Youth involved in the PHP program spend 3 hours a day working with their counselors/social workers on their problems within a group setting. They learn effective and efficient coping strategies for regulating their emotions, senses, thoughts and behaviors. Through improved self-awareness and self-regulation, they develop skill necessary to interact successfully with their peers as well as the adults in their lives. They are then able to return to their school with improved ability to manage their mental health problems within the school as well as their home environment.
Youth and their families are seen individually and together as needed. The frequency and nature of these services depend upon the identified needs of each youth. Typically, youth are seen for specific behavioral issues that occur during the PHP day. Parents are encouraged to schedule counseling sessions to meet with their child’s counselor up to weekly while their child is involved with PHP. The focus during these sessions is to improve the relationships within the family and to assist the parents in understanding and learning more specific ways to intervene with their child given their child’s unique mental health needs.
Every child seen in PHP will receive a psychiatric evaluation from our Board Certified Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist. Parents are required to attend this evaluation. If medication is recommended, the parent will be informed and assisted in understanding the risks and benefits of the medication suggested. Parents are encouraged to attend every scheduled psychiatric appointment in order to confer with the psychiatrist and to be available in case any medication changes will be needed. The psychiatrist meets with the child and parent regularly to evaluate the efficacy of the medication. Weekly meetings are held between the psychiatrist and the child’s counselors to coordinate services and assess the effectiveness of the overall treatment plan.
Youth involved in the PHP program receive up to 90 minutes of individualized instruction daily from certified teachers and teachers’ aides provided by the Greene County Educational Service Center. The youth’s home school typically sends assignments to the PHP teachers who then assist the youth in learning and completing their work. The teachers and aides are skilled in working with youth whose mental health issues create unique challenges in the traditional classroom setting. They recognize that the youth’s mental health issues can prevent them from adequately achieving their academic goals. However, in PHP, the staff works with the youth at their current functioning level until their mental health symptoms stabilize enough for them to benefit from a more traditional approach.
Throughout the youth’s stay in PHP the treatment team works toward ensuring a successful transition back to a less intensive level of care, such as outpatient therapy and/or school-based mental health services. With the parents permission, phone calls and meetings are held to consult with outside providers who will be resuming care upon discharge from PHP. Conferences are held with school personnel involved in determining the most appropriate school setting for the youth upon discharge from PHP. Prior to discharge, a final meeting will be held with all involved parties, including the client, parent/guardian, school and any other relevant agencies to plan for how the youth’s stability and growth can be maintained after the release from PHP. PHP staff often consults with the youth’s teachers about the best interventions to try given the child’s unique needs. This has been shown to significantly improve the chances of maintaining the child’s stability after discharge from PHP.