We know that moving into residential treatment can be difficult and confusing. Staff members and other patients want to assist you in making this transition as smooth and easy as possible. The staff members on the SMTC include doctors, nurses, teachers, activity therapists, Mental Health Technicians and social workers. Together they form a “Inter-Disciplinary Treatment Team”. They will help you outline your goals for treatment and to measure your progress. The patient community also provides an important part of your treatment and will help you settle in, feel comfortable, and give you valued feedback.

To make sure the program is effective and fair, a level system with guidelines and expectations for behavior has been developed. It is your responsibility to cooperate with those guidelines so that everyone can benefit from a safe, pleasant, and caring setting within the SMTC community.

The level system is a program, which gives you opportunities to experience success, practice new skills, and make mistakes. It is natural that you will have both level advancements and level drops during your treatment stay. Higher levels ask you to maintain higher standards of behavior and take on more responsibility and independence while increasing your privileges. Level status is viewed as one of many tools in establishing your discharge date. If you are unable or unwilling to work toward the goals in your treatment plan, you may be removed from the level system and placed on a special treatment program designed by your Treatment Team. Also, if you are unable to advance in the level system for a long period of time, you may be placed on a special program known as an “Individual Program” for a short period of time.

All treatment plans and therapeutic assignments are individualized and based on each person’s abilities. The Inter-Disciplinary Treatment Team’s main responsibility is the development of the Individualized Treatment Plan, known as the “Master Treatment Plan.” This plan considers all your needs, including: therapeutic, academic, medical/physical, vocational, recreational, social, emotional, cultural, and spiritual needs. The Team meets monthly to discuss progress and issues that may arise, or changes that need to be made. These meetings, known as “treatment team”, have a representative from each discipline in attendance to ensure a well-rounded plan and discussion of your progress. Your primary therapist will go over your plan with you in detail and make sure you understand.

You may benefit from medication therapy. Medication therapy is assessed and monitored by the attending physician. The physician and the nursing staff will discuss your medications with you and your family before this treatment option is started they will provide any needed information and feedback as treatment is continued.

Another important part in your treatment is your family; their participation is essential. Please encourage them to attend all scheduled family therapies, meetings, and groups. Your primary therapist will contact your family within 24 hours of admission or the next working day.

To help give you a sense of responsibility, experience success and its rewards, help you feel better about yourself, build leadership skills, and give you a greater sense of government, The Community Council has been created. Team representatives will be Level III patients and above. They will organize a weekly meeting at which a representative from all disciplines will be invited to attend.

Patients are expected to maintain socially acceptable standards of behavior. The following behaviors are among those actively discouraged and given consequences:

• lying

• stealing

• destruction of property

• physical aggression/verbal aggression

• “scapegoating” * sexual acting out

• abusive behavior

• substance abuse

• self-destructive behavior

• social withdrawal

• running away or attempting

• profanity

• threats or intimidation

• going into another peers room

• sexual talk

The Spring Mountain Treatment Center (SMTC) program will provide you with a safe, predictable, organized, supportive, and caring environment, which we believe, is vital in the treatment of adolescents having emotional difficulties.

The philosophy of the SMTC values safety, daily living skills, respect, honesty, responsibility, effort, and growth. You will be taught to use healthy means of verbal and non-verbal showing of feelings, to show respect for yourself and others, to maintain good mental and physical health habits, to be honest, to accept responsibility for your behaviors and supporting others while they do the same, and to know the joy of effort and its accompanying successes and growth.

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866-265-6117
702-873-2400