Student Support Services

The reality is that not every single Oakley School student is able to follow through with his/her verbal commitments delineated during the admission process. “Talking the talk” and “walking the talk” are often two different things. Indeed, some students “fall off the wagon” and demonstrate attitudinal and behavioral patterns that are not only destructive to the self, but have a negative impact on the entire student body.

Knowing that through the implementation of the Social Model we will see re-emerging maladaptive behaviors in our students, and expecting these behaviors to surface, is the theory that governed the design of the Oakley School. When a student displays behavior patterns from their past, we respond with several in-house interventions designed to address these behaviors and choices.

Off Form

If the conduct of a student deteriorates to such a degree that the negativity, passive aggressive behavior and/or acting-out patterns can no longer be effectively dealt with through the “regular” programming, a student may be placed on the Off-Form Program.

The Off-Form Program is designed to provide additional therapeutic, counseling, and structural support to assist the student in resolving his/her problems and return him/her to “regular” programming. With this goal in mind, the Off-Form Program has two objectives. The first is to add intensified support to the change process of a struggling student. The second is to create distance between a “toxic” student and others whose personal progress may be jeopardized by the student.

Under no circumstance will the Off-Form Program be utilized as a punishment-type intervention. Off-Form is exactly what is indicated above. It provides a student with additional, focused help to allow them to remain at the Oakley School.

ICS – Intensive Clinical Services

Adolescents arrive at Oakley from a variety of backgrounds, treatment histories, and progress made in the past. Some students have spent an extended time in a full-service residential treatment center. Some students arrive at Oakley following a therapeutic wilderness experience. Others arrive after having spent time in a more restrictive program. Depending on a student’s history, he/she may require variable levels of clinical support programming beyond the traditional therapeutic support available.

Reasons for providing a student with ICS services may include, but are not limited to the following:

Reasons for providing a student with ICS services may include the following:

1. Limited motivation
2. High levels of impulsivity
3. Significant depression and/or anxiety
4. High levels of manipulation, splitting and projection
5. Limited prior family therapy
6. Limited emotional awareness and coping skills
7. Relapse (or potential high risk) from alcohol and substance abuse recovery program
8. Failure or inability to meet established treatment goals and objectives

At Oakley, we are uniquely positioned to provide Intensive Clinical Services (ICS) contingent upon the clinical needs of a student as identified above. ICS are delivered in monthly blocks. At the end of such a block, the multi-disciplinary team, in consultation with the parent(s), will evaluate whether or not additional ICS services are needed to assist the student in making the desired changes relative to his/her individualized master treatment plan.

Trails

Consistent with the mission of the Oakley School, we desire for all students to have a significant growth experience during their stay at the school. Some students who attend the Oakley School demonstrate an uninterrupted, progressive growth pattern from the day of enrollment through graduation. Others struggle along the trail of improvement and solidification. Some students appear to negotiate obstacles with relative ease, while others have setbacks, run into a brick wall of their own making, and fight the demons of the past.

Trails is a short outdoor experience with two counselors who accompany a group of 2-6 students on a back-country expedition. In addition to the 2 outdoor counselors, Oakley will insert House Coaching staff and/or therapist to augment the field experience in order to achieve a specific, strategic outcome. At times, to facilitate a targeted outcome, high functioning students with proven skills may accompany such a “struggling” student group to serve as role models, motivators, and provide positive peer support.

For some, Trails may serve as a "preparation course" for the potential stressors of Oakley, such as increased freedom, personal accountability, academic demands, and so on. For others, unforeseen obstacles down the road may trigger one or multiple Trails experiences in order to minimize self-defeating behavior patterns and increase the likelihood that the skills learned are transferable to a more normalized setting.

Trails is an opportunity for the student to separate from the day to day issues at Oakley and take a look at life with a broader eye, to focus on the long-term perspective. To that end, the ultimate indicator of success of the Oakley experience is whether or not the student can “ride the bike without the training wheels attached.” We want to provide, strengthen, and/or further develop skills that our students can use in overcoming obstacles and road-blocks without falling prey to internal and/or external “assassins” of good intentions.” Trails is an intricate part of that training and growth process.