Residential treatment at Helping Hand Home focuses on supplanting the self-protective beliefs and socially inappropriate behaviors of these children with pro-social beliefs and collaborative behaviors. This is accomplished by modeling consistency and trustworthiness throughout the entire milieu. A well-defined daily schedule plus a level system with clearly defined expectations and rewards powerfully refutes their belief that the world is a chaotic and unpredictable place. Children cannot help but learn the concept of cause and effect, that what they do influences what happens to them. Caregivers and other staff model trustworthiness in their interactions with each child, thereby affording the foundation for the child to begin trusting others.
An interdisciplinary team develops and regularly updates an individual treatment plan for each child. The following specializations are represented on the team: psychiatry, nursing, social work, education, recreation, and residential child care. Treatment goals focus on helping children understand and cope with the traumas they have experienced while at the same time empowering them to accept responsibility for their current and future behaviors.
Life Skills Education & Behavior Intervention
Psychiatric Care/Medication Management
Recreation & Enrichment Services
Life Skills Education and Behavior Intervention Services
Children coming in to residential treatment have exhibited a range of extremely high risk behaviors such as runaway, aggression to others, self abuse, sexual acting out, suicidal gestures etc. Therapeutic Child Care Specialists under the supervision of the Clinical Team provide a systematic program to encourage and shape pro-social behavior while helping a child stop unsafe and high-risk behaviors. Consultation regarding effective behavioral programs is provided to the child’s family, foster family, future adoptive family, teachers etc. as needed.
Therapy & Clinical Services
Credentialed therapists provide individual, group and family therapy as prescribed in the child’s treatment plan. Due to the young age of many of our children, play therapy techniques are used extensively; All children on campus receive individual therapy once per week. Therapists also provide crisis intervention and crisis related therapy sessions as needed. Weekly group therapy is offered throughout the year and may include: ongoing process and daily living groups, groups focused on preventing sexual acting out, play groups and music groups.
Psychiatric Care / Medication Management
The children at Helping Hand have been diagnosed with emotional, behavioral and mental disorders. After admission, a Helping Hand contract Psychiatrist provides a psychiatric assessment that includes a review and assessment of any medications. The child’s psychiatrist and Helping Hand Nurse meet with the child every month to evaluate the need and effectiveness of medication. In addition to the face-to-face meeting with the child, the psychiatrist is provided with detailed behavioral information to help determine what medications are necessary. The child’s psychiatrist reviews the child’s treatment plan including any behavior interventions. Two psychiatrists provide continuous on call support for children in care.
Testing and Evaluation
Psychological testing is provided on-site by contract Psychologists. Helping Hand obtains updated assessment and testing information approximately once per year, and always updates testing when planning for discharge or any major shift in treatment.
Through a partnership with the University of Texas, Helping Hand Home opened an onsite charter school in the fall of 2008 to cater to the unique education and behavioral needs of our children who have experienced abuse. Children at Helping Hand Home attend the Helping Hand Home/University of Texas Charter school located on-site or neighborhood public schools. The Helping Hand Home Education and Intake Coordinator, along with the Home’s therapeutic staff, carefully assesses if a child is ready for public school or if the child would be better served by the on-site Charter school. Teachers and instructional assistants are specially trained to work with our student population, and they are assisted by Behavior Intervention Specialists (BIS’s). BIS’s are present in each classroom to correct and guide children’s behavior, redirect a child who is having behavioral challenges, and provide instructional assistance to the teachers. Concurrently, the Education and Intake Coordinator works closely with A.I.S.D. staff to ensure that children placed in public schools receive an optimal placement, including special education services. Our staff works with teachers to insure that children are able to participate in class trips, parties, and extra-curricular activities as appropriate. Throughout the school year, the Education and Intake Coordinator maintains close communication with the principals, teachers, and staff members who work with our children to monitor each child’s progress and discuss any changes needed to help the child succeed. The HHH Volunteer Coordinator recruits and mobilizes volunteer tutors to help children with homework and to provide one-to-one tutoring for children who need extra academic help. Computers are available in four campus locations for children to use for homework, research and special educational programs. During the summer, all children participate in an eight-week academic enrichment summer camp focused on enhancing and expanding their reading and math skills.
Recreation and Enrichment Services
A full time staff member supervises volunteers who provide tutoring, help with homework, one to one mentoring, and group activities for children throughout the year. On-site recreation, sports, crafts, reading and cultural activities are offered every day. Children participate in community activities such as swimming, cultural & musical events, hiking etc. On-site recreation services includes water play, team sports, rollerblading, skateboards, swings,and slides.
Basic Needs
Many of the children we serve have been severely neglected. This means that over time their basic needs have not been met or have only been met sporadically. Our staff work to make sure every child has appealing nutritious meals & snacks, clean living space, help with hygiene & hair care, proper fitting clothes and plenty of adult attention and supervision. An important part of our treatment program is to help children develop good self-care habits. Childcare staff complete a hygiene/self care assessment as a part of the child’s orientation to our program. Self care goals are incorporated in to the child’s treatment plan and children are actively rewarded for learning to brush their teeth, comb hair and other self care tasks.
Medical and Dental
Prior to admission each child has a physical exam and dental exam. Medical and dental goals are established in the child’s treatment plan to insure follow up for any medical or dental needs. The Helping Hand nurse coordinates all medical and dental care and treatment, insuring that each child has yearly physical, dental and vision exams. Helping Hand, through private donations and donated services, provides health care services above and beyond what Medicaid covers for children. Examples include medications not covered by Medicaid, replacing broken glasses, orthodontic services, specialty based medical services such as neurology, physical, occupational and speech therapy. Many of the children admitted to Helping Hand have multiple medical needs (i.e. seizure disorder, neurological problems, genetic syndromes, heart problems etc.). Helping Hand provides coordination between doctors, and transportation and follow-up, for all medical and dental visits.