| Treatment Approaches |
Core Service ComponentsGrafton provides the specialized services that our clients need to meet their goals for maximum independence and community inclusion. To achieve this, we provide the following core components for each individual:
Treatment ComponentsOur work with children and adults requires various treatment components depending upon each client’s particular situation. The following are some of the components that our staff is trained to implement.Social Skills DevelopmentSocial skills instruction is based on the identified needs of the client and is generally addressed in informal groups and specific classes, and in integrated settings as situations present themselves. The array of skills addressed includes listening, saying “please” and “thank you,” asking questions, making corrections, giving and accepting compliments, joining in, developing empathy skills, dealing with fear, asking permission and many others. Repeated rehearsals and consistent reinforcement allow the skills to be learned at the individual’s pace.Anger ManagementStress and anger management techniques are shared formally and informally with clients in individual and group sessions. Management objectives include understanding and identifying antecedents and understanding and identifying the mental and physical effects of stress and anger. The desired outcome is for students or adult clients to increase their repertoire of skills to manage stress and anger. Specific skill development areas include communication, mediation, relaxation and problem-solving.Life Skills InstructionMany of the individuals served by Grafton need specialized person centered support to complete basic life skills. Our staff teaches a broad range of skills, including those as basic as eating, toileting and dressing, and more advanced skills such as meal preparation, telephone usage and house chores. Skills are generally taught in the settings in which the individual is required to perform them. Because of the nature of these deficits, they are often performed in many environments. Hence, teaching basic life skills, particularly to individuals with cognitive deficits, includes breaking the skills into small, “teachable” components, providing strong motivation for learning and reinforcing any success rapidly and consistently.Recreational Activities and Community IntegrationHelping individuals identify, pursue and develop socially appropriate recreational interests is an integral part of each individual’s program at Grafton. We match clients in individual and group activities according to their strengths, needs, abilities and preferences. For students returning to their home communities or moving to less-restrictive placements, it is essential that they learn to participate in individual and group leisure activities in all settings.Services are tailored to an individual based on his or her:Strengths - characteristics the client brings to supporting the success of treatment and resolution of referral behaviors.Needs - problematic behaviors that have resulted in admission or behaviors that cannot be managed at a less restrictive level of care. Abilities - skills, techniques and actions one must practice to do well. Preferences - tangibles, activities and interaction that the client enjoys and finds reinforcing. |
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