As you know, the CALO academic department has partnered with Park City Independent to provide online curriculum for educating our students. For the last two years, they have provided us with the curriculum necessary to help our students attain educational goals. They have offered our students a variety of courses and given us the ability to accept students from any state with the guarantee that the credits earned at CALO will be honored in their home states and local school. We are grateful for all that Park City has been able to offer CALO. However, as we look to the future, we have found a different curriculum provider who can provide a more robust academic experience on many different levels.

We are extremely excited to announce a new partnership with curriculum provider K12. Beginning March 5th, CALO will be utilizing a variety of curriculum offered by this nationally known and recognized group. In order to ensure that our students continue to earn credits which will be recognized nation-wide, we are also partnering with Advantages School for our academic accreditation (Advantages is accredited by AdvancED). Curriculum will be primarily computer based, but will incorporate many more didactic learning (teacher led, with teacher at the head of the class) opportunities than are currently available. To assist in this process, we are purchasing an additional smart board as well as several tablets and laptops to allow for more interactivity and creativity from both students and teachers. With the addition of this curriculum, we now have the capability of offering credit recovery courses as well as an honors/AP track for our students. During this process, we will also begin teaching students in classes which are divided based upon grade level. We believe this curriculum will enable our students to progress through courses in a more efficient manner while learning the necessary material through interactive methods. In combination with our teachers’ skills and creativity, we are confident that this curriculum will provide students the enhanced learning opportunities they need.

In preparation for this change of curriculum, CALO will spend one week (February 27- March 2) focusing on elective courses such as Canine Science, Interpersonal Communication, PE, Art, and Recreational Therapy. This will allow teachers the time necessary to adequately train, plan, and create the courses inside of K12. As we transition to this new curriculum, students will begin a class in the same place where they have left off with their Park City course. For instance, if student Janey is in Science and has completed 25% of the course, we will make certain that we extract 25% of the lessons from her K12 curriculum. She will not lose any progress or be penalized for this curriculum transition.

This is an exciting day for CALO Academics and for all our students. We believe this partnership with K12 will add tremendous learning power to what we are providing for our students. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

Krista Allison

One of the most impactful and effective aspects of treatment is for the program and the parents/guardians to be on the “Same page” and standing together as a “United Front”. Kids often come into treatment being masters at splitting authority figures (parents, teachers, etc.) and playing one against the other.  This has a tremendously frustrating impact on those authority figures because we don’t want to send our kids conflicting messages and we may often disagree with someone else’s approach or decision.  The question then becomes, “What is the impact of this splitting/triangulation on the child?” The answer is quite simply that it is unsafe. When the child learns that they can learn to split those authority figures, then they learn that boundaries can now be blurred and be manipulated in ways that are no longer constant, stable, reliable, and consistent.

As the child practices the art of splitting/triangulating, they reinforce that control is more comfortable than trust.  The interesting part of “Control” is that it is based in fear and that children of abuse, neglect, and trauma learn to preserve themselves (survival) through “Control”.  This means that control is a response to a core experience of survival and becomes “Safer” in their mind than the “Unsafe” rejection experienced with trust.

This response or drive for control becomes most evident in the splitting or triangulation of parents/guardians and the treatment program.  The child wants to maintain the “Safety” of control and getting parents/guardians to be in conflict with the treatment center becomes an effective tool for them to avoid the fear associated with addressing painful issues, being authentically cared about, experiencing vulnerability, and creating intimacy.  All of these different experiences are what creates long lasting change and avoiding them becomes possible when program and parents are disconnected. 

It is always amazingly effective when parents/guardians are a “United Front” and present to the student as one, sharing the same intention, purpose, and commitment to the child.  This is to say that disagreements and/or differing opinions get shared and discussed away from the child and that decisions can then be made that are consistent, dependable, and reliable in front of the child.  Through this “United Front”, the child then becomes to trust that the program and parents are making decisions based upon what is best for the child physically and emotionally.  Then child then experiences “Safe Relationships” that are based on care and not control.  This is when transformation begins to take root and the child can learn to trust those authority figures in their lives and begin to share the joy that comes through trust and intimacy. 

Dear parents and guardians (hereafter referred to as parents),

I am pleased to confirm dates for our spring parent retreat. The dates will be Thursday May 10^th - Friday May 11^th.  We hope all of you will begin making preparations to attend (please confirm and coordinate with your CALO therapist). Here is a quick list to help you get started:

What?  Fifth Semi-Annual CALO Parent Retreat.

When? Thursday May 10th – Friday May 11^th (parents/guardians will want to travel no later than Wednesday May 9^th).

Who? Parents are invited.  We are unable to accommodate grandparents, siblings, and so forth.  Students of attending parents will participate.

Where? A retreat location at Lake of the Ozarks (we will have you meet us at CALO on Thursday morning for a breakfast and seminar and we will either transport you to the location or give you directions so you can drive yourself).

Why? This will mark the third consecutive year we will have parent retreats at CALO.  The purpose for these retreats is primarily to empower parents with more skills and resources, allow a safe and connecting experience for parents and child to be vulnerable and heal, allow parents to rub shoulders and support one another and to allow parents to better connect with CALO staff. 

Cost? There will be no charge to parents to attend this retreat other than expenses accrued during travel.

Pack? I will send out a packing list at least two months before the retreat but I can tell you now it will not be too cumbersome.  A future blog will have more details. 

We look forward to seeing you there!

As you may know, I have recently joined CALO as the Academic Director. I am excited about the academic growth that lies ahead and look forward to meeting each of you. In the meantime, I wanted to make sure that you are aware of the transitions occurring and how these changes may affect you.

Abby Mayer and I share many responsibilities and she has been an incredible asset as I have begun learning about CALO’s Academic Department. She is now the registrar and will be taking care of all transcript issues, academic plans, and many day to day operational tasks. If you have any questions about these areas, please feel free to contact her. I am currently focusing on leading the accreditation process for CALO as well as curriculum enhancement, faculty development, and academic counseling. As questions arise, I will be happy to assist you as well.

Currently, Abby and I share a phone line, so you are likely to speak with both of us at some time in the future. Our direct line is 866-501-1395. We look forward to assisting you and ensuring that our students receive countless opportunities for academic success.

Sincerely,
Krista Allison

Hello CALO friends and families,

In an earlier email and press release we announced Alex Stavros and his partnership with the CALO team. Thank you to so many who responded so positively. It has been an exciting time for our organization. Growth and opportunity are central to how we think and what we do at CALO. Our ambition is to be the world class leader in trauma-informed treatment of youth. Every step we take is meant to take us closer to that goal.

With that in mind, I am happy to announce that we have created a new administrative position and added two wonderful people to our leadership team. We have added the position of Registrar to our Academic Department and Abby Mayer has just moved into that role. You will continue to interface with her relative to transcripts, credits, treatment team summaries, and IEPs.

Moving into the role of Academic Director is Krista Allison. Krista comes to us from Florida where she has completed all her coursework and other requirements for a Ph.D. in Education. She is currently working on her dissertation, which is focused on residential treatment. Her master’s thesis focused on attachment. Krista has a number of years of experience working in a residential treatment setting. She also has worked as a grant writer and in other venues where attention to detail and a need to understand the big picture have been a necessity. With her skills we foresee great things on the horizon in our Academic Department.

Chris Allison is also joining us from Florida. He is taking over for the wonderful Caleb Cottle, our former Program Director, who has gone back to school to complete an MBA. Chris comes to us with great energy and passion and is a natural in our setting. Chris has lots of leadership experience in business environments where he has overseen the training and management of large groups of teen and college student employees. Chris is, to the core, a compassionate human being with the personality to connect with almost anyone around him. We are extremely pleased he has agreed to join us. He will oversee all aspects of our milieu and all our residential coaches will answer to him.

With these additions, our leadership team is complete and is more experienced than ever. Please welcome these new additions to the CALO family.

Warmest wishes to all,

Ken

This last Monday was an experience that I will not soon forget.  As planned, the preparations for the All Day Team Group were finalized and the students were prepared to spend the next eight hours with their team and therapists.  The students had worked with their therapist to plan on a day that would focus on engaging in service and developing team building.  As this day was upon us, I felt excitement to spend the next hours with the Falcons (boys) serving the less fortunate by volunteering at a local store which provided food and clothing to those in need. 

I vividly recall gathering the Falcons together to discuss the purpose of service and the principle of giving as a means to develop empathy, compassion, and experience joy and connection.  The boys were saying the right words, but just weren’t showing the enthusiasm that I had hoped.  We loaded the van and continued to talk about the opportunity to evidence trust and the need for appropriate behaviors.  Once we arrived at the store (Hope House), the boy’s apprehension about what we would be doing became increasingly noticeable and apparent.  We walked through the doors and were pleasantly greeted by volunteers so happy to see us and appreciate for our desire to help.  We were swiftly assigned to tasks and the boys were split up with staff in smaller groups around the different sections of the store.  Some were organizing furniture, electronics, and hardware, where others were emptying trash, organizing clothes, and assisting with the food pantry. 

I, along with two boys, where assigned to the food pantry where we meet Don who was a retired gentleman who volunteered multiple days of the week.  He took us in the back and gave us chairs where he explained how we would work with him and sort through bags that people dropped off to be used.  As we worked together, Don asked the boys many questions and made them feel appreciated.  He talked with us about his reasons for volunteering and how giving to others made him feel joyful.  Don joked around and introduced us to many of the other volunteers who similarly expressed how meaning and purpose came from giving without expectation of return.  The two responded with a new found sense of awareness that serving others was in fact rewarding and felt good.

With new found smiles on their faces and a rejuvenated energy, the boys and I met with the rest of the group and formed an assembly line to put together bags with breakfast items that the store would pass out to those in need.  It was amazing to watch our entire group work with the volunteers and passionately put cereal, pancake mix, granola bars, syrup, etc, into bags and show real excitement and determination.  As we finished assembling the bags, the regular volunteers repeatedly thanked us and stated how enjoyable the boys were and how helpful a group we had been.  In an extremely rewarding moment for me, the boys reciprocated and expressed how much the learned from the experience and were grateful for the opportunity to give to others. 

The ride home was filled with enjoyable laughter and reflection of how we all wanted to go back and feel positive about ourselves and how service had changed us. It was a terrific day that I won’t forget because I know that serving others produced authentic feelings of gratitude, empathy, and compassion in the students (staff and therapists as well). 

Healing Trauma, Creating Attachment 2011 Conference

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!!!!!

April 12th-13th, 2012

At Change Academy Lake of the Ozarks (CALO) in

Lake Ozark, Missouri

The conference includes attachment basics, as well as highlighting attachment and trauma work in a diversity of settings and how those different settings work together to better support the child and the family.

Conference Brochure/Registration will be sent out in January.

We look forward to seeing you in April!!

Dear CALO Parents, Guardians, and Friends,

I am writing to you today to inform you about some exciting developments at CALO.

Many of you know that Landon, Nicole, Rob, and I have a minority ownership stake in CALO. Our majority partner has always been largely silent and lets us run the business as we see fit. They provided some back-office support for us in billing and IT systems over the years and otherwise stayed largely in the background. There has been much to recommend such an arrangement given the autonomy we have enjoyed, with support as needed. We have always known that at some point our partner would like to sell their ownership and that time has come. The really great news is they have let Landon, Nicole, Rob and I be a vocal part of that process and together we have found what we believe is the perfect partner for CALO’s future. The name of our new investment and operating partner is Lia Capital. Lia Capital is headed by Alex Stavros. Alex has an MBA from Stanford that will provide us with tremendous in-house talent relative to business growth and financial stability. He also has the right heart and life experience to be part of our mission. Alex has moved to the lake and will work at CALO with oversight in many areas. He, Landon, Nicole, Rob, and I will be the guiding force behind growth and innovation at CALO. He will be impossible to miss if you come to our campus. Please say hello and give him a warm welcome. As you can tell, we are very excited about our future with Alex and grateful to have him on our team.

Warmest wishes as the holidays draw near,                                                                                      

Ken

Specializing in the fields of Attachment, trauma, and emotional regulation means that CALO must be a significant part of the ever advancing treatment, theory, research, and practice of therapy.  Due to our commitment to effective treatment of adolescence and families struggling with these specific issues, we have remained committed to our involvement in the ATTACH organization (attach.org) and their annual conference.  This year’s conference was especially meaningful for CALO because our CEO, Dr. Ken Huey, participated in developing and producing the annual conference as one of the elected members of the ATTACH board.  In addition, CALO was able to be the Platinum sponsor of the conference as well as Dr. Huey being one of the conference presenters. 

One exciting aspect for CALO is that we are able to have our entire clinical team be a significant part of the conference.  This year we were able to travel to Omaha, NE and engage in cutting edge treatment of attachment, trauma, and emotion regulation by partaking in training by such renowned researchers, clinicians, and practitioners as Dr. Ed Tronik, Dr. Laurie Ann Pearlman, Dr. John Briere, and Dr. Arthur Becker-Wiedman.  This training is an invaluable time for our clinicians to continue the process of growth and solidify being an expert clinician in the specialty of attachment and trauma.  It is always a tremendous opportunity for our team to not only learn and grow, but consult with other clinicians, meet parents, represent CALO, and develop relationships with each other. 

This year’s conference was incredibly impactful and educational, but had a special place in the heart of CALO because the entire clinical team was able to be a present for Dr. Huey’s presentation on Transferable Attachment.  This presentation was an interactive experience with actual students from CALO (current and former) who were able to have the courage to become vulnerable about their journey in treatment and the personal transformation they have undergone.  The students were able to show how their relationship with the Golden Retriever canines had allowed them to transfer their ability to attach to their parents/guardians.  It was simply amazing to experience how their involvement in the canine program had contributed so significantly to creating self-worth, empathy, connection, healing, and hope for the student and their families. 

CALO’s commitment to treatment excellence means that we will continue to remain a significant part of the Attachment and trauma world and always continue to be learning, training, and advancing our skills as clinicians as well as facilitating connection and healing with families. 

Both the last five weeks and the next few weeks to come are a whirlwind of tours, enrollments, travel preparation, networking and travel. It is a remarkable time that is both energizing and exhausting. I have spent the last few weeks fully engaged with a variety of different professionals and families in a way that has allowed me to provide support, comfort and solace to families in need while filling my own cup by spending time with other professionals that have such an amazing passion and joy for their work with adolescents and their families. I am ever inspired by those around me.

The first stop along my travel itinerary was the annual Midwest Regional NATSAP Conference in Chicago, Illinois in late September. This was the fourth Midwest Regional for which I have had the opportunity to be a co-chair. It was a ton of work but it was well worth it. We had a variety of exhibitors, speakers and attendees. The conference was well attended and the participants appeared to truly value their time and experiences.

My second stop along my travel itinerary took me to Newport Beach, California for the School Connections conference in the first week of October.  This was the first time I had attended a School Connections conference and I was not sure what to expect. I found the conference to be highly valuable. It allowed Rob Gent, our Assistant Clinical Director, and I the opportunity to share about CALO in individual one-on-one meetings with over 25 different professionals. Each meeting time was about a half hour long and really allowed for authentic and individualized conversations with each professional. Some of the professionals we meet with were old friends while others were new to the industry and new to CALO.

My next step along the travel whirlwind will be the IECA conference in Dallas, Texas in early November.  This conference is another opportunity to share with other professional and programs the unique environment and specialized treatment model CALO utilizes. My plans for this trip are already in full swing and I am excited about the journey ahead…. maybe the whirlwind of travel will slow as the holiday season whirlwind begins but that is not likely so, I am just enjoying the journey and all the steps along the way.