RESIDENTIAL TREATMENT
PROGRAM (RTP)

The Residential Treatment Program (RTP) provides 24-hour psychiatric treatment to severely emotionally disturbed boys age 8-15 who would generally require psychiatric hospitalization or placement in sub-acute psychiatric treatment facilities. The six-acre, Davis Campus Program currently houses 54 youth. Typically these children have histories of acute psychiatric hospitalization and established histories of an inability to succeed under family-based care or in lower-level group homes. In most cases, the children have also experienced failure in public school special education programs.

The purpose of the Residential Treatment Program is to provide specialized treatment in a safe, nurturing environment to severely emotionally disturbed children, many of whom have experienced severe physical, sexual, or emotional abuse, neglect or abandonment. The goal for every resident child is to graduate to a less restrictive setting such as returning to their family, transitioning to a foster home, or graduating to a lower level of residential care. Length of treatment in the program averages approximately 1.3 years.

Residents are provided with supervision 24 hours a day. During waking hours, one counselor is present for every three children. The intensive staff-to-child ratio assures close supervision and provides for therapeutic opportunities. Each child has an individualized treatment plan including several levels of behavioral programming designed to encourage and reward appropriate behavior. Group counseling addresses issues relative to each child’s daily progress while structured recreational activities help children develop recreational interests and interactive skills. Staff encourage each child’s functional independence through life skills training. Daily progress is monitored during the Group Centered Leadership meetings which reflects the child’s success in developing increased self-control, responsibility, cooperation, trust and respect.

Therapy is provided for each child. This may include individual therapy, play therapy, and/or group therapy, depending upon the child’s needs.  In addition, FamiliesFirst's sexual abuse treatment program provides highly specialized treatment to children who are victims of sexual abuse. Although similar to community based sexual abuse treatment programs, the FamiliesFirst model takes into account the unique needs of children in residential treatment and the severity of each child’s psychiatric disorder as it affects his/her ability to resolve the issues of sexual abuse

The importance of the role of the family is central to FamiliesFirst’s method of treatment. Thus the children in treatment are always viewed in the context of their families, with family therapy provided by the social worker in a child’s residence. With the family, the social worker establishes a long-range placement goal for the child. In order to help the family realize this goal, the social worker develops treatment goals with the family, and provides a family liaison, parent training, and family therapy. Graduation from the program signifies success for the whole family.

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