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Family
Assessment
Critical to providing proper counseling, training,
and support is a thorough and complete assessment of
the family dynamics and history including past treatment
or therapy efforts. Assessment is an ongoing process
throughout all FTM™ programs so that Homeward Bound Specialists
as well as the families can evaluate the past and present
and apply what they have learned.
Ecosystemic
Assessment
The family is the primary influence in
a child or teen’s life. Other influencers must
be assessed and checked to insure they do not have a
competing agenda. Negative influencers must be identified
completely and accurately for program strategies to
be effective. Specialists provide a thorough assessment
of peer groups, school environments, the neighborhood,
hangouts, the community, and other social interactions
in order to understand the strengths and weaknesses
and eliminate or utilize them for support and the building
of better routines and habits.
Home
Team
The Home Team is an essential component of all FTM™ programs, but depending on the specifics of a family's situation, the Home Team plays a large or small role throughout the program. In any case, the Home Team is a support sytem for the family and is there to assist with many critical functions.
At the beginning of a program, the family and the Homeward
Bound Specialist work together to choose a well-rounded
group of people to assist them in reaching their identified
goals. Often these individuals include extended family
members, a teacher, positive peers, a community or religious
leader, family friends, a therapist, an educational
consultant or other professional, as well as other family-invested
individuals. All Home Teams are different, but they should
each represent the multiple outlets of the struggling child or teen's life, other family members' lives, as well as represent professional perspective.
The Home Team is trained, directed, and supervised
by the Homeward Bound Specialist and convenes on a regular
basis, with and without the family, through multiple
forms of conferencing. For the duration of the program,
most Home Teams are charged with monitoring, completing
evaluations, mentoring, and carrying out necessary
tasks. Where a single therapist could never guarantee
a thorough, unbiased, and accurate assessment of a child,
teen, or a family’s daily life, a trained and responsible
network of people could. Driven by proven strategies
and procedures of operation, the Home Team ensures accurate
assessment, evaluation, and monitoring that promotes
real-world accountability throughout the program. Its
diversity also allows the Home Team to help implement
strategies, offer effective counseling, clarify roles,
provide resources, serve as an advocate, and help complete delegated tasks.
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In-home
Family Reunion Workshop
For those families receiving a teen back into the
home after a wilderness or residential program, the
In-home Family Workshop is a critical and stabilizing
factor that promotes a smooth transition home. After so much time apart, the reunion itself marks an event when we know, as professionals, that dramatic change will be taking place in the teen's life. Change is also occuring in every affected family member's life. This
workshop helps families avoid mishandling the immediate
transition home, and helps them launch healthy patterns
of behavior from the start, before unhealthy patterns
make themselves available.
For two days, the Homeward
Bound Specialist guides families through this intensive
workshop that focuses on reunion, reconciliation, skills
training, individualized coaching, creative exercises,
family care planning, family responsibility and accountability,
as well as establishing external support mechanisms
including the Home Team.
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In-home
Family Intervention and Life Education Workshop
For families currently experiencing crisis, the In-home
Family Intervention and Life Education Workshop is a
two-fold effort. First, depending on the age of the
child or teen, and circumstances of the family crisis,
the Homeward Bound Specialist works extensively with
the parents to coordinate the proper strategy for intervention.
The intervention is well coordinated and customized
for each family and individual, and usually kicks off the intensive,
two-day Family Life Education Workshop.
The purpose of this intensive workshop is to reset family
patterns and routines to be more conducive to healthy
behavior. The workshop helps families develop rules,
establish boundaries, introduces skills training, offers
individualized coaching and creative exercises, educates
parents on family care planning, and establishes the
Home Team. Prior to the workshop parents will have been
introduced to strategies for dealing with problematic
behavior. During the workshop these strategies are
further developed and modified for effectiveness.
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Family
Workbook
Homeward Bound’s proprietary manual identifies
key parenting and life skills, offers therapeutic
information, and provides tasks and activities that
are part of successful tansitions at home.
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Video
Conferencing
After an intensive, two-day workshop family and individual
relationships with the Homeward Bound Specialist are
developed enough to take advantage of the accessibility,
immediacy, and efficiency of video conferencing. Video
conferencing allows busy families to receive counseling
on a more regular basis rather than the usual once a
week counseling at an office. By opening additional
channels of communication the Homeward Bound Specialist,
as well as additional Homeward Bound staff, are more
involved with the family. In turn, the family receives
time saving flexibly as well as the immediacy they need
to deal with unpredictable situations.
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Video
Coaching
Just like professional athletes trying to make minor
improvements to a swing, a throw, or any other athletic
movement, identifying small nuances can have a profound
impact and help people make major leaps forward in the
collective behavior. Individuals, couples, and families
as a whole can benefit from the use of highly structured,
proven methods of videotaped interactions. Activities,
role-playing, and other forms of practice videotaped
and followed-up with professional review, coaching,
and repetition allow individuals and families to identify
challenges, make incremental changes, and see the improvement
first hand.
Trained by the Homeward Bound Specialists and given
new video assignments on a regular basis families participate
in their own care planning and delivery. Coaching sessions
with the Homeward Bound Specialist via video conferencing
allow for extensive review and discussion. When sustained
for months family improvements become routine as individuals
and the family unit develops a more positive self image.
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Family
Portal
Coming Soon!
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