Short-Term Residential Therapeutic Program

We offer a stable nurturing home environment to those who need it most. Our licensed and accredited Short-Term Residential Treatment Program treats youth ages 12-18 and non-minor dependents who have suffered acute trauma and have pre-existing social, emotional, and behavioral issues. Our facilities house up to 52 students and provide the highest level of care.

Individually staffed and supervised by full-time pre-licensed and licensed Clinicians, all CHS residential programs are structured environments in which each student’s individual needs are assessed, and individualized treatment plans are designed and implemented. Each program utilizes a behavior management system (strength based social skills program), which is tailored to the student’s specific treatment goals. All programs provide some degree of flexibility in terms of approach to treatment, based on individually assessed student needs, treatment plan specifics, and placement goals. They participate in transitional planning which focusses on family therapy with the goal of reunification, as well as alternative planning when needed, including transitioning to independent living.

  • 24-Hour Student Supervision
  • Medi-Cal certified to provide Specialty Mental Health Services
  • Culturally Relevant Trauma-Informed Care Therapy
  • Evidence-Based Treatment: Seeking Safety Treatment Model; Dialectical Behavior Therapy Informed; Cognitive Behavioral; Pathways Treatment Model
  • Use of Child and Adolescent Needs and Strength Assessment (CANSA) Tool
  • Pre-Licensed and Licensed Clinicians
  • Licensed Child Psychiatrist – Assessment/Psychotropic Medications
  • Individual, Group, and Family Therapy and Child Family Team (CFT) meetings
  • Substance Abuse Education and Counseling
  • Strength-Based Daily Personal Skills Program & Daily Living Skills Training
  • On-Site Vision Examinations by Licensed Optometrist
  • Off-Site Physical Examinations and Medical Care by Licensed Pediatrician
  • one.Vision alternative education classes for qualifying students
  • Sports (Pool), Cultural/Recreational Activities, and Vocational Therapy (Cafe)

We also offer an on-campus one.Vision alternative education program for qualifying students operated by the San Joaquin Office of Education for our residential students. The program is geared toward adjudicated youth who are at risk of dropping out of high school, and focuses on attendance, behavior, academic progress, their transition back into the community, and finding an appropriate school for their furthered education.

The CHS Residential Program works in close cooperation with our consulting psychiatrist, the student’s pediatrician and other health-care providers. Each student is assessed at intake, and their health issues are managed and documented until their discharge from placement. All students receive medical, dental, and eye examinations on an annual basis, as well as any additional basic health-related services that may be required. Extraordinary health care costs not met by the student’s insurance are frequently met by CHS in the form of donated services from health care providers and/or contributions from the community at large. In addition to providing basic health care services to the student population, students are also provided with training in basic nutrition and meal planning, and participate in meal preparation. Agency personnel are certified in CPR and First Aid.

Most importantly we are Medi-Cal certified as a Specialty Mental Health Provider which means we can provide critical services in regard to crisis counseling, medication, and treatment so the students receive the best care possible.

CHS offer complete recreational and activity-therapy components, to encourage students to develop healthy bodies and active lifestyles. All students are provided with the opportunity to develop diverse recreational interests and skills in a highly structured setting. Daily recreational activities occur both during school hours and on the Residential Cottages, and students attend a variety of activities in the community, such as college and professional athletic events, plays and concerts. Each program also participates in a weekly planned activity, where significant emphasis is placed on the enhancement of social skills.

CHS recognizes the importance of our Residential Program students remaining in contact with family and friends and we work diligently to ensure contact, unless prohibited by court order or the student’s individual case plan. Contact may include letter writing, packages, telephone calls, on-grounds visits, day passes and home visits.

For the protection of our students all visitors to the campus must show a picture I.D., register in a Visitor’s Log, use the designated visiting areas, abide by all laws, abide by the rules of CHS, not pose a threat or disruption to the program and must not interfere with the rights and privacy of the other students and their families.

The policies regarding visitation and other forms of contact are provided in more detail upon admission to the program.

Specific treatment processes may vary to some degree between individual programs. We typically see students with the following issues:

  • Dysfunctional family systems
  • Victim of physical, emotional, or sexual abuse
  • Depression/post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
  • Poor self-esteem
  • Social skills & living deficits
  • Delinquent/pre-delinquent behaviors
  • Adolescent victim/perpetrators
  • Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder
  • Substance abuse education and prevention
  • Severe emotional disturbance
  • Characterological disorders

We have seven psychiatric-level treatment programs, located in six centralized residential cottages and one community-based emancipation cottage.

Aspen Cottage (LIC #397002553) Females, ages 12-18, and Non-Minor Dependents. Social Service and Probation referrals accepted. Six bed community home setting adjacent to the main campus. Emphasis on reunification or emancipation, daily independent living skills, social and vocational skills, abuse, adjustment, and family issues.

Delta Cottage ( (LIC #390332238) Females, ages 12-18, and Non-Minor Dependents. Social Service and Probation referrals accepted. Nine bed Community Home setting with emphasis on emancipation or reunification, daily independent living skills, social and vocational skills, abuse, adjustment, and family issues.

Shasta Cottage (LIC #390332238) Males, ages 12-18, and Non-Minor Dependents. Social Service and Probation referrals accepted. Nine bed Community Home setting adjacent to the main campus. Emphasis on reunification or emancipation, daily independent living skills, social and vocational skills, abuse, adjustment, and family issues.

Alpine Cottage (LIC #390332238) Males, ages 12-18, and Non-Minor Dependents. Probation and Social Services referrals accepted. Ten bed, highly structured, institutional setting on the main campus. Emphasis on victim/perpetrator treatment, reunification or emancipation, daily independent living skills, social and vocational skills, adjustment, and family issues.

CHS only accepts referrals through California Juvenile Probation Departments and Social Service Departments. To make a referral to CHS, contact Lena Mayo, Intake Coordinator, at 209-395-3532 Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Referral

It is the mission and goal of Children’s Home of Stockton to provide a means for youth in our program to successfully transition back to a safe living environment which can include reunification, or in some cases transitioning into independent living or a transition housing program. It is our goal to have our youth leave and transition back into the community as young adults and to have the necessary knowledge, skills and support to do so.

When a student first enters the program, the Transition Aftercare team, which includes the Transition Aftercare Coordinator and Substance Abuse Counselor/Transition Aftercare Specialist, work alongside the Residential Clinician and Child and Family Team to overcome barriers of reunification, to complete individual treatment goals, establish long-term permanency goals, and to assess the strengths and needs of the youth and their family.

Services that are provided include an evidence-based substance abuse prevention and education and program, developing transition age living skills through group and individual work, connecting youth to local resources in our community such as organizations that provide workshops on budgeting and money management for young adults, hosting job/career readiness workshops for our youth, public and private mental health services as needed to supplement the Specialty Mental Health Services provided by the Children’s Home of Stockton, community-based programs for more serious substance use disorders, Transitional Age Youth services to assist with transition planning and housing, the local support for our LGBTQ youth, assisting the youth obtaining a California DMV I.D., maintaining important documents such as Social Security Cards, medical history, medical insurance, etc.

As the date for a youth’s completion of their program approaches, the Transition Aftercare Team will begin working with the Child and Family Team to address aftercare needs. These may include but are not limited to arranging for community-based mental and substance use counseling, location of housing, assisting with employment, enrollment in post-secondary academic/trade schools, applying for financial aid, academic scholarships, applying to Transitional Housing, and Emancipation grants through CHS for those emancipating and unable to return home.

Children’s Home of Stockton provides enhanced Transition Aftercare services for students and their families for up to six months after successfully completing the program.

We collaborate with community partners including local colleges, community based and county operated substance use disorder programs, Women’s Center -Youth & Families Services, Child Abuse Prevention Council, San Joaquin Human Trafficking Task Force, Aspiranet, Environmental Alternatives, Parents by Choice, and San Joaquin Pride Center.

For further information on any of these services, please contact our Youth Services Director, Lisa Jordan, at (209) 395‐3551.

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Specialty Mental Health Services (SMHS)

CHS became San Joaquin County’s first and only STRTP in August 2018 and received our Mental Health Approval in January 2019 from the Department of Health Care Services and San Joaquin County Behavioral Health Services. As a Medi-Cal certified provider of Specialty Mental Health Services, we now administer needed services to those with mental illness or emotional/behavioral challenges via therapy, medication management, and intervention. This includes providing them with referrals to continued services after they leave our care and making sure they have the foundation needed to succeed. Having a vital connection to a trusted support system of care makes all difference in a person’s success as the transition back into society.

These services include an initial assessment, individual therapy, group therapy, crisis intervention services, medication support and management, intensive care coordination, in-home based services (where appropriate), mental-health rehabilitative services, collateral therapy, family therapy and targeted case management.

For further information on any of these services, please contact our Clinical Director/Head of Service, Katelyn Wells, at kwells@chsstk.org.

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