Specialized Residential Treatment Program
High quality psychiatric residential (24/7) care and treatment for 12-18 year old males exhibiting severe emotional and problematic sexual behavior issues
Keeping families safe at home.
Keeping your family safe and healthy, while at the same time getting help for a child with sexual behavior problems, especially when they face serious mental health issues, often requires you to make difficult choices. Our Specialized Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility offers unique programing that provides continuous care, group, individual, and family therapy, and quality accredited academics.
With over 135 year’s of experience The Children’s Home of Reading believes that large institutions, institutionalize children. By creating a home-like setting, we leverage relationships not control mechanisms to help model healthy interactions. We are confident that our model of care will bring about lasting change in the life of your child. We understand the difficult and agonizing experiences that have lead you here.
But what does specialized treatment mean?
Therapeutic Rapport
Through strong working therapeutic relationships each youth examines their thoughts feeling and behaviors and the relationships and patterns between them. So that he can better understand himself, and the origins of the harm he has caused, deal with any past trauma, and address other therapeutic needs. By establishing a rapport and establishing clear and consistent boundaries, an optimal therapeutic environment is created resulting in positive changes and growth. Counseling services are individualized to meet each child’s unique needs.
A Focus on Healthy Families
At The Children’s Home of Reading we envision the family like a mobile- where sexually problematic effect every family regardless of whether they were directly victimized. Therefore, we are dedicated to helping develop a healthy family unit where there is support, boundaries, clarity in roles, healthy communication, safety and trust. The family system work is designed to develop unity and to support healthy family relationships moving forward.
Transferable Skills
Sexual behavior problems are anchored in isolation, poor coping skills, and secret keeping. For a young man to truly succeed he must develop the ability to utilize healthy coping strategies, recreational skills, problem-solving skills, and respectful communication skills beyond the physical structure of our program. An important element of the program is our relationship to the community, which enables our youth to practice what they learn in the “lab” of the real world.
Community Reintegration
Returning home or to their families as productive members of society, positively contributing to the well-being of others is the ultimate goal of treatment. This requires opportunities to integrate into the community with the appropriate balance of supervision. Because we are physically located in the city of Reading, integration can involve a variety of community activities (cultural, sporting, and other recreational activities) depending upon each youth’s preparation. There are also opportunities for community visits with parents, home visits, and other opportunities to practice healthy integration.
Competent - Respectful - Results
Credentialed Clinicians
The treatment of sexually problematic behaviors is a specialty that should only be entrusted to those with a demonstrated track record of success. Members of our clinical team have earned JSOCC (Juvenile Sex Offending Counseling Certification) credentialing which means that they have demonstrated competency in training standards and possess specialized knowledge and skill to implement treatment that will maximize prevention of future sexual acting out behaviors.
Safe, Non-Violent Community
The Children’s Home of Reading is a Sanctuary certified agency. Sanctuary is an EVERYBODY model which provides a guide for both how we run our organization and how we heal the youth we serve and those who care for them. Sanctuary certification symbolizes our continuous commitment to creating a safe, non-violent therapeutic community for our youth , staff, and partners.
Transparency and Accountability
When selecting a program for your teenager, it is important to choose one that has not only proven itself capable of really making a difference in the lives of teens but one committed to a process of transparent improvement. Our continuous quality improvement process (PQI) is an agency-wide approach of not only celebrating and repeating success but also addressing areas that need improvement. With so many “moving parts” issues are bound to come up. Identifying those in an open manner and setting goals to improve is what makes us unique.
“I just held my emotions in because I thought I could handle it. I kept saying that I was a man, and then one day, I realized that was different than being one. It’s two different things.”
“Don’t give up. Things might seem hard, but you gotta get through it. It’s worth it.”
-Dante, former client of The Children’s Home of Reading
FAQS
Residential Treatment versus Inpatient Hospitalization
Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facilities are a step down from inpatient psychiatric treatment. Inpatient hospitals help teenagers who need immediate (short-term) crisis intervention and may be struggling with extreme behavioral issues, self-harm, or suicidal ideation while psychiatric residential treatment facilities (PRTF’s) offer more long-term (several months to a year or more depending on response to treatment) help for teens to practice incorporating healthier coping mechanisms into their everyday life. In PRTF’s groups and therapy sessions are spread throughout the week and there are more opportunities to socialize and participate in recreational activities.
Who can refer a child?
Parents, legal guardians, clinical providers, case management agencies, hospitals, and insurance companies can refer a child to our program with a Psychiatric Evaluation recommending RTF as medically necessary. Our admissions staff works closely with all people involved to determine if a youth will benefit from our Residential Treatment services. Prospective youth are interviewed. We do not accept emergency placements.
What insurances do you accept?
We will work with most commercial insurance plans if:
the insurance plan authorizes RTF
there is Secondary insurance (medical assistance)
the behavioral health MCO authorizes RTF
How long will I wait for an admission decision?
Typically, our staff can make a determination within several business days. Working with Medicaid for approval may take longer. Our staff has relationships with many county case management/mental health agencies, who understand the level of care we offer and can assist with the process. The time-frame may be impacted by incomplete submission of referral information and scheduling conflicts beyond our control.
What are some diagnoses that make a child appropriate for CHOR?
We accept children with a wide range of mental health diagnoses including mood and anxiety disorders. Common diagnoses include ADHD, PTSD, bipolar disorder, attachment disorder, and depression. Depending on functional abilities, some youth may not be appropriate.
How can I stay connected with my child while in treatment?
Family therapy is a vital part of our treatment program. Parents may visit the campus, call to speak with their child, and participate in family leaves. Parents work with the assigned clinicians and case managers to schedule family therapy, calls, visit, and leave.
What can I bring or send my child while in treatment?
We provide a parent handbook, which details what children can have while on campus. Please check with your child’s clinician or case manager if you have questions.
How are Direct Care Staff trained?
New Employee Development is a two-week process inclusive of classroom and direct experience. Included in the training are modules covering the Sanctuary Model of Care, First Aid/CPR, Medication Administration, SCM training, and CASSP principles. There are also regular re-certifications.
How do you ensure my child will stay on track with school?
We understand that school can be a huge stressor for many of our residents. We work closely with each child’s teachers and parents to find the best curriculum and setting to keep them on track and follow all IEP’s. Our teachers work alongside other staff to ensure each child receives the attention and support needed to succeed academically. For more information click here.
Is the CHOR campus locked?
Our 5-acre campus resembles a private school or small college campus. Most buildings, except for Administration, our residential dorms are not locked (they are alarmed), however, the doors are locked from the outside to prevent entry without a key or permission. Our staff members accompany children as they walk to and from the dorms, school, gym, and clinical offices. Our residents regularly participate in community activities in the local Reading area. Please click here to read more about community activities.
Does my child have to participate in religious services?
There is a spiritual/faith-based participation consent that we include in the admission packet to which parent/child can choose if participating in religious services is permitted. We do have on-grounds bible study offered and take kids to community churches, mosques, and other meeting places. There is a non-denominational chapel on-grounds.
What is the average length of stay?
SRTF 12 to 18 months
What are the expectations about family involvement?
Family is an important member of the child’s treatment team and we embrace robust family involvement, including regular phone contact and visitation. Family is expected to participate weekly in family therapy with their child and child’s clinician and monthly treatment meetings.
How often does my child attend therapy?
Our Clinicians, Case Managers, and Milieu Supervisors all have offices located in the dorms to provide access and routine engagement with youth. There is 1 individual session per week, 1 family therapy session per week, 3 clinical groups per week, 1 allied therapy group per week (in addition there are two case management groups and they meet biweekly with case manager for life skills consultations).
What are the programs philosophies about consequences and discipline?
The Children’s Home of Reading is a Sanctuary certified agency. The Sanctuary model is a blueprint for clinical and organizational change which promotes safety and recovery from adversity through the active creation of a trauma informed community. Sanctuary is our way of empowering ourselves to take care of others by ensuring the safety, support and well- being of our employees, children, families and communities while we embrace loss and inspire hope. Six sanctuary commitments are woven into our programming:
Nonviolence
Emotional Intelligence
Democracy
Open Communication
Social Responsibility
Growth and Change
We use a point based behavioral system to focus on healthy pro-social engagement to support youth’s therapeutic goals.
Call us for more information at (610) 478-8266 ext. 458 to see how we can help you.