Program Structure

Typical program duration is 6-12 months as youth progress through 5 treatment phases:

PHASE I:
ORIENTATION
2-4 WEEKS

Summary

  • Get a haircut
  • Present past history to group
  • Read Client’s Rights and meet the Clients’ Rights Officer
  • Learn treatment components, program goals, standards & principles, CTIs & consequences for them
  • Learn communication standards, chapel, classroom and cafeteria expectations
  • Fill out the “Getting Started” section of the Handbook

Key privileges youth can earn

  • Receive a group hoodie
  • Participate in recreation.
  • Personal clothes for visitation
  • Decorate bedroom with family pictures

PHASE II:
LEARNING
6-8 WEEKS

Summary

  • Improve Daily Living Skills
  • Form relationships and maintain healthy boundaries with peers and staff.
  • Explain your goals and current ITOs to peers in formal group
  • Work to achieve the Academy’s goals and standards
  • Support your staff and peers
  • Learn to call group on your problems, be open to feedback
  • Call group insight 4 weeks after earning Learning Phase
  • Complete your ITOs for this phase

Key privileges youth can earn

  • May wear watch or wristband
  • Participate in clubs
  • Personal clothes for visitation, special occasions and off-campus outings

PHASE III:
LOWER PROGRESS
6-8 WEEKS

Summary

  • Develop and strengthen relationships
  • Maintain self-control, even in crisis, with minimal assistance by utilizing positive, appropriate coping skills
  • Correct thinking errors and develop a plan to address them as they come up.
  • Call group on each treatment goal. Explain how you are working on completing your ITOs for this phase
  • Learn each peer’s treatment goals and support your peers in their treatment
  • Call Group Insight 4 weeks after earning LP Phase
  • Complete your ITOs for this phase

Key privileges youth can earn

  • Online and off-campus shopping trips
  • Car rides with family
  • Personal clothes on Sunday after responsibilities
  • May wear appropriate necklace

PHASE IV:
PROGRESS
6-8 WEEKS

Summary

  • Develop coping skills to help you not only in treatment but also in the community
  • Learn to call group as soon as there is an issue in the group and resolve it constructively
  • Consistently meet the Academy’s Goals and Standards (BBBEST and RUMMI)
  • Support other peers in meeting phase expectations
  • Complete your Individual Treatment Objectives for this phase
  • Call group insight four weeks after earning Progress Phase

Key privileges youth can earn

  • Start family therapy
  • May earn home visits and weekend home passes
  • Personal clothes on weekends and during SFT
  • Higher phase time and nights out
  • Use of personal electronics
  • Order pizza monthly

PHASE V:
GRADUATION
4-6 WEEKS

Summary

  • Maintain consistent, positive behaviors and  attitudes
  • Maintain self-control, even in crisis
  • Act as a role model within your group, demanding greatness from yourself and your peers
  • You are responsible for helping your peers advance in the program
  • Meet with your Case Manager to discuss your discharge plan  and determine independent living skills and resources that will be necessary or helpful for your success in the community
  • Complete your final set of ITO’s and your treatment goals

Key privileges youth can earn

  • Fall out with staff’s permission on 2nd shift
  • Wear personal clothing when not doing chores
  • Graduation nights out

HELPFUL INFO

Family visitation: every Sunday between 1 pm and 4 pm.

Telephone use: our youth can request to make phone calls as needed, however, due to the limited number of phone lines every resident has two assigned days of the week when they get to call their families. The calls are between the hours of 7 pm and 9 pm, so that they don’t interfere with their school or campus activities. Calls to county contacts can be scheduled through our case managers during business hours.

Clothing: at intake, youth are issued 2 pairs of jeans, 2 phase shirts, 1 pair of campus shoes, 1 pair of slides, 4 pairs of socks, 4 pairs of underwear, 1 belt, 1 hoodie and 1 pair of work boots as well as hygiene items.

Haircuts: at intake, youth will get a nice clean haircut signifying the beginning of their journey. We want our youths to look presentable, especially in front of their judges!

COMMON TERMINOLOGY AND TIMELINES

CPP – Crisis Prevention Plan: completed at intake

CTI – Critical Treatment Incident

DA – Diagnostic Assessment: completed within 28 days of intake, and annually thereafter

HWC – Handle with Care Behavior Management System utilized at MYSA

Falling out – graduation phase youth’s freedom to run an errand on campus with staff’s permission

Formal group – facilitated by group leader, team gathers in a circle and discusses each peers’ goals and challenges while peers offer supportive advice to each other

Informal group – facilitated by staff, team gathers in a circle to solve a routine disagreement or a communication issue among each other

ISP / ITP – Individual Service Plan / Individual Treatment plan: completed within 30 days of intake

SPC – Service Planning Conference involving the Treatment Team and external stakeholders to finalize the youth’s service plan. Takes place within 30 days of intake

ISPR – Individual Service Plan review: conducted quarterly with Treatment Team and external stakeholders. ITO – Individual Treatment Objectives – a set of personalized objectives developed by a therapist for each treatment phase

MPR – Monthly Progress Report

Privileges (“privs”) – privileged recreation and activities youth can earn by following MYSA standards

PRT (primary restraint technique) – physical intervention method trained by Handle With Care instructors

YCS – Youth Care Specialist