Clinical Support for Students and Families

In helping each individual student, the School’s clinical interventions take an ecological approach, looking to provide support at all levels of the student’s life by fostering growth in the student and the family.

In doing so, the school does not attempt to “fix” the child, but instead build a world in which the child can thrive. Utilizing a milieu approach provides comprehensive support and communication with and around each student.

Individual, Group and Family Therapy

Formal therapy sessions are, of course, an integral part of life at the O-School. As a key component of every child’s treatment plan, individual, group and family therapy sessions are provided on an ongoing and consistent basis. The approach taken is based on the needs and strengths of the student and the student’s family. No one approach is used across all situations.

Individual Therapy

All students participate in individual therapy provided by licensed clinical professionals or post-doctoral fellows, interns or externs (supervised by licensed clinicians). Formal diagnoses are made by the child’s primary mental health provider.

 O-School professionals determine the best therapeutic approach based upon a student’s target issues and presentation. Major modes of individual therapy currently provided:

Psychodynamic therapy – seeks to resolve internal emotional conflicts to improve emotional and behavioral self-regulation.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy – focuses on correcting thought processes that are inaccurate, negativistic and self-defeating.

Relational therapy – uses the relationship between therapist and child to create opportunities to teach skills and delve into traumatic areas.

Family Therapy

The O-School values and welcomes the involvement of every family in the therapeutic process. As such, family therapy is a critical part of each child’s treatment plan and is an expectation for everyone.

Family therapy for Residential and Therapeutic Day Program families is typically an hour, twice a month
For long-distance families, the School makes all accommodations possible to ensure that family therapy occurs on a regular and reasonable schedule, including the use of visual technology

Group Therapy

Group therapy sessions are held weekly for 60 minutes. Each session reflects considerable thought and care around both the group’s and each student’s psychological needs and interactions.

Approaches vary according to the students’ needs, and include Psychotherapy, Transitional Life Skills, Play and Social Skills Groups.

Speech and Occupational Therapy

On-site speech and occupational therapy is available for those students who require these interventions. The O-School’s speech and occupational therapists attend weekly staff meetings and are engrained in the O-School milieu.

Additional Services:
Psychiatric
Medical