Treatment Approaches

Whitney utilizes a developmental treatment model, which seeks to address a student s behavioral and emotional difficulties within the broader context of normative child development.  Developmental domains which are identified as a focus for treatment include: Self-Regulation, Attachment, Social Skills, Cognitive Skills, Independent Living, and Healthy Sexuality. Goals and progress in each of these domains are identified and integrated throughout the entire program.

Treatment progress is enhanced by:

1.The use of multi-modal treatment interventions that seek to help students learn and integrate information through a variety of learning pathways which may include:

    • Experiential Therapies
    • Drama Therapy
    • Role Play
    • Movement Exercises
    • Play Therapy
    • EMDR
    • Biofeedback
    • Whole Brain Learning Techniques
    • Strategies Borrowed from the Occupational Therapy Discipline

 

2.A focus on helping students identify and modulate high autonomic arousal through relaxation techniques and biofeedback interventions as the basis for developing other prevention strategies.

3.An emphasis on facilitating positive attachment relationships through structure, attachement to the students needs, consistent staff availability, and a high level of staff engagement.

4.Highlighting positive social skills, mutual relationships, acceptance of differences, personal responsibility, and healthy sexuality as essential elements of meeting emotional and social needs in a non-abusive manner.

Use of Accelerated learning technique-These techniques present information in a way that involves both the left and right sides of the brain simultaneously and takes into consideration the fact that people vary in their learning styles and aptitudes. This well documented teaching technique enhances verbal instruction to become much more effective for students of all learning styles. Teachers, clinicians, and residential staff are trained to design and implement whole brain learning procedures in Whitney’s educational, clinical and residential settings.