Offense Specific Treatment of
Aggressive Youth (OSTAY) Program
Purpose
The El Pueblo’s Offense
Specific Treatment Program is designed for adolescent male offenders with
severe emotional and behavioral disorders and is licensed by the Colorado State
Department of Human Services under Residential Treatment Center requirements.
Population Served
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Adolescent males with at
least one adjudication for a sexual offense. Resident may be accepted prior
to the adjudication if he admits to the offense, even superficially.
-
Incest
or sexual assault has been substantiated by the Department of Human
Services.
-
Youth who have failed in
less restrictive levels of care.
-
Residents
may have a history of fire setting, cruelty to animals and severe abuse or
neglect.
Admission
Criteria
In addition to the general
admission criteria, the following criteria must be met for the OSTAY Program:
Orientation and Housing
All new residents are placed in
Donegan Hall for an initial orientation and assessment period. This is a highly
structured program in a setting that provides for high levels of supervision via
private rooms, cameras in common areas and window and door alarms. The residents
are evaluated by the rehabilitation team during the first 30 days.
Upon completion of the first
level of the Performance Program for Youth, the resident will be assigned to a
living environment based upon individual needs.
-
Those who are considered to need closer monitoring due to compulsive
behaviors will be assigned to Donegan Hall.
-
Those who are assessed to be capable of succeeding in a more family style
house with roommates will be assigned to a cottage. Room assignment and
cottage assignment is based upon age, emotional development and social
preparedness.
Donegan Hall is designed to be
completely self contained as needed by individuals. Meals are brought in from
central food service. Education, recreation and therapy may be provided within
the building. Donegan Hall residents are able to go to the on grounds school,
recreation and dining room when they are demonstrating safe behavior.
Residents assigned to a cottage
participate in all El Pueblo services on and off campus.
Transition Services
The primary function of a
Residential Treatment Center is to prepare residents for success in a less
restrictive setting. It may be recommended that a resident transition from
Donegan Hall to a therapeutic cottage or from a therapeutic cottage to a group
home, foster home or emancipation program upon discharge.
As the resident meets treatment
goals in preparation for discharge, El Pueblo will participate in a
Multi-Disciplinary Team transition staffing. The on-campus Transition House may
be an option for residents. Upon recommendation of the Multi-Disciplinary Team,
Case Manager/Therapists will make appropriate referrals for aftercare and work
closely with parents, Client Managers, Social Workers, Probation Officers and
G.A.L. to facilitate smooth transition.
Discharge Criteria from OSTAY
Residents will be recommended
for discharge upon consultation with the Multi-Disciplinary Team when they have
reached maximum clinical benefit at the RTC level of care. When residents have
demonstrated that they are no longer a danger to self and/or others and can
succeed at a less restrictive level of care over a sustained period of time,
discharge planning will be stressed.
It is anticipated that a
resident will require at least 6 months to complete the program. The typical
resident requires at least 9 months to achieve his treatment goals. Residents
with long standing emotional problems may require as long as 12 months to be
ready for discharge. If a resident is very resistive, his treatment plan will be
adjusted to attempt to motivate him for change.
Provisions of Care
Clinical Service
Offense specific treatment
incorporates individual, family and group therapy. All residents participate in
three offense specific groups and one individual therapy session per week.
Family therapy occurs two to four times per month.
Clinical services are comprised
of a variety of specific modalities designed to meet each child and family’s
needs. Family involvement is strongly encouraged in all aspects of treatment.
The family is expected to be present for the intake process. The resident is
assigned a Case Manager and a Therapist when admitted. The family is contacted
to arrange visits and phone calls.
Individual Therapy
Individual Therapy with licensed
Master’s level therapists is offered once per week. Mental health issues are
addressed as well as offense specific issues. Additional individual therapy is
provided when indicated by the resident’s needs. Individual therapy also
prepares the youth for self disclosure in group and family sessions and is used
to further address safety planning. Youth Service Workers provide brief
individual interventions of a problem/solution-focused nature at least one time
per week. We use solution-focused and cognitive-behavioral interventions to
improve coping and problem solving skills.
Family Therapy
Family therapy will be scheduled
as soon as the resident has stabilized; usually within 7 to 10 days of
admission. Family sessions will be conducted from one time per week to one time
per month depending upon parent’s ability to come to El Pueblo. Telephone
conference calls may be used for residents whose parents live a significant
distance from the facility. As the resident approaches the last three months of
his treatment at El Pueblo, parents will be asked to participate in family
therapy on a more frequent basis.
Therapists train parents on
requirements of Informed Supervision. In family sessions, parents become
informed about the abuse cycle, disclosures, red flags, safety planning, relapse
prevention strategies, and reunification and aftercare planning. The roles and
relationships within the family are addressed along with communication styles.
Group Therapy
El Pueblo emphasizes offense
specific group treatment. All residents are required to actively participate in
group therapy. Master's level therapists conduct groups. Each resident will
attend process groups three times per week. In addition, educational groups are
conducted by Youth Service Workers and are informational or educational in
nature. Each resident will attend educational group seven times a week.
Residents learn to hold one another accountable and to give helpful feedback
that encourages the resident to be honest and open to self- exploration. A
workbook is used to provide structure and guidelines to ensure that all
treatment objectives are addressed. There are frequent educational
presentations, followed by role- plays and discussions. Residents are required
to share their written assignments in the group to facilitate self -disclosure
and personal growth. Group sessions also focus on application of learning by
addressing how the resident is demonstrating his learning and growth in his
daily life.
Psychiatric Services
El Pueblo has a half-time
psychiatrist who provides case supervision and medication management services.
Interdisciplinary staffings are held on a monthly basis with the on-staff
psychiatrist.
Medical Services
A Registered Nurse oversees
routine daily physical/medical care and medication administration. Physical,
Vision, and Dental services are provides by community providers. Services are
billed to the individual resident’s Medicaid or other private insurance.
Residents are taken to see specialists as referred by the physician. Emergency
Room services are utilized after hours for immediate emergencies.
Sexual Abuse Treatment
Sexual abuse treatment is
integrated in to the treatment program after the residents have reached a point
in treatment where they have taken responsibility for their abuse of others and
are able to manage emotional issues appropriately. Residents are required to
identify how their own victimization is connected to their sex offending
behavior prior to advancement to the highest level of the program.
Homework and Journaling
Residents are given a workbook of written
assignments. They are required to spend at least forty-five minutes a day on
written work. This workbook is a tool to provide a structured, sequential guide
for sexual abusive treatment. Assignments are reviewed in group and individual
therapy. When assignments are presented, the group and the therapist work with
the resident to restructure cognitive distortions and to apply learning to daily
life. Role plays, handouts, lecture, and verbal feedback are used to ensure
comprehension. The therapist uses the workbook as a tool to help the resident
engage in work at a deeper level. Residents are required to complete several
logs such as anger, random acts of kindness, self disclosure and thinking
errors. Specific logs must be completed and approved before the resident is
eligible to advance to the next Performance Standard level.
Milieu
Services
Residents assigned to Donegan
Hall are able to go to the on grounds school, recreation and dining room when
they are demonstrating safe behavior. Otherwise, all activities are
provided within Donegan Hall.
OSTAY Residents may participate in all El Pueblo services on and off campus,
according to their Performance Standard Level.
The milieu uses a Performance
Standard Level System. This program provides repetitive learning scenarios with
immediate rewards of increased levels of freedom and privileges. The Performance
Standards also offers a resident immediate feedback, and a chance for
processing. Natural consequences occur when a resident does not comply with the
daily schedule. The Performance Standards Program is also used as a tool to
monitor the general health of the milieu.
Residents must meet the
requirements of each Performance Standard as to daily behaviors, learning,
therapeutic components, and academic and recreation criteria to be eligible to
advance to the next Performance Standard. Concepts of offense specific treatment
are evaluated to determine that the resident is able to demonstrate learning
through daily behavior. Staff are trained to apply concepts such as
accountability, empathy, the cycle and relapse prevention strategies to daily
behaviors. Strategies and concepts from the sexually abusive curriculum are used
to target behavioral improvement in daily life. The resident is expected to
learn to use interventions and cognitive restructuring in relation to any
dysfunctional behavior.
Peer Mentors
The Peer Mentor Program is
designed to assist a new resident to make an easier transition to the Cottage
Program. The Peer Mentor will be a resident who will work with staff in
accomplishing this task.
The objective of this program is
to have the residents take a more active role in their treatment.
When a new resident is admitted to Donegan Hall, that new
resident will be assigned a resident to assist him through the five-day
orientation program.
Recreation and
Leisure Therapy Services
Residents have organized staff
directed and supervised recreation activities for one hour a day. Recreation
specialists conduct group activities that are therapeutically designed to
address social skills, self esteem and team work. In addition, resident
participate in a structured exercise program on a daily basis.
Education Services
Residents assigned to Donegan
Hall and who are in crisis or exhibiting unsafe or deviant behaviors, will
received their educational services in Donegan Hall.
Residents assigned to Donegan
Hall and who are demonstrating safe behaviors, may attend classes at El Pueblo’s
on grounds school for six hours, Monday through Friday.
Residents work at their own
level and pace in an individualized instruction program. Residents have
social/behavioral and instructional needs that must be addressed in the
educational setting. Residents are scheduled for classes according to both
social/behavioral interventions and instructional needs.
Record review, testing,
classroom observation and assessment determine instructional needs. Residents
earn education credits that can be transferred to the next school district in
which the child may reside. In addition to academic instruction, educational
programming includes physical education, and basic vocational and life skills.
Teachers are State of Colorado
certified teachers. Paraprofessionals provide teacher aide services and
individual tutoring to students. Team work is emphasized with both the teachers
and youth service workers. Collaboration and cooperation is foundational to
educational services.
Page last updated:
11/07/2006 - elr | 
A Licensed Provider by the
