Level I — The student focuses on accepting placement. The support and encouragement of other kids (who are already invested in the program) is used to help the new student buy into the process. In order to progress through this phase, students must demonstrate a willingness to accept responsibility for their basic health and safety needs. Participants begin learning new communication skills.

Level II — The student focuses on recognizing behavior habits and patterns, and becoming responsible for choices. Students begin gaining insight and taking accountability for why they are here. During this phase, their strengths and areas of growth are assessed. Level II students begin to make connections between their choices and consequences, and develop an understanding of how their life’s experiences have influenced their choices.

Level III — Students focus on relationship skills. They practice teamwork and implement new communication strategies. This phase is where they develop insight into how their choices and actions directly affect any groups to which they belong. This insight is developed through a series of structured activities during which the students receive and provide feedback to each other.

Level IV — Students focus on internalizing healthy coping skills and generalizing them to other settings. This phase is where we help kids plan how to apply the insights and successes they had here to the challenges they will face at home. Participants reinforce positive skills and find success through individual and group leadership opportunities.

Because new participants enter an existing group with others who are on various levels, the program benefits from a positive culture based upon peer role modeling. Groups are small and have high staff-to-student ratios, which generates continuous feedback and opportunities for character development. Students participate in daily group processing sessions and weekly individual counseling.