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Residential Treatment
The Harpst Campus of the Murphy-Harpst Centers is a 50-bed
residential treatment program designed to meet the needs of
Georgia’s children and youth who have severe emotional
and/or behavioral problems. This treatment program provides
an array of therapeutic interventions for males and females
ages 6-17 and, when appropriate family is available, therapeutic
support and training for their families. The Harpst Campus
programs also include community-based therapeutic foster care
homes in several areas in the northwest Georgia region. |
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Upon admission to the Harpst Campus
residential treatment program, any child who arrives without
a current psychological assessment is provided with a complete
social, psychological, psychiatric, physical, educational
and family assessment. This information is compiled to formulate
the child’s Individual Treatment Plan. Input for the
treatment plan is also gathered from the child, his/her caseworker,
family member(s) as available, teachers, and any other significant
people in the child’s life if an approved source of
information. During this assessment phase the child resides
in what is called the OASIS Unit; here the child also receives
orientation to the various campus programs and opportunities,
the behavioral modification system, campus rules and expectations.
As the OASIS staff observe and work with the child, interventions
which work best with that particular child and which utilize
the child’s strengths are noted and provide the information
then used to design a behavioral system that is tailor-made
for the child.
When all assessment information is compiled and the child
has successfully completed the orientation phase of treatment,
he/she is assigned to a carefully selected milieu (treatment
environment in which the child resides). This nurturing setting
allows those working with the child to create a warm, homelike
environment in which the child can feel safe, well cared for,
loved, and attended to while being provided with the consistent
structure necessary for wholesome growth. As the child progresses
through treatment he or she participates in a wide variety
of therapeutic programs such as:
- Individual and group psychotherapy
- Milieu therapeutic group meetings
- Family therapy (if family is available and appropriate)
- Art and psychodrama
- Therapeutic recreation experiences
- Equine therapy
In addition to these there are many activities and experiences
in which he or she will participate. Among these are activities
designed to teach
- Goal-setting and goal-achieving
- Anger management
- Techniques for behavior control
- Self care and self esteem
- Social skills
- Techniques for self discipline and delayed gratification
- Effective communication skills
- Independent living skills (for older residents)
- Educational skills
- Team-building
Children are also provided enrichment through field trips,
camping experiences, the Challenge Course, tutoring and mentoring
opportunities, and many special events provided by hundreds
of individuals, civic groups, churches, and other volunteers
throughout the year. An array of religious activities and
spiritual enrichment experiences are also offered to the residents;
participation is voluntary.
The residential treatment program also provides 24-hour on-site
or on-call medical care, dental care, and a certified on-campus
school.
Length of treatment depends on the child’s successful
completion of his or her treatment goals. Generally, goals
can be accomplished within six to twenty-four months; in some
cases more time is required.
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The Harpst
Campus Equine Therapy Program
In 1984 the clinical and administrative teams at Murphy-Harpst
decided to add animal-assisted therapy to the treatment center’s
array of therapeutic services. Since that time, horses have
been an integral part of the therapeutic program because research,
as well as the agency’s experience, shows how working
with animals – especially horses – can be an excellent
adjunct to a child’s healing process.
Imagine a boy, severely abused and neglected all of his life.
Why should he trust an adult? Those who should have kept him
safe hurt him again and again. He has become angry, oppositional,
fearful and pushes away anyone who tries to help.
Imagine a horse who, for whatever reasons, manifests the
same behaviors as the abused boy. Each of Murphy-Harpst’s
horses has as individual a personality as the children in
treatment. Horses, too, can be angry, oppositional, fearful
and distrustful. They can also respond to love, care, regular
meals, and consistent dicipline.
When placed together, the horse can become a mirror for the
child. Carefully the equine therapy staff teach the child
to groom the horse, knowing this process will eventually teach
the child about caring and nurturing both for himself and
for others. He learns that even an oppositional horse can
become a true friend, maybe the first true friend this child
has ever had. A relationship is built which allows the child
to learn lessons through the horse that he (or she) can carry
into his or her life each day.
Most funding sources do not understand the importance of
this program to children. For this reason, it is not included
in reimbursements received for the child’s treatment.
To continue this program, the Murphy-Harpst Centers rely on
the donations from individuals or groups who understand the
value of equine therapy.
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