Clinical & Rehabilitation
The programming at the Milwaukee Academy provides treatment for girls who are presenting a pattern of unhealthy behavioral, mental health symptoms, and trauma related symptoms such as emotional dysregulation, aggressive behaviors, substance abuse, and self harming behaviors, which are inhibiting their ability to remain safely in their community. View all programs and services offered at the Academy below. A significant time for youth and their families is the completion of treatment and the transition back into their home community. As part of our reunification/transitional program, Clinicare maintains contact with youth and their families for approximately 3 months after they complete their treatment. The goal of this contact is to encourage and assist them in their success as well as decrease recidivism. During this contact, we will monitor school attendance, medication compliance, ongoing treatment/therapeutic compliance, employment opportunities, and anything else that might assist the youth in remaining at home. Through this contact we also obtain outcome information statistics to help us measure success and identify areas we need to improve. The Family Therapy component at the Academy is designed to determine and address the resident's emotional impact on and from his/her family. Specific goals are developed by the resident's therapist and family therapist, in cooperation with the referring agency, and become a part of the resident's individual treatment plan. Trained members of the clinical staff provide a variety of interventions so as to accommodate as many families as possible. Additionally, therapists provide family therapy services at the Academy, and when possible and appropriate, in the home community. Family therapy and services are an integral part of the resident's overall treatment program as well as sucess. The therapist helps the family to understand the dynamics that led to admission to the academy as well as methods to change those dynamics. If the family is involved and it is possible, a pre-admission visit can be arranged. If the child is under the guardianship of the Department of Social Services or Department of Corrections, they may also chose to make a pre-admission visit. Family therapy is utilized in creating emotional openness within the family, aiding parents in providing authority and supervision in the family, making decisions regarding home visitation, assisting the referring agency in determining aftercare planning, and helping the family develop some insight into their own family system. Options for provision of family therapy include: Rational? Emotive; Cognitive Behavorial Intervention; Interpersonal; Client Centered; Gestalt; Reality Therapy; Experiential Psychotherapy. Behavioral Therapies are reflected in the approaches of the primary therapist, treatment coordinators, and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT). Which approach is selected for a particular resident depends upon the needs of the resident. Individual therapy is provided for each resident at least one hour per week by the primary therapist. EMDR therapy may also be a beneficial treatment component. This can be discussed with the treatment team as a possible therapeutic intervention. Group therapy occurs daily on each living unit. Some groups may provoke more insight and discussion among residents regarding their treatment issues as well. The Clincal and nursing staff conduct the clinical groups (DBT, Choice and Changes, AODA, Trauma Recovery, Health). The Academy staff facilitate daily processing groups as well. Group therapy topics include: social skills and opportunities to improve peer relationships, relationship problems and proper ways to give feedback and resolve conflict, anger control, education of sexually transmitted diseases, HIV, and birth control, self-awareness and assertiveness, taking responsibility for oneself, values clarification, AODA at-risk behaviors (tobacco use, alcohol or other drug abuse), cultural awareness and heritage issues, divorce and family relationships, and independent living skills. Specialty Group Therapies are offered based on any additional needs of the current population, and conducted by a therapist. Related Diagnoses: All youth are engaged in an intensive assessment and evaluation process at admiission that yields the best plan for their individual needs. Additionally, input from the child and the guardian is highly valued and is actively pursued. Each youth's mental health and physical well-being is a priority in our treatment programs. Our psychiatrists, nursing departments and clinical teams constantly strive to establish and maintain a therapeutic balance for everyone in our care. Through Clinicare's assessment and evaluation process, our staff consider the child's or adolescent's historical data as part of the overall treatment plan. Upon admission, the child/adolescent begins a short-term course of assessments that include the following: Assessment: A list of possible testing: This clinical assessment and evaluation is the optimal process in the development of a successful treatment plan. Using historic data together with current information and comprehensive assessment, the Clinicare facility, agency, and family can follow an appropriate therapeutic direction. Related Diagnoses: Medical care can be provided on site for students with medical needs on a consistent basis. Medical care is administered based on recommendations from the academy nurse and is monitored consistently to ensure the anticipated outcomes are occurring. The Academy's Nurse assists in guiding the resident's medical health and education in conjunction with their mental health needs. Clinicare uses it's Neuro-Psychologist throughout it's programs to strengthen the assessment and evaluation process. Every youth at a Clinicare program has the ability to complete a Neuro-Psych Assessment if one is warranted. Additionally all children are screened for a need of the assessment. Many different specific tests and assessments are used during a typical Neuro-Psychological Assessment. The main areas of concentration are: In "A Handbook of Neuropsychological Assessment", Edgar Miller outlined three broad goals of neuropsychological assessment. Firstly, diagnosis, to determine the nature of the underlying problem. Secondly, to understand the nature of any brain injury or resulting cognitive problem and its impact on the individual, as a means of devising a rehabilitation program or offering advice as to an individual's ability to carry out a certain tasks. And lastly, assessments may be undertaken to measure change in functioning over time, such as to determine the consequences of a surgical procedure or the impact of a rehabilitation program or over time. The Academy specializes in treatment interventions with children/adolescents. The additional service of outpatient therapy can provide valuable tools to both children/adolescents and their families via group therapy, individual therapy, family therapy, and assessment and evaluation. Outpatient therapy provides two significant services. Individual plans are developed to best suit each client. Children/adolescents can be assisted in a transition from more intensive services to be successful with less structure. Services can be provided as a part of preventative programming to maintain a child/adolescent in the community. In some cases, outpatient evaluations are inappropriate for clients. Treatment areas that can be addressed in outpatient therapy include: Children and adolescents can receive community-based weekly individual therapy as a core component of their individualized treatment plan. The individual or group therapy is provided by a masters-prepared clinician and addresses issues related to the goals of the treatment plan. Eau Claire Academy and Milwaukee Academy are licensed by WI DHFS as a Mental Health Outpatient Clinic (DHS 35). The Academy provides treatment for children/adolescents who present more complex psychiatric diagnoses or deficits in development. Through a greater staff-to-resident ratio and a less stimulating environment, psychiatric monitoring, on-campus nursing services, individual therapy, behavioral management, and crisis intervention assist the resident to better manage and cope with their symptoms. Psychopharmacological therapy is also provided as a combined effort of the psychiatrist, pharmacy, nurses, clinical staff, education staff, and residential treatment workers. Psychiatric evaluations include the Nurse and the Program Therapist to give the most well rounded picture of treatment progress for the psychiatrist. Clinicians work with your child to identify his/her needs on a psychological level. The purpose of respite care is to provide relief for the adolescent, and their primary caregivers, from current stressors that may threaten to permanently interrupt that placement. The therapeutic intervention is focused upon developing a plan to assist in identifying and alleviating the stressors that necessitated the respite placement. Length of Stay: A placement for respite care can last up to nine (9) days for each occasion. If more time becomes necessary, any of the other types of admission can be considered. When your child is admitted for short-term treatment, she will be prepared for a quick return to the community and continue with treatment intervention on an outpatient basis. The short-term program can be completed within 30-90 days. The Individual Treatment Plan focuses on: While your child is at the Academy, the primary focus is for her to achieve behavioral stability allowing them to successfully return to the community and benefit from outpatient treatment services. If short-term treatment is not the best fit for your child, the Intensive Treatment program may be a better option to help them reach their treatment goals. The Academy provides structural recreation through extensive, well-equipped on-ground facilities. This gives your child a safe environment to relieve stress and anxiety through physical activity. Off grounds activities are regularly planned as well, so that each resident can practice the skills they are learning in the structured environment. Individual therapy and treatment planning address issues of sexual, emotional, and physical abuse histories for residents placed at the Academy. Building blocks toward continues successful recovery from histories of abuse are provided so that residents can learn and practice new response patterns. Any adolescent who has a history of abuse will benefit from therapeutic intervention. Determining the level of intervention that is appropriate and correctly perceiving the response to the intervention is crucial. Adolescents present themselves at varying levels of readiness to understand and cope with histories of abuse. For some residents, developing insight into the correlation between their own acting out behavior and their history of abuse, is the first building block toward continued therapy work in the future. Improving self-esteem, increasing understanding, and developing a comfort in discussing issues of abuse are other steps in the recovery process. The goal of the survivors programming is to interrupt unhealthy "abuse-reaction" and avoiding behaviors so that improved coping skills and healing can begin. The teen pregnancy component is operated within the residential treatment program. In addition to providing for behavioral and emotional treatment needs of the adolescent, this intervention also provides for the extra needs that are presented by a pregnancy. Additional services that are provided include: Who will benefit from this Program? Adolescent females who are already pregnant and require the level of intervention provided by residential treatment programming are candidates for the teen pregnancy programing. Girls who are maintaining healthy pregnancies (absence of medical complexities) can remain in the program through their seventh month of pregnancy. Also, girls who have been presenting risky sexual behaviors may benefit from this as well. Behavioral transition and adjustment to the group home, foster home, or relative home level of care is a significant part of the treatment plan. Expected outcomes of the this program: Residents who complete this program will benefit in the following areas: Every program will coordinate the transportation to and from the Academy for all needs. We pride ourselves in minimizing the geographic impact of our programs. Our programs routinely transport youth back home for any appointment that is important to their overall treatment success.
Transitional Services
Family Therapy
Individual and Group Psychotherapy
Group Therapy
Intensive Evaluation & Assessment (30 Days)
Medical Care
Neuro-Psychological Evaluations
Outpatient Services
Psychiatric Evaluation and Treatment
Psychologial Testing
Respite Care
Short Term Treatment
Structured Recreation
Survivors of Abuse Treatment
Teen Pregnancy Program
Transportation