concluded that public residential treatment programs offer little or no long-term benefits for troubled adolescents. Can the same be said for private programs? According to the authors of the first large-scale study of private treatment, the answer is an emphatic no. Private programs do work.

The study looked at 1,027 adolescents from nine private facilities, all NATSAP programs, but with varying approaches and services. Both the participating adolescents and their parents reported a significant decline in problems during treatment—a decline in syndromes as well as in psycho-social functioning problems. This was true regardless of age, gender, or the number of problems reported at admission. Furthermore, problems classified as clinical or borderline clinical at admission were in the normal range at discharge, and remained in the normal range during the year following discharge.

What accounts for the relative success of private over public treatment facilities? The researchers noted fundamental demographic differences between private and public residential treatment clients, as well as service and program differences, making valid comparisons impossible without further empirical studies.

The complete article, “A Multi-Center Study of Private Residential Treatment Outcomes” appears in the current issue of the Journal of Therapeutic Schools & Programs. Read it here.

Research Supports Claims That NATSAP Programs Work

PR Committee — Tue, 01 May 2012 13:55:00 +0000

In response to calls from consumers, allied professionals and government agencies questioning the efficacy of therapeutic programs for troubled youths, NATSAP established its own Practice Research Network (PRN) in 2007 to provide evidence-based outcomes of its member programs.

Now, after four years of actively collecting the data, researchers have found considerable support for the claims that outdoor and residential programs can produce significant positive changes in the mental health of the youths they serve.

The findings, based on Y-OQ Outcome Questionnaire responses of almost a thousand youths, their parents, and staff at11 participating NATSAP member programs, show significant statistical and clinical improvements in all areas of concern: reduced anxiety and depression; fewer physical complaints; better relations with family and friends; reductions in critical items such as obsessive/compulsive behavior and eating disorders; fewer social problems such as truancy, vandalism and substance abuse; and improvements in attention deficit issues. The research also found that participants are maintaining their level of positive change six months after leaving their therapeutic program.

Details of these findings appear in the current issue of the Journal of Therapeutic Schools & Programs. Read the articles here.

2012 Conference Preview

Melissa Lawson — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 16:30:15 +0000