Treatment
  Philosophy
   
  Gateway's intensive, state-of-the-art treatment program is directed by its owners - including highly credentialed, licensed clinicians who work directly with each youth to ensure that his treatment is tailored and implemented to his individual needs.
   
 
   
  Gateway’s philosophy and approach is based on extensive research and over 20 years of combined clinical experience. Through our unique developmental treatment approach, we support and empower our students to resolve problems and develop qualities and skills essential during adolescence. By developing specific assets and skills, our youth gain both the ability to make thoughtful and positive choices and the resiliency to handle challenges to their inner strength and confidence.

The building blocks of Gateway’s unique developmental treatment approach ensure each youth’s healing and return to a normative path of healthy development.
   
  Specifically, Gateway provides:
   
    - A small, safe environment where each youth feels the sense of security, value
  and belonging necessary for healing and growth.

- Specialized clinicians ensuring that the
  disciplines of academics, therapy and
  experiential activities are dynamically
  integrated to address the individualized
  needs of each youth.

- Creative and individualized academics
  that spark and maintain interest in and
  commitment to learning.

- Constructive and enriching opportunities
  for growth through creative and
  experiential treatment/outdoor
  activities.

- Highly credentialed, supportive, and
  caring staff attentive to each youth.

- Individualized guidance toward a life based on positive, prosocial values

- Modeling and specialized assistance to develop social competencies and life
  skills.

- Continual promotion of positive identity development and appreciation of
  individual uniqueness.

- Facilitation of skill development in attachment, self-regulation, and self
  responsibility.

- Encouragement to make positive choices that foster a sense of confidence,
  passion and purpose.

- Empowerment of each youth to use their abilities to help others.
  Specialized Clinical Tracks
     
 
Gateway's developmental treatment program includes individual, group, family and community-based therapy interventions within a unique five-track approach:
     
Adolescent Male Development,
Trauma Resolution, Anxiety and Depression,
Substance Abuse, and Application and Transition.
     
  Depending on their individual needs, each student participates in a minimum of three tracks.
     
  - Adolescent Male Development
  Gender-specific interventions assist Gateway's young men to examine cultural and internal influences of fear, insecurity, and frustration that lead to acting out. Youth develop emotional coping skills to identify and express feelings and solve problems.   They also explore issues related to social competency, healthy relationships, positive identity and sexual development, self-destructive behavior patterns, alcohol and drug abuse, and personal and community responsibility.
 
  - Trauma Resolution
  Sensory interventions assist Gateway youth to find relief and resolution of reactions to their trauma. Primary intervention strategies include sensory activities to facilitate safe re-experiencing of trauma; structured attunement interventions to address the major themes of trauma and facilitate neurological and emotional resolution, and promote positive personal empowerment; and cognitive reframing to assist each youth to shift from victim thinking to survivor thinking.
 
  - Anxiety and Depression
  Rational-emotive, sensory, and occupational therapy interventions assist youth to identify and understand the activating events, beliefs, and emotional consequences related to their anxiety and depressive symptoms. Each youth is also assisted to develop and implement relaxation, self-calming and self-regulation techniques to facilitate normalization of their emotional state and increased feelings of self confidence.
 
  - Substance Abuse
  Gateway utilizes a holistic developmental approach integrating aspects of AA, rational recovery, the Four Agreements, and core beliefs models. The model is individualized for each youth to make certain he connects to concepts that will ensure his sobriety. Gateway clinicians assist each young man to discover how the core beliefs they hold as "real" either support a life of authenticity, sobriety, acceptance and freedom, or perpetuate sadness, loneliness and the distortions of addiction. Relapse prevention strategies are developed, tested and refined. Mentoring and sponsoring are established.
 
  - Transition
  Planning and preparing for transition begins two months prior to discharge from Gateway. In vivo interventions prepare each youth to apply their new skills in the real world. Interventions facilitate the youth's seamless transition home or to their new placement setting. Interventions are designed to establish family, therapeutic and community support, and facilitate therapeutic closure and ceremony.
  Intensive Developmental Therapy
   
  Gateway’s treatment approach is founded on the belief that:
 
Every interaction is an intervention.
 
  Thus, our developmental treatment is implemented at every moment in the staff’s daily interactions and milieu interventions. Additionally, each youth participates in clinically intensive therapies including:
     
    - Clinical Group Therapy: 5 times weekly for 1.5 hours each.

- Specialty “Track” Clinical Groups: 2 times weekly for 1.5 hours each.

- Individual Therapy: 1 time weekly
  for 1 to 1.5 hours each.

- Family Therapy: 1 time weekly for 1
  hour each.

- Staff Advocate Groups: 5 times
  weekly for 1 to 1.5 hours each.

- Daily “Expectations” & “Rap” Groups:
  7 times weekly for 30 minutes each.

- Weekday Exercise, Recreation and
  Initiatives: 7 times weekly for 1 to
  1.5 hours each.

- Outdoor Recreation Activities: weekly
  cultural/educational experiences,
  and service projects.
  Gateway Phases
     
  Young men move through the program phases at their own pace. As each youth progresses through the phases they develop insight into self-defeating patterns, learn to overcome maladaptive thoughts and behaviors, and develop enhanced feelings of self worth, purpose and connection.

The Gateway Five Phase Process is:
     
    - Orientation: Introduction and Program Adjustment

- Mapping: Identification of Thinking Errors, Boundaries and Expectations

- Mapping with Trust: Self-exploration and Identification of Core Beliefs

- Cairns: Insight into Personal Obstacles and Self-Defeating Patterns

- The Path: Values Clarification, Self Regulation, Relapse Prevention

- Gateway: Application and Transition
     
     

sitemap