Our Qualified Residential Treatment Program (QRTP) serves children and youth ages age 10-17. Treatment is provided in a 28 bed safe trauma informed care environment where residents have the opportunity to learn skills to become healthy, responsible citizens.
Our program is a mind-body-spirit program. This program combines individual, family and group therapy sessions, fitness, nutrition, relaxation, independent living skills and lessons in cultural diversity in an effort to prepare them for a healthy life and becoming a responsible citizen.
The program emphasizes personal accountability and teaches new approaches to important life issues that all clients face. Residents spend time exercising, learning about proper nutrition and learning about new methods of relaxation through meditation and yoga.
Diverse, innovative programs are designed to help children assess their level of independence and learn how to take responsibility for their future by thinking and planning ahead. Residents have the opportunity to learn how to manage their employment, behavior, health, budget, needs and planning for the future. A key component of this program is goal setting where the residents set clear goals for their future and work on learning the steps to see their goals to the finish line.
Meals are high quality and nutritionally sound. The focus is on whole grains, low fat foods and healthy portion sizes. There are no diets. Menus are made by experienced employees and supervised by a registered dietitian.
Crisis intervention services provided by a licensed therapist and/or a psychiatric professional is available 24 hours a day.
Other on-site services include
- supervised family visitation, diagnostic assessments,
- case management,
- psychiatric services,
- individual/family/group therapy,
- substance abuse services, and
- on-site school.
Gateway Children Services also provides emergency shelter care with therapeutic treatment services. Emergency shelter services can be utilized by referring agencies such as Family/District courts, Court Designated Worker program, Alternative To Detention, Department of Juvenile Justice, Department of Community Based Services for children requiring temporary housing such as runaways and other status offenders.
EVIDENCE BASED TREATMENT PROGRAMS
SEVEN CHALLENGES - The Seven Challenges Program, 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.
NOT JUST A NUMBER - Not A Number is an interactive child trafficking and exploitation prevention curriculum designed to provide youth with information and skills in a manner that inspires them to make safe choices. When they encounter potentially exploitive situations, youth learn to identify and utilize healthy support systems that may decrease their vulnerabilities.
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 & EVERYDAY PARENTING - 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. It promotes positive child outcomes by improving parenting, parent-child relationships, and family management practices. The Family Check-Up is an innovative service that emphasizes parent collaboration and empowerment and has received national recognition. The Family Check-Up is a good fit for all parents because it leverages parents’ existing strengths and tailors support to fit the specific needs of families. It is an action-oriented approach that offers parents immediate tools and strategies. The 4-step process includes an initial interview, a family and child assessment, a feedback session to discuss the family’s intervention goals, and follow-up services that include Everyday Parenting program sessions. 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.
ADDITONAL PROGRAMS/SERVICES
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.
Intake-Info
The Basics: When a child is placed at Gateway Children’s Services, the following items are required:
- Medications child is currently taking and/or prescriptions for them
- Medical card or insurance card copy
- Copy of child’s most recent physical exam
- Needs Assessment Form (886) if committed to the state
- Valid Payment Agreement (114)
- Commitment Order
- Immunization Record
- Birth Certificate copy
- Social Security card copy
- Case Plan
- Consent Form (our form-includes consent for photograph, video, audio tape, consent for recreation, and medical consent)
- Signed Contact sheet (our form) listing name and phone #’s of parent or legal guardian with whom child may have phone contact and visits.
- Also, be sure to inform us on this sheet of any mail restrictions to be enforced.
- While here at Gateway, clients will be assigned a specific day/time to as “All About You Time”.
During this time, the child will have access to the following:
- Counseling
- Clinical Therapy
- Case Management
- Business Calls – to be made to social workers, lawyers, CDW’s, or DJJ workers
For Parents/Guardians
Visitation:
- While your child is placed at Gateway Children's Services, you will be able to visit, unless the placing agency has restricted visitation for the child. While your child is on Orientation, visits are not permitted.
- Orientation usually lasts about 1 week, or longer if there are behavioral issues.
- When your child reaches Level 1 of the program, he or she will be permitted to have 1 visit per week.
- All visits are on Saturdays, with limited exceptions, and are scheduled in 30 minute intervals.
- Only parents or legal guardians may visit. No one else will be permitted to enter the building without prior approval.
- You must call the Case Manager/Counselor or our Intake Coordinator at some point between Wednesday 8:00am and Friday 4:00pm to schedule a visit for the following Saturday.
- You must bring your ID to every visit. Please do not bring anything else into the building, no purses, bags, food, etc.
- You may bring in some items needed by your child that they are permitted to have. Please contact their Case Manager/Counselor for further details.
- If you bring items for your child to the visit, they must be handed to a staff member, not your child. The items will be placed in the child’s Personal Inventory and will be available to them the following week.
- You must read and sign “Rules for Visits” on your first visit.
- No visitor will be allowed inside the building if suspected of being under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
- Visits are usually scheduled “back to back”, leaving very little time between, so it is very important to be on time. The number of minutes that you are late will be minutes taken away from your visit.
- All visits are monitored by video camera and staff.
Phone Calls:
Personal phone calls are also permitted. Please contact the Case Manager for further details.
ITEMS THAT GATEWAY CHILDREN'S SERVICES ARE REQUIRED TO RECEIVE FROM PARENTS / LEGAL GUARDIANS ARE AS FOLLOWS:
- Medications child is currently taking
- Birth Certificate
- Copy Social Security Card
- Copy Signed Consent Forms
- Immunization Record
- Medical Card or Insurance Card Copy *It is extremely important that we receive a copy of your child’s insurance cards, in the event that medical care is required.
Questions regarding your child’s case, progress in the program, and eligibility for passes should be directed to the Case Manager.
Treatment Services
The treatment staff consists of an experienced
- Licensed Therapist/Treatment Supervisor, Residential Programs Manager, Client Services Clerk, Medical Coordinator, Case Managers, Nutrition Manager, Residential Team Leader, and Youth Workers.
Additionally the program contracts for physician services and Psychiatric services. Individual and group counseling sessions are planned and provided by trained clinical staff under the supervision of the Treatment Supervisor.
Additionally, counseling with families and consultation with children’s social workers are included in our program. Treatment services include but are not limited to: Comprehensive Assessment, Psycho-educational groups, Goal achievement groups, Individual sessions, Stress Management groups, Anger Management groups, Substance Abuse groups, Group Living and Life Skills groups to name a few.
Recreation Services
The recreation program at Gateway Children’s Services is designed to provide the clients with the opportunity to learn positive activities. Gateway clients are encouraged to implement these activities in their daily routine upon leaving the facility. By offering a variety of activities such as basketball, football, cornhole, arts and crafts, and a daily fitness program, the hope is to strengthen clients self esteem, confidence, self awareness, and overall feeling of self worth.
Gateway fitness program consists of aerobic training and strength training.
Aerobic training is achieved through a variety of modes in exercise such as running, stationary bikes, elliptical machines, dancing, and treadmills. The strength training is based on working with free weights and resistance machines.
Recreation outings are scheduled on a weekly basis and are planned to develop clients community awareness and help clients discover new positive activities to enhance their life after leaving treatment. Outings include trips to the park, ballpark, library, church, gym, airport, movies, bowling, pumpkin farm, factory tours and cookouts to name a few.
Guest speakers have visited the program to share positive life experiences and educational lessons. Recent speakers have been employees from the local health department speaking on health and fitness and Survivor star Roger Bingham sharing experiences from the Outback.
Education Services
We provide on-site educational services in partnership with the Montgomery County School System. Children enrolled in our on-site school are not counted absent from their home school. Certified teachers & classroom aides provide our students the support and resources they need to succeed. We provide 210 instructional days per year, a 3-week summer school session & 1-week summer camp. Upon admission client’s educational needs are assessed & an individual educational plan is developed. Our classroom is equipped with individual computer stations, wireless technology, iPods, and smart boards. Educational services include regular instruction, special education services or gifted/talented, Read 180, AGS Text, Apex, Study Island, PLAN, EXPLORE, remedial/tutoring instruction, programs to help non readers, credit recovery, GED/ACT preparation/pre-testing and providing transportation for client’s to testing sites. Often some of clients graduate from high school while at our facility and begin taking college classes on-line.
Admissions Services
Youth ages 10 – 17, are eligible for the program. Clients must be able to participate in their own self-care, and able to function in a residential treatment facility, group setting and school environment. Client referrals are accepted from DCBS, Family/District Court by court order, Department for Juvenile Justice, and CDW/ATD Workers. Weekend and after hours referrals are accepted by asking for the on-call worker.
General Information
Type of facility: Licensed Qualified Residential Treatment Facility (QRTP) & Emergency Shelter with Treatment
Licensed Treatment: Yes
Clients: Youth 10-17 years of age
Year Founded: 1981
Capacity: 28
Accredited: Council On Accreditation (COA)
For Admissions Contact:
Jessica Mitchell, Director of Residential Services
Email: j.mitchell@gatewaychildren.org
Phone: 859.498.9892
Kristen Moushon, Therapist
Email: k.moushon@gatewaychildren.org
Phone: 859.498.9892
After 5:00pm, please call our On Call Phone: 859.404.8621