There are approximately 14 rating classification levels of care for children in California, each of which represents more therapeutic and more restrictive care. With a rating classification of 14, a short-term residential therapeutic program is the highest level of placement that offers intensive mental health services for youth with severe emotional and behavioral problems. The … Read more Follow your program!
As a giver at heart, I’ve always had a keen eye to show others I cared by finding ways to cheer them through my act of giving. Whether that be going out of my way to fix a problem or by offering little gestures, such as making a resident a snack or giving a … Read more Why I Hid My Giving from My Co-Workers
Find incentives the boys want to do, by asking them. Cottage Manager: “Is there something you want to work towards that will motivate you to be on level?” Resident: “Yes! I want there to be an Xbox inside the recreational room. I see there are games, but we have no way of playing them.” Cottage … Read more How to Make the Level System Work!
How would you feel if your teen one day after school came home, packed a bag, grabbed his allowance, and very quietly snuck out the back door? You call his name. No answer. You call his cell phone. No answer. You wonder if maybe he went to a friend’s house and called his friend’s … Read more Why foster children in group homes runaway
I wake up every day with a positive attitude and I remind myself: I make a difference. My presence makes a difference even when it doesn’t feel like it. When I walk into the cottage I feel the tension inside the room (depending on who I work with). Some staff will greet me while other … Read more A day in the life of a Residential Treatment Counselor in STRRP
When I first walked on campus, I was excited and curious to start. I believed everyone who would be working at a residential treatment facility would have the same passions and enthusiasm as me to help children in need. After all, the purpose of a residential treatment counselor was to provide professional child care services … Read more First Impressions of a Residential Group Home
Prologue Before I begin telling my story, you need to know about my family starting with my maternal grandmother, my Oma. Oma was a first generation Holocaust surviver who grew into a young woman in Wein Austria with her brother and parents before Anschluss and escaped to America just days before Kristallnacht. My Oma and … Read more Congregate Care Survivor- Ruth
Keys (lanyard & badge combo) I use my keys to open most of the locks on campus, such as the laundry room, bathroom, and food pantry. My badge is my form of ID when I transport the residents off-campus, to their doctor’s appointment or when I pick up or drop them off at school. Wallet … Read more What’s inside my Backpack as a Treatment Counselor
All the children in my residential group home have experienced some sort of trauma. Whether that be sexual abuse, physical abuse, neglect, substance abuse, community violence, domestic violence, or a combination of a few. One thing the residential treatment field needs more of is empathetic leaders who will advocate for the needs of their clients … Read more Trying to love a Porcupine
The program the children follow is very simple. The rules on the other hand are not, and I will explain why. Here is a list of the following rules the residents must follow: Rules No eating on the couch, living room, bedroom, or kitchen counter No feet on the couch No room visiting (this … Read more Rules that box you in