Post by the admin. on Apr 6, 2011 23:13:33 GMT -5
The Handbook
Room and Board:
- No co-ed living.
- No males in female dorms past 8 PM, and vice versa.
- No contraband (drugs, alcohol, weapons, etc.) allowed in rooms. All rooms will be searched randomly, and any found contraband will be removed.
- No non-patient guests allowed in rooms without prior approval from a guard, unless those guests are family.
- Any unapproved guests found in the dorms will be removed by authorities and charged with trespassing. This also applies to non-patient guests who are present after 6 PM.
Leaving the facility:
- All occupants must be back on grounds prior to sundown. Sundown is the curfew and it will be strictly enforced.
- Patients who violate the curfew may have their privileges revoked for a certain period of time, depending on the circumstances of the violation.
- Patients in Phase/Step 1 of their program are not permitted off grounds.
Guest policy:
- No guests past 6 PM allowed on facility grounds. Any found past that time may be charged with trespassing.
- All guests must be approved through security and signed in.
- Patients in Phase/Step 1 are not allowed guests, not even family.
Education:
- If the patient is under 18 years of age, they are required to attend classes. These classes are designed to resemble those which the patients would normally attend at their high school.
Misc.:
- Random searches, urine samples, drug tests, etc. are to be expected.
- If there are any questions, please contact your mentor for further explanation.
- The rules are subject to change without notice, so stay updated by checking in.
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The Process at Whispering Hills...
Step 1: Become acquainted with the facility and staff. Tours will be given by the patients assigned counselor (currently it is only Joshua Phelan) by appointment. Appointments must be scheduled. This Step usually takes as little as three days, a maximum of five. The patient is allowed to explore freely, but not permitted to leave the facility during this phase. They are encouraged to co-mingle and attend their appropriate educational classes.
Step 2: This step is only for patients requiring it, and technically would be step 1 for them. This is "detox". Patients suffering from substance addictions in some form would be required to complete a detox, which varies depending on the severity of their addiction.
Step 3: Now, it's been almost a week... it is time to meet with your assigned mentor. They are to watch over you and make sure everyone is safe. This step begins the self-healing process. This is different for every individual, and specific to the reason they have found themselves seeking help at the facility. At this point, a risk assessment is conducted, and there are daily visits with mental health professionals who can determine their current state. The meetings are strictly one-on-one at this point, until the mentor thinks the patient is prepared for group therapy. Activities that aid the patient in self-discovery are encouraged, such as journal writing, writing of any kind, playing an instrument, dance, solo environmental exploration, and the like.
Step 4: The patient is integrated into the facility community through group therapy. Here they have the opportunity to form social bonds, have constructive peer pressure, and have an open forum to relate to others facing the same issues. Group bonding activities are strongly encouraged in this phase.
Step 5: Reintegration into society after being in a closed facility such as this one is crucial in recovery. During this step, the patient not only attends group therapy still but is required to meet with a counselor once a week for a one-on-one session to monitor progress and administer another risk-assessment. At this point, the patient is encouraged to venture off facility grounds and interact. Community service is strongly encouraged, if not required, during this time of the patients stay.
Step 6: By this time, the patient should be maintaining a stable sense of self and have an understanding of their illness, addiction, or other ailment treated at this facility. They should not only have an understanding, but for lack of a better term, be "cured" of what brought them to the facility. This should be of their own choice, and for their own well-being. If a patient has not reached this level, then they will be forced to repeat the steps until they are removed from the program or decide for themselves that the want to change. This step, once reached, is designed to help patients maintain their positive progress beyond their stay. It is individually designed for each patient, as is each other step. Once the patient has been extensively evaluated one last time and deemed "healthy" and "stable" by all staff in direct contact with said patient, the patient is able to be signed out and sent home with a care package and instructions for family members.
* Keep in mind, a patient may fall back. For example, if the patient is a diagnosed Anorexic, and they are at Step 4 and are found purging - they will be forced to return to the previous step and start from there. Also, just because the patient reaches Step 6, this does not mean they can not fall back. The Steps can turn into a circle for some patients. There is no magic bullet to cure every disease or disorder.