Why PTT

Why Pacific Teen Treatment?

OUR STAFF:

Our dedicated staff are not only highly trained and experienced, but also knowledgeable of the adolescent population. We actively hire counselors, psychologists and other mental health professionals who have the specific desire to work with adolescents including specialized training, certificates and/or licensure. You can learn more about the staff that will be working with your child here.

SMALL GROUP SETTING:

We only treat six clients at a time. Working in a small group setting allows us to individualize the care of each client and family in the program. By limiting the clients to six, we can provide the highest level of care to those families while not compromising our quality of care.

STAFF TO CLIENT RATIO:

We maintain a staff to client ration of 2:1.

EXTENSIVE DIAGNOSTIC TESTING:

All clients will receive a full psychiatric evaluation as well as psychological testing catered to each client. Testing will be conducted within the first 24-72 hours of entering the program. The testing will be reviewed with the client and his or her parents and is an integral part to designing a treatment plan specific to each client.

INDIVIDUALIZED CARE:

After conducting our initial assessment, each client will receive a primary and family therapist and a treatment plan specific to their needs. Each client will receive one-on-one individual therapy five days per week.

WE DIG DEEP:

While it’s important to address any behavioral issues that are part of the challenges facing our clients, it is imperative that we get to the underlying issue. The behavioral issues are often on the surface. However, the core issues are rooted in mental and/or emotional heath struggles.

ADDRESSING THE WHOLE PERSON:

In addition to the intensive clinical services we provide, we believe it’s essential to treat and address the whole person. This includes being physically active every day and tending to nutrition, sleep habits and self-care.

EXTENSIVE FAMILY FOCUSED TREATMENT:

Families are a big part of the program at Pacific Teen Treatment. Not only will families be able to communicate with our staff regularly, but also attend Parent Communication Groups as well as Individual Family Therapy Sessions.

NO ‘BLACK OUT’ PERIODS:

We do not limit or restrict access between a parent and child. Our goal is to bring families together, not create more distance between them! While our clients do not have access to their cell phones we have land lines at the house that can be used to call approved family members. We limit access to calling friends while in treatment since it is important that the teen focuses on him or herself and not be distracted by external noise and/or gossip from friends at home. Parents will receive the landline number and can call anytime to speak with their child or to get an update from staff at any time.

NON-PUNITIVE APPROACH:

We do not believe in any Point, Phase or Level based systems. These systems are based on externally motivating clients where our goal is to help create internal motivation to make change. We believe these systems to be outdated for the clientele we work with and are better used for teens who struggle with more serious behavioral and conduct issues.

AGGRESSIVE SCREENING PROCESS:

The group milieu is a vital part of the program and it would be inappropriate to bring in clients who would not fit into the group setting that we create. We do not treat clients who have a history of being physically aggressive, violent, sexual perpetrators or youth from the juvenile justice system as these youths would be better served in a program that focuses on conduct and behavioral issues.

EVIDENCE BASED TREATMENT:

In addition to the insight-oriented emotional work we will include evidenced based treatment modalities such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) into each client’s treatment plan. When we use the phrase ‘Evidence Based Treatment’ it means treatment approaches that have been adequately tested in scientific research. There is often a big divide between Scientific Research and our emotional material. A lot of the emotional work that is done in traditional talk therapy and utilizing an insight oriented approach is not based on scientific testing and research which is why we will complement that with evidence based approaches.

INDIVIDUAL ACADEMIC PROGRAM:

We have three hours a day of on-site classroom time and a teacher to help coordinate an academic plan for each client. Like everything we do, the academic program is specific to each client, however, clients generally remain enrolled in their schools at home since we are able to work with the school to maintain their coursework. In situations where this is not possible, we will work with the family to come up with an academic plan, often utilizing online classes to continue earning academic credits for the individual. In addition to our teacher and staff we will have specialized tutors come in to help with Math, Science, Languages, and other specialty subjects as needed.

COLLABORATIVE AFTERCARE PLANNING:

We will work with each family and their local outpatient providers to come up with an aftercare plan specific to the needs of the individual and family utilizing the resources that are available locally to each family.

LONG TERM RELATIONSHIPS:

At Pacific Teen Treatment our relationship with our clients is not over once someone graduates the program. The transition back home after treatment can be challenging for many reasons and we want to make our staff available for support during this transition. We have various alumni support services available to all alumni at any point in time including having clinical staff available to speak to alumni, having alumni attend our weekly family day on Saturday as well as other special alumni events throughout the year.