Every year, I strive to take the time to look back and reflect on the years since CALO opened. I must say it has been an amazing journey with an amazing group of people.  As I evaluate my personal journey and all the areas in which I have grown, I am always drawn back to what makes CALO, CALO and without a doubt the resounding answer I always come back to is the people. The people at CALO and the people that interact with CALO make CALO, CALO.                  

Everything at CALO is about relationships, relationships with our students, their families, our canines, and each other as staff. It’s what makes me want to come to work every day and what makes me love and value my job! It makes sense that the experience I value and the values of those I work with coincide. It is a joining of purpose, a coming together to create attachment, trust and healing within the families with whom we connect and the people with whom we interact.

The extended leadership team at CALO is the group of people that I believe is the representation of who and what CALO is meant to be. Their vision, integrity, strength of character, stability, leadership, core values, and an overwhelming desire to bless the lives of all whom they encounter is the foundation of CALO.

The therapists, canine therapy program supervisor, neurofeedback coordinator, residential coaching staff, overnight care staff,  recreation therapy staff, teachers and nurses are the feet on the ground that create the foundation, consistency and stability which allow our students to grow, gain insight and become interdependent.    

The administrative coordinators, IT administrator, facilities manager, campus coordinator, and our chef are the behind the scenes staff that provide the foundational of trust of care for our students by providing their basic essential needs: food, shelter, personal hygiene items and clothing etc.

To all of the staff, students and parents that are a part of CALO, thank you for an amazing 4 ½ years. I look forward to the years to come.

CALO strives for on-going quality improvement, growth and development. We complete a variety of activities to encourage quality, consistency and individualization while providing world class care and treatment for our students. Key ways CALO promotes development are as follows:

·        Open Door Policy- The CALO Leadership Team has an “Open Door Policy” with our parents, students, employees and other stakeholders. The intent of this policy is to provide transparency, open dialogue and development opportunities.

·        Leadership “On the Floor” - A member of the Extended Leadership Team (ELT) and/or one of CALO’s masters’ level therapists works an 8+ hour “residential coaching shift” on the floor each week. The goal of this activity is two-fold, firstly, to provide CALO leadership the opportunity to directly interact with students on a purely relational level and secondly to provide leadership with an accurate picture of how the CALO treatment model and policy & procedures are being implemented by the residential coaching staff.

·        Exit Interviews- Exit Interviews with all families upon their departure from CALO. This occurs with students and their parents/guardians. The goal of this activity is gather direct feedback on what parts of the program have been effective and what areas need improvement.

·        Training- Bi-weekly training of all staff & bi-weekly therapist directive training for all coaching staff.

·        Ongoing Quality Improvement Planning which includes standards for all departments which meet Joint Commission accreditation standards.

·        Research Participants- NATSAP Research Program, Anonymous Parent Surveys and Internal Parent, Student and Therapist Surveys.

·        Connected Leadership- Weekly Leadership Meetings & Monthly Extended Leadership Meetings/Trainings.

·        CALO frequently invites outside professionals including educational consultants, psychologists, therapists, psychiatrists and other treating professionals to visit CALO. CALO encourages these professionals to provide CALO’s leadership with direct feedback following their time on campus and interactions with staff and students. The intent of these professional visits is to provide an open, accurate, transparent representation of CALO and to request feedback from professionals on what is working well and areas of potential improvement.

CALO does not subscribe to a predetermined or set date of departure. Each student is individual, has individual needs and will respond to treatment as an individual. However, the AVERAGE length of stay is about 17 months. Consistent with our treatment philosophy, CALO believes that length of stay is largely determined by the child. This means the student should not leave CALO until she has accomplished individual goals (outlined in an individual treatment plan) and the family has met the family goals that were established at the onset of treatment by the treatment team. The treatment team is comprised of representatives from academics, residential coaching, recreation therapy, and your child’s peer group. Your therapist is the leader of this treatment team and you as parent are considered the final treatment team member.

Our treatment team consistently reviews each student’s progress and moves toward the goal of transitioning back home. The length of stay varies based on a number of factors and is individualized for each student. Some factors influencing the length of stay are:

1) Relative Complexity: The relative complexity of the psychosocial and educational history of the student prior to enrollment often has a large impact on a student’s length of stay; typically, the more complex the history of the student the longer the length of stay.

2) Onset of Problems: How long has the student been struggling? Is this a new problem or has the student been struggling for a significant amount of time? Normally the longer the student has been entrenched in the behavior the longer the length of stay.

3) Family Involvement: Our families are a key part of our therapeutic process. Your involvement within the milieu, family therapy, and family coaching visits supports your child’s growth and healing. When family involvement is limited a child’s progress might stall or the student may progress at a slower rate.

Expect to feel bad:  It is normal to feel grief, sadness and guilt as you enroll your child in a residential program. Your child’s actions have devastated and/or traumatized your family and it is common to feel angry about that. Many parents feel a sense of loss when their child is gone from their home, and many experience anxiety about the rigors of a residential setting. It is common to re-examine everything you’ve done as a parent to try and figure out what went wrong.

Placing a child in a residential treatment center is one of the most difficult, and yet courageous, decisions a parent can make. Based on our personal and professional experiences, we encourage parents to prepare for a wide range of emotions and varying reactions from your family and close friends. Some will praise you. Some will not be able to understand why you have made this choice. Some friends and even family may verbally attack you for making a residential decision. They just don’t understand as they have not gone through what you have.

Expect to feel good: Many parents report no bad feelings at all when they place their child at CALO. In fact, some express tremendous relief to have their child in a safe setting. There is no wrong way to feel as your child enters treatment.

Expect your child to protest: Your child would much rather be with his own friends, sleep in his own bed, and continue life as he was living it. He will use his considerable powers of persuasion to try and talk you out of your carefully considered decision. It is reasonable to anticipate his promises of change and guilt-inducing pleas of “How could you send me away?” “I see now how much I really mean to you,” and, “Things aren’t really that bad.” Parents who decide to send their child to CALO do so with love and a determination to help. A firm grounding in this knowledge is what helps parents overcome the predictable protests from their child.

Expect to have second thoughts: At first you may be angry with your child for the disruption he created in your home and then feel a sense of relief that he is gone. However, it is also a common next response to second-guess your decision. You may question whether your response to your child’s problem was too harsh. You may ask yourself if there is something else you could have done to prevent his placement in a residential setting or if there was another way to solve the crisis.

Expect support from CALO: When you enroll your child at CALO, your child becomes part of the CALO family. When you enroll your child at CALO, you are also part of our family. We are here to help you and your child navigate this process. The CALO family support system is there to help you understand and cope with all of the issues noted in this handbook. Your key contact in our system will be your child’s therapist. It is crucial to ask that therapist for help in navigating residential treatment. Our goal is to help reduce your anxiety by thoroughly explaining how the program works and the safeguards built in for your child. Your child’s treating therapist will contact you regularly to make sure your questions and concerns are addressed. Our Leadership Team is also a resource for families with questions or concerns. If you feel you are not getting the answers you need from your therapist, please take concerns to the CALO Leadership Team. That said, the therapist is the head coach of the treatment team and we encourage continual conversation with your therapist.

This blog series has three parts. The first installment discussed what to expect on the day of enrollment and was posted on March 10, 2011.  The second installment discussed common reactions students may exhibit when first arriving at CALO and was posted on March 21, 2011. 

The Angry Child: This child is upset and wants everyone to know it. He is oppositional, uncooperative, and stubborn. He typically blames others for his situation and accepts little responsibility for poor decision making. The “angry” child will take every opportunity to let the staff at CALO know that he cannot be controlled as he maintains a façade of toughness and defensiveness.

The Helpless Child: This child is panicked about her placement in a therapeutic program and feels an overwhelming urge to get out of the program immediately. She lacks the confidence to believe she can possibly survive in such a setting without her parents for more than a few days. She will plead with CALO staff to allow her to talk with her parents so she can share how difficult the program is and how much she needs to be home. Poor self-esteem, lack of self-confidence and an abundance of fear and anxiety often characterize the “helpless” child.

The Denial Child: This child firmly states that his placement at CALO is a mistake. Although he admits to small errors in judgment, he is guarded about the truth and tends not to disclose much about his life. This child works hard to appear competent to the group in hopes the treatment team will realize that he has been mistakenly placed at CALO and consequently will be discharged from the program. This child can also be quite sneaky and have hidden agendas that require close supervision by the residential coaches. 

The Forgiving Child: This child is quick to make amends for her behavior. Despite not having any depth of insight into her destructive behavior, this child hopes for quick redemption and the opportunity to immediately return home for a second, third, or fourth chance. She commonly tries to convince parents and CALO staff that she has learned everything needed in the first or second week and is ready to come home.     

The Ready to Work Child: This child has experienced an immediate wake-up call once removed from his home. He recognizes a pattern of poor choices, is beginning to recognize that these patterns are his responsibility and the cause of his problems. He is ready to get to work to change things and will typically cooperate with his therapist and residential coaches. This child often attempts to create a positive impact on his peer community.

Although most parents want their child to fall into the “Ready to Work” category, it is important to accept how a child is reacting. There are typically good reasons for your child’s responses that are better understood as he or she progresses through CALO. Your child’s reaction also provides valuable information for the CALO team that helps them create treatment strategies and therapeutic goals. Your ability to accept your child’s responses will begin the process of rebuilding a positive relationship.

This blog series has three parts. The first installment discussed what to expect on the day of enrollment and was posted on March 10, 2011.  The final installment will discuss what to expect to feel as a parent at the time of enrollment and will be posted on April 4, 2011. 

Treatment at CALO utilizes an attachment framework for understanding troubled teens. With attachment being the goal, relationships are the primary change agent. This relational model works best with issues of emotion, trauma, and attachment. CALO improves the lives of troubled youth by harnessing the power of three central change agents: 1) Relationships, 2) Transferable Attachment, and 3) Experiential successes.

Relationships are the lynchpin to the change process. Behavioral interventions are scarce at CALO. There are no level systems. CALO believes that fairness is not necessarily about getting what you have earned, fairness is getting what you need. CALO still believes in accountability and improved behavior but only as motivated by nurturing relationships. More...