Expectations and Graduation

Families and their students need to be prepared for what will happen emotionally and behaviorally after graduation.  Their experience up to that point has been filled with challenging and productive family sessions, individual sessions, family visitations, and home visits, which have produced an ability to communicate, have accountability, abide by visitation contracts, adhere to expectations, and repair the relationship when break has occurred.  These experiences have had the momentum and immediacy of the programs structure and accountability to propel them forward.  At some point after graduation, the momentum is greatly reduced and difficulties inevitably arise.  

It is essential that the family and student prepare with the therapist for the experience of how to work through disconnection, dysregulation, frustration, anger, avoidance, and testing of the contract and relationship.   These emotional and behavioral states are going to occur and both the student and family must develop a plan and maintain the foresight to see success beyond those immediate moments. Developing a plan for success depends greatly on the factors contributing toward post discharge success.  The three greatest factors are (Thayne 2009): More...