Psychiatric Day Treatment for children ages 8-18 years old

The Day Treatment Program serves families in which the symptoms of mental health disorder are so severe that the child's normal social, academic, and personal development are impaired. Students participate not only in the Program’s on-grounds school component, but also in a variety of treatment-related activities such as individual therapy, family therapy, group therapy, and training in both social skills and life skills.

If a course of medication appears to be necessary in order to help stabilize symptoms, this will be addressed with the family and the treatment team. Program staff members focus a great deal of attention on helping students and families to identify and make best possible use of their interests, abilities, experiences, and resources.

Each student's plan of treatment includes an individualized and coordinated network of public and private supports which the student's family has chosen as being best suited to meet its needs and to enhance its unique strengths. This network, called the Child & Family Team, remains sufficiently flexible and dynamic to meet the changing needs of the student and family, with team members being added or “retired” as the needs and wishes of the family change.

The Program works in close cooperation with school districts, Child Welfare Services, the Juvenile Probation Department, Developmental Disability Services, and many other sources of assistance and support. If the family wishes for its church or other spiritual support to be part of the process of treatment, the Program invites and welcomes that involvement.

Students often begin the Day Treatment Program with a full-day schedule at KYDC. After the child or teen gains the skills necessary
to manage difficult symptoms and behaviors, the process of reintegration to the student’s neighborhood school is begun and usually takes several months to complete. During this time the student continues to be supported by the full resources of the Program, as well as
by the Child & Family Team. Once the family no longer needs the intensive level of treatment provided in the Day Treatment Program, the family may wish to redesign its support system to take into account the gains it has achieved, and to “step down” to a less intensive form of treatment.