Ridge Creek - Group Therapy

	Group Therapy with Masters-Level Counselors During the assessment phase of our program, our masters-level counselors develop an individualized therapeutic treatment plan. The treatment modality is group therapy. A student's group therapy experience at Ridge Creek begins with two weeks of daily one-hour sessions. These, like all Ridge Creek group therapy sessions, help students become aware of the way their actions, thoughts and feelings affect themselves. They gain new perspectives on issues that have caused problems for them, and are challenged to find more effective ways to deal with these issues. During the program's emotionally in depth third week, students participate in daily two-hour sessions. The final week of the program consists of one-hour session each day. Therapeutic Philosophy The clinical perspective utilized in the Ridge Creek Therapeutic curriculum takes the position that negative behaviors are symptomatic of underlying psychological issues. While certain behaviors may be problematic in and of themselves, they reflect secondary responses rather than causal factors. Essentially, individuals engaging in self-defeating patterns of behavior are attempting to cope with a variety of internal or external challenges that create heightened feelings of insecurity and defensiveness. Needs, whether known or hidden, internal or external, direct and motivate outward responses. Most adolescents are unaware of the deep psychological dynamics at work in their lives. Because core emotional struggles and needs are rarely understood fully by teenagers, they often feel caught-up in a cycle of negative reinforcement for which they are not responsible. This can result in tendencies toward hopelessness, emotional frustration, and oppositional attitudes. It is only after adolescents are made aware of the motivations directing their behavior that they are able to exert more positive control over their responses. At the center of the Ridge Creek approach is the shift from perceptual irresponsibility and incompetence to behavioral responsibility and psychological competence. Therapeutic Phases: I – *Orientation* Initiate Therapeutic Work Stabilize Adjust Perspective Confront Reality II – *Foundation* Complete Preliminary Therapeutic Work Basic Human Needs Dynamics of Coping Rules of Coping III – *Expansion* Intensify Therapeutic Work Harder Truth Choosing A Path Holding On and Letting Go Individual Sessions/Work IV – *Integration* Integrate Therapeutic Work Coping Techniques Planning Therapeutic Goals: Identify Causes/Motivations Address Problematic Behaviors Develop Effective Coping Skills Increase Self-Awareness Increase Self-Confidence Increase Self-Esteem Develop concrete plans for future success Create HOPE Therapeutic Modalities: Group and Individual Psychotherapy Psycho-Educational, Reality Based, Insight Oriented Multi-Modal (Directed Work, Client-Initiated Work, Expressive Art Work)