Boy’s Acute Care Ages 12-17 (approximate age ranges)

The Male Adolescent Acute Care program’s goal is to offer compassionate care in a safe nurturing environment.  The program provides a structured therapeutic environment and provides the ability to evaluate and treat males with severe emotional problems.

Clinical Treatment Team:

  • Psychiatrist
  • Medical Physician
  • Registered Nurse
  • Social Worker/Discharge Planning Specialist
  • Individual and Family Therapist
  • Behavioral Health Technician
  • Recreational Specialist
  • Nutritional Specialist

Every minute of the day is considered a therapeutic opportunity and the adolescent is engaged either in treatment or school from the time they finish breakfast until they prepare for bed.  Using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), medical and psychotherapeutic interventions tailored to each patient, the staff always looks for ways to help the adolescent succeed and develop an individualized treatment plan to successfully identify triggers and implement new coping strategies.

Upon admission each patient receives an intensive assessment to determine their specific needs to help them address anger, social skills, abuse, thoughts of suicide, self-harming behaviors, grief and loss issues, and offensive sexual behaviors or abuse. Each patient attends 5 different psychotherapy groups each day (1 hour per group) and a minimum of 2 individual and 2 family sessions each week.  The patient is evaluated and re-evaluated multiple times per week by the treatment team until coping skills have been bolstered and functioning has improved.  Once this is achieved, a Masters prepared social worker will develop a discharge/aftercare plan to continue treatment in or near the adolescent’s home.

Groups

ANGER MANAGEMENT/BTS:  This group helps identify sources of anger and how these sources trigger unhealthy decisions and actions.  Patients who attend this group are usually suffering from a full spectrum of emotional and behavioral difficulties and have a history of unhealthy coping strategies when it comes to dealing and coping with anger.

MALADAPTIVE BEHAVIOURAL GROUP:  This group assists the patient to identity and process feelings related to past sexual abuse and/or sexually inappropriate behaviors.  The adolescent will develop ownership of their actions, beginning with their offending behaviors and/or poor boundaries.  They will be taught how to establish appropriate boundaries and develop a healthy direction in life.

SELF IMAGE/SOCIAL SKILLS: The goal of this group is to assist the patient in developing a more positive view of self and to increase insight into their emotional and behavioral issues.  The focus is on how to increase self-esteem by focusing on the strengths already present and not becoming reliant on others for validation.  The overall goal is for the patient to gain insights and skills to lower his risks of anger outbursts, aggression, family conflict, self-harming behaviors/suicidal ideations.

DUAL DIAGNOSIS GROUP: The goal of this group is to provide assistance and education to patients who tend to use drugs or unhealthy lifestyles to cope with the emotional instability.  The focus is placed on implementing and developing socially acceptable coping skills, as well as compliance with treatment, medication management, and participation in therapy to manage life stressors.  If this issue continues to be prevalent throughout treatment the patient may be referred to a specific treatment program to address ongoing substance abuse issues post discharge.

PSYCHOTHERAPY GROUP:  The goal of this group is to help the patient get in touch and express past feelings and emotions related to past trauma.  Many of the patients on 3S have similar issues and familiar history, which can include trauma, abuse, losses, and anger issues.  It is common knowledge that these issues can interfere with the patient’s emotional development, self-esteem, behaviors and overall ability to function in life.  The topics of discussion are diverse and therefore relevant to each patient in some manner.