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Dickinson Mental Health
Center 110 Lincoln Street, Ridgway PA 15853 814-776-2145  |
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Child-Adolescent |
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This is a structured,
therapeutic program, with state-prescribed regulations and licensing
requirements. It is a program appropriate for students who are: (i) experiencing
significant personal, social, and academic dysfunction (ii) being discharged
from in-patient hospitalizations or residential treatment facilities, and/or
(iii) at risk for placement outside the home. This is a Dickinson Mental Health
Center Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP) that operates with the support and
involvement of area schools. The program is run year-round. The program facility
is located near St. Mary's Area High School.
What services are available? The Crossroads Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP) emphasizes milieu and group therapy processes appropriate to the ages and needs of clients throughout a structured program day. Milieu Therapy describes the treatment inherent in a therapeutic environment characterized by specific observable, measurable expectations, and facilitated by primary therapists who model appropriate behaviors, direct meaningful peer interactions, and provide relevant reinforcement to clients. Group Therapy provides opportunities for clients to receive validation, skills, and support from their peers under therapist facilitation. Beyond sharing personal experiences, group therapy is oriented toward specific themes, such as anger management, self-esteem, and social interaction, including family issues and relationships. The CROSSROADS PHP schedules recreational therapies with an emphasis on social and creative skills. The program also offers medication monitoring, psychiatric consultation, individual therapy and, when indicated, family therapy. Adjunct psychological and health-care services also may be coordinated with appropriate referrals. All clients have an Individual Treatment Plan (ITP). This is a working document that reflects a client’s treatment goals and progress within the program. The ITP is established upon admission to the program and reviewed at least every 20 days by a treatment team. The treatment team is comprised of:
Client Program Director How does the PHP involve the client’s home school? Representatives from a client’s home school-district are members of the client’s treatment team. In this capacity, they are involved at all levels of the client’s program participation. Written and verbal input from the client’s home school-district is requested via appropriate authorizations following the client’s intake interview at CROSSROADS PHP. This input focuses on the client’s history regarding school adjustment and is useful to the development of a client’s Individual Treatment Plan. In addition, letters are sent to school representatives listing the dates of scheduled treatment plan reviews, which occur at least every 20 days. Representatives from the home school also play a key role in the client’s school re-integration process and final discharge. How are education and therapy integrated? The CROSSROADS PHP classroom is divided into 2 groups by age. These groups alternate their program focus throughout the day between formalized education and group therapy. Certain commonalities exist between the education and group therapy components. First, there are specific behavioral expectations for clients to maintain throughout the program day, in both education and group therapy. Second, whether the focus is class work or coping strategies, staff are instructing clients. To support this integration, a therapist remains in the classroom to monitor and cue the mental health and behavioral treatment goals. There is also a complimentary function when education and therapy are integrated. The primary focus in a PHP is on the mental health issues of clients. Addressing mental health issues within the context of school, supports and enhances a client’s educational career because factors that may inhibit learning can be identified and treated concurrently with the larger psychosocial dysfunction. Note: The primary focuses of mental health, and the intensity of treatment, differentiate the PHP from the emotional support programs offered in schools. What role does the PHP teacher have? The PHP teacher directs the educational component of CROSSROADS and is an active participating member of the client’s treatment team. The teacher has primary responsibility for identifying the client’s ongoing academic needs and communicating these needs to appropriate representatives of the client’s home school. The teacher also provides relevant academic re-integration and final discharge recommendations. What type of students does the PHP serve? CROSSROADS PHP is designed as an intervention for students in grades 6-12 and/or between the ages of 11-18. Clients must have a primary psychiatric diagnosis. It is assumed students do not have mental or physical impairments so significant they would preclude safe program participation. We target those students who are (a) at risk for out-of-home placements due to psychosocial dysfunction and/or de-compensation of psychiatric symptoms, and/or (b) being discharged back into the community from more restrictive levels of mental health care. For this latter group, PHP services promote and maintain treatment progress. How do students get into the PHP? Referral inquiries may be made via telephone by any individual or agency, including physicians, school representatives, parents, and CASSP. These inquiries are directed to the Unit Director, and to the Program Director, with the purpose of assessing both admission criteria and appropriateness of the referral. General demographic information also is required at the point of referral. If deemed an appropriate referral, arrangements are made for the student, the parent or legal guardian, and Unit Director to meet for an intake interview. The intake interview is a face-to-face psychosocial interview. Subsequently, arrangements are made for contact with the student’s home school. How does the PHP involve the client’s family members? Consistent family involvement is considered an important factor in the overall treatment success for each client. Given the client’s family situation, and where appropriate, parents or legal guardians are recognized as treatment team members. They are expected to be involved in the development of a client’s Individual Treatment Plan and to be a participant in the treatment plan review meetings scheduled every 20 days. Parents or legal guardians also may be involved in appointments with the program psychiatrist for their child’s medication monitoring. When indicated, parents or legal guardians may be involved in family therapy.
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