Utah Day #5 & 6

On Friday I attended the NATSAP Southern Utah Regional Conference. The conference was held at the beautiful Lava Heights Academy. Lava is welcoming their first 4 residents next week. I was very impressed by the facility and the programs they will be offering, especially the fine arts.

After the conference I stopped by the Sunrise Program. They were in the middle of their parent weekend, so I appreciated their willingness to accommodate me. It was a great experience being able to talk to parents and watch the interactions within and between families. Many of the parents I spoke to had wonderful things to say about the program and staff. I was encouraged to see all of the treatment groups and individualized care many of the girls were receiving. The physical plant was deceiving from the outside. Once inside the building feels very home like with a gorgeous backyard, complete with pool, waterside, fire pit, large grassy area, and sand volleyball court. I appreciate the clinical programming and emphasis on DBT. They work with very challenging and clinically complex, adolescent females. I am looking forward to working with them. http://www.sunrisertc.com/

Day #6: Last Day
After the conference we drove 4 hours to Provo, Utah. Saturday morning we met with Chris Johnstoneaux from the Heritage School. I was overwhelmed by the campus size and layout. The campus looks like a quaint village complete with chapel, horse stables, and large athletic field. We met several of the girls and had a nice talk with one in particular. She was having a difficult day and was spending some quiet time with 2 of the staff. We talked about her stay at Heritage and her desires for the future. I was encouraged to hear that she is planning on being discharged home and will be attending college. (the staff confirmed) The program has an intense behavioral component and is able to take very challenging clients. On the flip side it feels like the program is dedicated to creating lasting relationships with the clients and is clinically supportive. http://www.heritagertc.org/

Right next door to the Heritage School is Scenic View. I was happy to stumble upon this program. The program was established in 1999 by a parent of a child with learning disabilities. The program is a day program but also offers residential options. They serve single adults ages 21+, IQ of 90+, who struggle with learning disabilities, and may have some developmental disabilities. I met some of the residents and they LOVE the program. I was very impressed. http://www.svacademy.org/

Last but certainly not least was Alpine Academy. I was able to meet with one of the families from that program 3 hours before my flight departed from Salt Lake City. Alpine operates on the Family Teaching Model approach. I was able to meet with the girls from the Oak Ridge Home, headed by Derek and Melissa Barney. The girls were great!! Many of them had been there for several months and were getting ready for discharge. They talked about their clinical struggles and how the program has challenged them and ultimately helped them. I am not sure the model is for everyone but it certainly has worked for these young women. They gave me a tour of the facilities and grounds,  and introduced me to the horses. Alpine is getting ready to open their new multi purpose building, complete with a rock wall, full size basketball court, stage for performances, dance room, state of the art workout facility, locker rooms, and racquet ball court. The girls are very excited about using the new room. The clinical facility was in a home like setting and all of the classrooms were very well appointed. The family teachers were warm but offered structure and stability. I am excited to work with this program in the future. http://www.alpineacademy.org/

Thank you to all of the programs for a jam packed, thought provoking, whirlwind of a tour. Total of 6 days, 985 miles driven, and a total of 16 programs seen. Huge thank you to Nathan Meng from the CARE schools for helping to organize my adventure. Looking forward to IECA Atlanta then off to Arizona and Texas for adventures #3 & 4, then NATSAP in Irvine, CA.

Here are some pictures from days 5 & 6:

Entrance to Heritage

Heritage Horses and Barn

Heritage Athletic Building

Heritage Bedroom

Scenic View Program

Entrance to Alpine Academy

One of the Alpine Homes where the girls reside

Alpine's new dance studio

Alpine's new workout facility

an Alpine resident

Beautiful UTAH! Thank you.