Residential Program
At
Serenity House, we create an environment safe enough for our clients
to explore their darkest thoughts with a skilled therapist. We win our
residents¹ trust by being courteous and respectful to them, by
letting them participate in creating their own treatment plan, and by
supporting, not criticizing, even if they make mistakes.
We "hang out" with the guys a lot, and sometimes we aren¹t
doing recognizable therapy. At any moment an interaction or a remark
or an act may offer the opportunity for relevant therapy. We don¹t
miss this opportunity, and we reinforce learning constantly.
The new resident has individual therapy sessions at least once daily
in addition to casually arising therapy. First, there is so much to
be learned and so much to be taught. Second, some clients avoid issues,
so that if we don¹t schedule a session, we may never deal with
them. We show each client that, no matter what he tells us, we will
not make judgments. In this way, we nurture trust, and the client is
able to reduce his feelings of shame. We start the preparation for him
to free himself from his secrets in Group Therapy.
In therapy we create an Individualized Treatment Plan (ITP) with every
client, inviting and respecting his input. The plan is flexible, and
it
changes, as we know more. Keeping the end goals in mind, we help him
shape the processes that will bring the desired results. We want a Serenity
House client to leave with a vision for his life, a real plan for fulfilling
that vision, and a soaring spirit to sustain him.
In Group Therapy, a resident may take the giant step of telling his
concerns and secrets to the group and perhaps even to his parents, when
he is ready, so that the whole community can reinforce his honesty and
accept him without judgment. This process brings relief and hope. He
is still accepted and the secret does not have to be feared anymore.
He understands finally that secrets lead to discontent and discontent
hastens relapse.
