Q&A
Here are some answers to common questions we get about our program and organization. If you have a question that wasn't answered here, please feel free contact us.
Q:
Your program is faith-based. Do families/students have to be Christians to be accepted into the program? What if a family does not have the same beliefs?
A:
Even though we will incorporate faith and spirituality from a Christian worldview, that does not mean that a family must "convert" or hold that same worldview. We will seek to find common ground on mental health goals and encourage healthy relationships within the family. A family's religious affiliation does not determine whether or not a student will be accepted into the program.
Q:
Your program is faith-based. Do families/students have to be Christians to be accepted into the program? What if a family does not have the same beliefs?
A:
Even though we as a team maintain a worldview based on the Christian faith, that does not mean that a family must "convert" or hold that same worldview. We will seek to find common ground on mental health goals and encourage healthy relationships within the family. A family's religious affiliation does not determine whether or not a student will be accepted into the program.
Q:
Is your organization against acute, and residential treatment centers?
A:
Not at all. We believe that less-invasive options (like outpatient therapy) or more invasive options (like acute or residential) are needed for certain situations. We are an in-between option for those that need more than what outpatient therapy provides but do not need the level of treatment offered through acute or residential options. We are seeking to provide two kinds of treatment: Preventative and step-down. We want to help address issues before they escalate to the point that residential or acute treatment is needed. We also want to be an option for those who have completed residential or acute treatment and need continued support. Learn more about the need we are seeking to address HERE.
Q:
What is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)?
A:
CBT is a widely-practiced, evidence-based therapeutic treatment paradigm that teaches how your thought-life controls your life. In order to exercise control over emotions and choices, a person must first exercise control over his or her mind. There are some situations that a person has no choice or control over. However, a person can control the perspective of that situation, and therefore, how to respond to it.
Q:
Doesn't Medicaid and Insurance pay for these type of services?
A:
Not always and in some cases not at all. As mental health professionals who have a combined 20 years in the field coordinating and developing treatment programs in various settings as well as placing youth in programs all over the U.S., we can attest to the difficulty in getting a youth in the proper level of care. Many families who are seeking care fall through the cracks. They don’t qualify for Medicaid and most insurances won’t pay for the amount or type of services that their child needs. The insurance system is built off of a medical model that is reactive to problems as oppose to preventative. Medical models don’t pay to prevent a broken leg—they pay to treat one, but psychological illnesses and struggles are different. You are least effective when you wait till the problem is full-blown in its' presentation. You are most effective when you are preventative. Unfortunately, getting a youth into care after they have attempted suicide is waiting much longer than many families want to wait, but their insurance coverage often times will wait to cover adequate levels of care until after events like these occur. Often times when a youth does finally receive the level of care needed, they are released within days. The moment a youth no longer shows behaviors of immediate danger to self or others, even though the underlying issues have not been adequately addressed, they are no longer considered appropriate for that level of treatment and are sent home. This leads to what is referred to as a revolving door with youth being played in treatment placements more than ten times without their underlying issues ever being addressed.