Treatment Philosophy and Approach

Tapestry's Comprehensive Mental Health Treatment Program is designed to provide mental health treatment and rehabilitative services for children who have a range of emotional and behavioral problems that have not responded to less intensive community-based interventions. These behaviors significantly impair these children's ability to function in a variety of life domains including social relationships, home and school.

The purpose of Tapestry's Comprehensive Mental Health Treatment Program is to find ways, using a broad range of therapeutic interventions, to facilitate healing and growth in these children by helping them develop behavior management skills, impulse control, emotional self-awareness and tolerance, empathy, social skills and the capacity to participate in positive relationships with peers and caregivers. Over time, the successful acquisition of these skills will allow these children to form healthy relationships, make appropriate academic progress, and either remain in their own homes or be able to move to less restrictive environments.

The treatment program has been designed to utilize Individual Therapy and Rehabilitation, Group Therapy, Behavior Modification Plans and a variety of therapeutic activities selected in response to each child's unique and perhaps changing interests, strengths and needs. Throughout the treatment process, the treatment team works to identify interventions and activities that appear to be a "good match" for each individual child and family.

Components of Tapestry's Comprehensive Mental Health Treatment Program include:

1. Individual Client Plans which:
1. Identify self-defeating behaviors that are significantly impairing the child's ability to function in his home, school or social environment.
2. Identify the child's strengths so that he/she can use them to develop his/her internal locus of control.
3. Collaboratively set treatment goals and objectives that provide appropriate replacement behaviors.
2. Focus Areas of Treatment:
1. Common mental health disorders for children: Attention-Deficit and Disruptive Behavior Disorders, Reactive Attachment Disorder, Mood Disorders (Depression & Anxiety), Adjustment Disorders, and Problems related to Abuse or Neglect.
2. Behavior Management (extinguishing oppositional/defiant behaviors and peer aggression, increasing conflict resolution & self self-management skills).
3. Impulse Control (understanding the relationship between choices and consequences with the goal of developing responsibility and accountability).
4. Affect Awareness and Tolerance (decreasing excessively, labile and/or reactive self-defeating emotional responses while developing effective coping skills for anger, anxiety and depression).
5. Social & Relationship Building Skills (reducing provocative, withdrawn and domineering behaviors while increasing the ability to engage in appropriate social interactions).
3. Intervention Options:
1. Engage the child in a safe and structured treatment environment where he/she can practice and gain mastery of replacement behaviors in real life situations (with counselors present to provide coaching and support).
2. Individual and Family Therapy (using a cognitive-behavioral approach).
3. Group Therapy (which focus on building self-esteem, social skills and integrating overall progress).
4. Individualized Behavior Modification Plans that include reinforcement options for using replacement behaviors and/or making successful choices (behavioral contracts, verbal praise, peer recognition, tokens, status and privileges).
5. A wide variety of therapeutic activities that support and encourage self-awareness, self-expression, and self-control (art, equestrian activities, shop, capoeira, ropes challenge course, wilderness living skills, non-competitive sports, and etc.).
6. A treatment environment, which communicates belonging and acceptance.
7. Relationship Enhancement training for families, (counselors provide support and coaching with the goal of shifting the dynamics of the child's relationship with his/her family).

All of the rehabilitative activities have been designed to support the learning of effective social and communication skills, impulse control and behavior management skills. Safe and appropriate ways to express and resolve anger are learned and practiced.

Participating in interesting, fun, and positive activities with peers and adults reinforces the child's commitment to the program. Each child is encouraged to find areas in which he/she can excel and for which he/she receives peer approval.

Participation in activities that encourage self-expression, such as art, music and drama, helps each child work through attachment disturbances and traumatic experiences. This results in increasing levels of self-awareness and individuation. Ways are found for each child to be heard and honored for his/her own unique identity and value.

Group therapy is utilized for building self-esteem, learning social skills, and implementing behavior modification strategies. Group Therapy also helps each child connect with and express feelings encountered in the other parts of his/her treatment program.

Many of the activities, such as the equestrian program and the ropes challenge course, have been designed to develop hand-eye coordination, balance, strength and flexibility. As physical and cognitive challenges are overcome, the child's self-confidence improves.

Other rehabilitative activities, such as the sports program, capoeira and shop, provide forums for exploring and "trying out" alternate activities for entrenched, destructive behavioral patterns.

While participating in the treatment program, children have the opportunity to receive positive attention and develop healthy relationships with their counselors, other staff and their peers.