GATEWAY CHILDREN’S SERVICES' EVIDENCED BASED PROGRAMS
Gateway Children's Services is proud to offer a number of Evidenced Based Programs to children and families in our Residential, Foster Care, and Outpatient Behavioral Health. Many programs were initially grant funded and have provided children and families tangible, positive, life changing opportunities.
- SEVEN CHALLENGES - The Seven Challenges Program is a comprehensive counseling program incorporating work on alcohol and drug misuse with youth. The Seven Challenges uses an approach called “Mastery Counseling TM,” which helps people look at what is happening in their lives. They learn to recognize what is going well and what is problematic. Whatever is not going well, or as well as they would like it to be going, is identified as an “issue.” In Seven Challenges sessions, counselors teach young people to work on their issues. As they do their work, the “challenge process” is used to help them make thoughtful decisions, including about drugs and alcohol. The Seven Challenges program addresses not only issues related to a youth’s substance misuse, but also the effects of parental substance misuse on youth.Journals and reading materials are available in both English and Spanish.
- MY LIFE MY CHOICE - My Life My Choice groups help all youth who have survived the ugly realities of sexual exploitation. Groups focus on survivor empowerment and prevention. Sessions require a lot of journaling and reflecting.
- AGGRESSION REPLACEMENT TRAINING - Aggression Replacement Training® (ART) is an evidence-based, proven-effective approach for working with challenging youth. This revised and expanded edition is the culmination of over 30 years of use in schools, community agencies, juvenile institutions, and other settings. Focusing on social skills training, anger control, and moral reasoning.
- FAMILY CHECK UP - Family Check-Up is a brief, strengths-based intervention for children ages 2-17. It integrates assessment with motivation-enhancement strategies to tailor intervention goals to meet each family’s unique needs and to increase family engagement.
- EVERYDAY PARENTING - Everyday Parenting is a step-by-step guide to strengthen positive parenting skills that are tailored to meet the specific needs and strengths of individual families. The program is flexible and the frequency, content and duration of the sessions can be tailored to the parent’s needs, goals and readiness.
- SEEKING SAFETY - Seeking Safety is an evidence-based, present-focused counseling model to help people attain safety from trauma and/or substance abuse. It can be conducted in group (any size) and/or individual modality. It is an extremely safe model as it directly addresses both trauma and addiction, but without requiring clients to delve into the trauma narrative (the detailed account of disturbing trauma memories), thus making it relevant to a very broad range of clients and easy to implement from the very start of treatment (no prior treatment is needed).
- LIFE SPACE CRISIS INTERVENTION - All staff working with youth are trained in the trauma informed Life Space Crisis Intervention (LSCI). LSCI is a brain-based, trauma-informed, relationship-building verbal strategy that turns crisis situations into learning opportunities for young people who exhibit challenging behaviors. LSCI provides educators, counselors, social workers, psychologists, child & youth care workers, parents, and other caring adults with a systematic, 6-stage process to move from stress and conflict to insight and long-term behavioral change.
- TRAUMA FOCUSED - COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL THERAPY - (TF-CBT) - TF-CBT is an evidence-based treatment for children and adolescents impacted by trauma and their parents or caregivers. Research shows that TF-CBT successfully resolves a broad array of emotional and behavioral difficulties associated with single, multiple and complex trauma experiences.
- EYE MOVEMENT DESENSITIZATION AND REPROCESSING (EMDR) THERAPY - Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is a mental health treatment technique. This method involves moving your eyes a specific way while you process traumatic memories. EMDR's goal is to help you heal from trauma or other distressing life experiences.
- CHILD CENTERED PLAY THERAPY - Child Centered Play Therapy (CCPT) is a developmentally responsive, play-based mental health intervention for young children ages 3 to 10 who are experiencing social, emotional, behavioral and relational disorders.
- TRAUMA INFORMED YOGA - Trauma-informed yoga supports a sense of support, safety, and inclusivity while releasing stored trauma in the body.
- BRIEF STRATEGIC FAMILY THERAPY - Brief Strategic Family Therapy (BSFT) is a short-term (10-12 sessions), family treatment model developed to address family interactions that are associated with children and adolescent problem behaviors. The goal of BSFT is to employ strategies that will improve family functioning and increase the likelihood of successful reunification.
ADDITONAL PROGRAMS/SERVICES
SENSORY ROOM - Our sensory room offers a therapeutic space for children. Choices of sensory items can be used to improve a variety of physical and cognitive skills. The calming environment is filled with sensory experiences to offer relaxation, self-regulation, and empowerment. The safe space is for children to decompress and enjoy.
INDEPENDENT LIVING SKILLS CLASSES Independent Living Skills classes are offered weekly to youth through funding by a local church. Our Director of Food Services utilizes a Life Skills for Teens Workbook to focus on how to cook, manage money, drive a car, develop manners/social skills and more.
AFTER CARE SERVICES After care support services will be provided monthly for 6 months by a case manager. After care services will include contact follow-up with client, parent, Foster Family (if placed in foster care), DCBS Worker, and after care services provider. Follow-up contact may be made by phone, in person or email.
