MST is an intensive home-based, evidenced-based program for working with adolescents between the ages of 12 and 18 exhibiting antisocial behavior such as repeated legal involvement (truancy, serious defiance and rule violation, aggression, property destruction, running away) and/ or illegal substance use.  Our distinct MST program has a special substance abuse adaptation (only MST program in state of Colorado to be granted this adaptation) which incorporates Contingency Management by utilizing gift cards to reinforce and reward sobriety.  In addition, there is weekly focus on relapse prevention, triggers and cravings.  The model assesses various areas of the adolescent’s life to include school, family, peers and community.  Key to this type of intervention is the full cooperation of the family and good communication with other systemic areas.  Adolescents and family members involved in MST should not be actively involved in additional treatment (substance abuse, individual / family therapy, etc.) during the duration of MST unless clinically indicated and agreed upon by the treatment team.
Includes 24 hours a day, 7 days a week on-call coverage.  Psychiatric/medication   assessment and monitoring, as needed, by Synergy psychiatrists.  

Outpatient Adolescent Community Reinforcement Approach (ACRA) is an office-based, manualized, client-centered, and adolescent-specific outpatient substance abuse treatment.  It is an evidenced-based model that utilizes a motivational enhancement, cognitive-behavioral approach aimed at reducing substance use, encouraging abstinence and healthy lifestyles. Focus is on promoting abstinence from drugs and alcohol; promoting positive social activity and positive peer relationships; and improved relationships with the families. Therapy occurs weekly individually with the client and sometimes twice a week for caregiver sessions. Services also include psychiatric/medication evaluation and treatment, regular urinalyses, and 24/7 on-call coverage.

Assertive Continuing Care (ACC) is an aftercare service for clients successfully leaving a higher level of care (residential, day treatment), it also very effective for older teens (ie.17-20yrs) who need a more individually focused approach. It utilizes the ACRA model (described above), is community or home-based and focuses on linking clients to community resources, including education, employment, and mental health services. Services include psychiatric evaluation and monitoring as well as regular urinalyses, and 24 hour a day, 7 day a week on-call coverage.

Alternatives for Families-A Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (AF-CBT) is an evidence-based, trauma-informed treatment designed to improve the relationships between children and caregivers in families involved in arguments, frequent conflict, physical force/discipline, or child physical abuse. The goals are focused on enhancing child/family safety; to help families better adapt to and cope with difficult life circumstances; to improve parent-child relationship.  It is a manualized treatment, typically lasting 5-6 months for children up to age 17.  Services also include psychiatric/medication evaluation and treatment, regular urinalyses, and 24/7 on-call coverage.

Synergy offers three options:
• Office-based: Individual sessions occur weekly with an additional caregiver sessions occurring every other week.                 
• Home-based: Individual and caregiver sessions occur weekly in the home (2 sessions weekly).
• Home-based AF-CBT with Substance Abuse Treatment: 1-2 weekly AF-CBT session in addition to sessions focusing on substance abuse issues.  Urinalyses included.

Intensive Family Therapy (IFT) provides home and community-based intensive family therapy with small therapist caseloads, up to daily therapist contact, intensive therapist supervision, and case management.  It adopts a strength-based approach while targeting the most acute factors contributing to family dysfunction and behavioral issues. It is a great option for families and children who need intensive services but who either are not a good fit or don’t meet eligibility criteria for MST.  Therapy sessions will occur up to twice weekly in the home and therapists will also work closely with the client’s school and community and would be available to attend school or IEP meetings.  Substance abuse focused sessions can also be incorporated as well as urinalysis, if needed.   Psychiatric assessment, follow up and medication management are included at no additional cost as well as 24/7 days a wk. on-call coverage.  Typical length of stay is 3-6 months, can serve ages 12-19. 

A comprehensive substance use and mental health evaluation is a process wherein a licensed mental health professional attempts to answer questions about an adolescents emotional state, personality, pathology, behavior and cognitive / intellectual ability through the use of structured assessments such as the Global Appraisal of Individual Needs (GAIN), or, the Diagnostic Schedule for Children (DISC) and Child and Individual Diagnostic Interview – Substance Abuse Module (CIDI-SAM), collateral information, clinical interview, and clinical judgment. The evaluator provides a comprehensive conceptualization and written summary (including mental health diagnosis) of the adolescent that answers the referral question and provides greater insight and clarity into his / her functioning, as well as, to provide recommendations for treatment / placement level or legal purposes that will likely be most effective and efficient in meeting the adolescent’s needs. 

Adolescent Community Reinforcement Approach (A-CRA) • Treatment approach proven to address environments that support alcohol or drug use. • Skills based learning: problem-solving, communications, relationship skills, choosing positive social activities and supports.

Arapahoe/Douglas Mental Health Network has increased its adolescent substance abuse team to provide more services to youth ages 13-17 and transitional aged youth, 18-24. Services use evidence based practices to help youth, young adults and their families involved in child welfare and or the juvenile justice system to seek behavioral healthcare and overall wellness:
• Abstinence from substance use.
• Recovery from substance abuse and mental health symptoms.
• Behavior modification & social stability.
• Create an easier transition for youth into adulthood. Evidence-based Practice Areas
• Adolescent Community Reinforcement Approach (A-CRA)
• Treatment approach proven to address environments that support alcohol or drug use.
• Skills based learning: problem-solving, communications, relationship skills, choosing positive social activities and supports.
• Assertive Continuing Care
• Program emphasis on education or GED completion, juvenile justice compliance and linkage to healthcare.
• GAIN assessment (Global Appraisal of Individual Needs)
• Nationally recognized assessment tool to screen for substance abuse and mental health issues

Since 1977, the Intensive Outpatient program has also been effectively treating individuals who are dually diagnosed; that is, those who are challenged by both mental illness and addiction. As the first outpatient program in Colorado to integrate treatment for both chemical dependency and mental health issues, we focus on treating each individual's underlying mental illness and/or substance abuse problem at the same time. This fosters a more successful recovery. Our programs are "evidenced-based", which means that they have been proven to work.

The mission of Smart-Girl is to empower adolescent girls to make smart choices and become confident, capable, self-reliant young women.

The Smart-Guy program prepares adolescent boys to make smart choices and grow into resilient, confident and upstanding young men.

One of the most challenging periods of a young person's life, and one that can set the course for years to come, is middle school. Middle school students rarely realize that decisions they make today can affect their lives tomorrow. Through a group mentoring program, Smart-Girl successfully engages middle school girls, and recently boys, in a research-based curriculum based on social-emotional intelligence. The program challenges students to think before they act, empowers them with tools and skills needed to successfully navigate adolescence and ultimately, helps them realize their full potential.

Through its program structure, activity-based curriculum and mentor-led format, Smart-Girl/Smart-Guy help to:
• Reduce vulnerability to self-destructive behaviors
• Develop leadership, group and social skills
• Learn and practice critical thinking and problem-solving skills
• Increase self-awareness and values that lead to success in life

Sessions focus on a variety of important topics, including, but not limited to: bullying prevention, communication skills, body image, media literacy and healthy relationships.

Sessions are led by what Smart-Girl calls "near-peer mentors" or "Guides" – something that makes the program truly stand out. High school and college students attend a 22 hour training called "Smart-Guide Leadership Institute" where they learn about the curriculum and how to manage group dynamics. Students can receive college credit for their participation in addition to gaining extremely valuable leadership skills.

Medication management is available through our licensed, board-certified psychiatrists and child psychiatrists. Some specialize in addictions treatment. Advanced practice nurses and other prescribing nurses are also on staff. They provide consultation, evaluation and prescription of medications as appropriate.
For more information on our psychiatry services, call our Information & Appointment Line at 303-730-8858.

We offer both individual and family play therapy with a licensed professional counselor. When recommended by the therapist or requested by a parent, therapy is coupled with an evaluation by an on-staff child psychiatrist to determine if medication might be appropriate. When medication is needed, it is carefully managed by our medical staff on an ongoing basis.

We offer a variety of therapy groups as well as educational and support groups. Some provide opportunities for children to express themselves, learn from others, and identify with positive role models, while other groups focus on increasing family unity.

We provide counseling, therapy and group therapy on an outpatient basis to treat individuals and families with a wide range of emotional, social and psychiatric needs using evidence-based therapies. In some cases, case management services provide linkage to other services in the community. If medication is needed, our psychiatrists and prescribing nurses can help, with an easy-to access pharmacy nearby. Other programs include our crisis line, acute emergency treatment (in-patient), supported housing services and victim services.

Beyond the Walls joins the services provided by Shiloh House to complete the continuum of support for youth ages 16-26 as they become successful, productive young adult members of their local communities. Beyond the Walls creates a seamless tapestry of support for young people as they transition from out of home care to independence. Through a vibrant Community Resource Network young people link to resources and mentors which provide life skills, learning opportunities and tools to help every young person achieve their goals for the future.

Beyond the Walls uses the proven mentoring model of Circles to assist young people in gaining vital confidence and support during times of change in their lives. The Circles model combines the benefits of one on one coaching and working within a group of peers. A combination of action learning, coaching and peer mentoring provides young people with a wider source of support and inspiration for idea generation. This approach encourages greater creativity in problem solving and helps each young person learn how to thrive on the journey toward permanency.

Our Community Resource Network is made up of partners who are willing to make a commitment to developing a healthy relationship that will support youth in and out of home care to begin their journey with confidence. Beyond the Walls partners with young people as they move from case management, toward being community connected and begin building a foundation of connections and social capital to help each young person thrive. The volunteers in our Community Resource Network link young people to opportunities and experiences to help them reach their goals. This integrated system of resources and connections amplifies the ability for each youth to have caring adults working with them as they journey toward the future.

Beyond the Walls at Shiloh House works to ensure that every young person is:
• Attached to nurturing adults
• Linked with educational supports that lead to career readiness
• Engaged in community, school and/or extracurricular activities
• Career ready with positive attitudes about the world of work
• Productive and equipped to reach financial self-sufficiency
• Aware of, appreciates and demonstrates behaviors of personal and social responsibility
• Demonstrating healthy decisions that lead to well-being

The Shiloh House Day Treatment Program is designed for youth ages 7-18 facing challenges in the public school system, the legal system, or transitioning to a less restrictive environment. Day treatment offers daily therapeutic intervention to support youth who are learning the necessary social and behavioral skills to succeed at home, in school and the community.

Shiloh House’s treatment & education team supports, credit recovery, social skill development, conflict resolution and problem solving skills in an environment that respects continuing education. Shiloh House provides each youth a challenging, academically sound educational experience that is aimed at maintaining and/or improving academic, vocational and social functioning. Shiloh House on-grounds schools have the capacity to develop future educational options and are licensed by the Colorado State Department of Education, and accredited by North Central Association.

Shiloh House provides specialized on-grounds schools to assist youth in developing the necessary academic and social skills needed to re-enter a less restrictive school environment. Shiloh House provides each youth a challenging, academically sound educational experience that is aimed at maintaining and/or improving academic, vocational and social functioning. Shiloh House on-grounds schools have the capacity to develop future educational options and are licensed by the Colorado State Department of Education, and accredited by North Central Association. When clients are ready to graduate from the program, educational and clinical staff from Shiloh House organize several reintegration meetings with representatives from the clients home school district in order to successfully support the client back into a traditional public school setting.

The Shiloh First service is a rapid response and prevention program. Shiloh First is designed to assist families, who are at risk for entry into the Child Welfare System and who are struggling with a variety of challenges. Shiloh First services provide a professional home based visitation and completion of an individualized comprehensive family resource guide. The program is voluntary, and there is no cost to families.

The Objectives of the Shiloh First Services are:
• To help the family reduce the risk for interventions by Children, Youth and Families Protection Services.
• To decrease future referrals to the Department of Human Services.

The Target Population of the Shiloh First Service is:
• Families struggling with child and adolescent parenting challenges.
• Children and youth who are demonstrating behaviors that are beyond the control of parents.
• Families referred to the Department of Human Services with children ages 10-18 who have been reviewed by the County for issues related to family conflict but have not opened a case.
• Families who are not in need of interventions by the Department of Human Services but who will benefit from community support and resources.
• Families not assigned to case workers within the Department of Human Services.
• Youth with truancy related resource needs.

Shiloh House Evening Reporting Center is an alternative to secure detention for pre-adjudicated and adjudicated adolescents. The services provided offer a passage away from detention, further court involvement and out-of-home placement, while providing tailored programming that addresses each youth’s individual needs and strengths.
Evening Reporting Center offers, within a highly structured environment:

• Academic tutoring and monitoring.
• Truancy counseling
• Life skills development
• Conflict resolution
• Substance abuse counseling
• Resource development
• College and career exploration
• Therapeutic recreation

The goal of the Evening Reporting Center is:
• Improve the youth’s academic attendance
• Appearance at all scheduled judicial hearings
• Maintenance of appropriate behavior at home and in the communit
• Performance of community service
• No commission of new delinquent acts

Evening Reporting Center staff members work with schools, juvenile probation officers, parents, courts, case workers and other community partners to collaboratively achieve the program objectives.

Our community based counseling services offer home and office based individual and family therapy. Shiloh House is dedicated to providing a complete continuum of services to our community. Essential components of our continuum of care include prevention, early intervention, and community reintegration counseling services.

Shiloh House utilizes evidence-based programs and practices throughout our mental health counseling services. We assist our clients in linking thoughts, feelings and behaviors, teaching new, healthy, empathic, and reality based ways of thinking. Clients have guided opportunities to rehearse healthy ways to cope with life stressors and to achieve resolution of overwhelming thoughts and feelings related to past traumatic life experiences, as well as present life challenges.

Shiloh House provides Master’s level Individual and Family Therapy to address all presenting mental health and family conflict needs for individuals and families.

The goals of these services are:
• Mental health stabilization and improved functioning and well-being in all areas including work, family and relationships.
•To provide the individual with evidence based therapy to ensure the highest degree of positive change and well-being.
•To assist the family in the development of a nurturing and healthy home environment which will enable the children to successfully progress in their development and academic achievement.
•To assist the individual and/or family in the development of healthy coping skills and tools.
•To assist the individual and/or family in increased pro-social behaviors and increased protective factors.
•To provide a strength based, accountable, relationship oriented service which respects the family while ensuring that the goals of treatment are achieved.
•To provide intensive psycho-educational treatment that increases each client and family’s understanding of unhealthy interaction patterns in a way that enables the individual/family to eliminate unhealthy patterns.

Shiloh House Respite is a short term service designed to assist Colorado families in preventing the disruption of placement for youth who may be at risk of being removed from their families or who are already placed in foster care. Shiloh House offers a nurturing and safe environment for youth for the brief time they must be away from family or foster care.

The Objectives of Shiloh House Respite Services:
• To reduce the risk of a child between the ages of 7 and 17 being removed from the care of a parent or guardian due to high risk behavior on the part of the child.
• To decrease the risk of disruption to a successful foster or adoptive placement.

The target population of Shiloh House Respite Services: • Families who have successfully parented high risk youth, but are experiencing situations for which short term out of home support for the youth will be helpful.
• Foster families who are working with Department of Human Services to maintain a successful foster placement.
• Families with children who are not working with the Department of Human Services, but have sought mental health support for a child using local community Mental Health Services.
• Families who have been working with the Department of Human Services, and whose children remain in their care, but may be at risk of placement disruption.

Therapeutic Parenting Specialists work on parenting skills using individualize coaching and modeling techniques. Through our Therapeutic Parenting Time Program we also provide goal focused supervised parent – child visitation.

Therapeutic Parenting Time is a community based program. And is designed to ensure safe reunification through empowerment, empathetic understanding of their child, improved parenting conflict management and active parenting skill development. Therapeutic Parenting Time specialists engage families within a natural setting to empower the parents to understand their child’s needs and to help the parent learn and practice the skills to meet their child’s needs within their unique family structure and culture, while in a home-like setting.

Short-term, family-centered, in-home or community, therapeutic services are available for the purpose of preventing out-of-home placement, maintaining the children in the home, or to prepare a family for reunification.  This service helps connect families with community resources.  Home-based services may also include 24 hour crisis response.  Individual and family therapy can address substance abuse, sexual abuse, child-parent conflict, and mental health. 

For parents dealing with the unique challenges of problem sexual behavior, Shiloh House offers a six week Informed Supervision class.  The six weekly, one hour classes will provide information on the SOMB Standards and Guidelines for the Evaluation, Assessment, Treatment and Supervision of Juveniles who Have Committed a Sexual Offense; history of the SOMB; current laws that relate to juvenile sexual offending; dynamic patterns associated with abusive behavior; safety planning; victim confidentiality; the role of the Multi-Disciplinary Team; and much more.

Our life Skills Coaches provide services to clients in their homes or in other community settings. Services are based directly on the needs of the individual family. After an initial assessment, a personalized treatment plan will be created to address the specific needs identified.

The treatment plan will help clients build strengths in areas such as:
• Creating and maintaining safety and stability for all family members through development of routine, structure and age appropriate supervision.
• Time management techniques
• Budgeting
• Accessing community resources.
• Understanding and maintaining healthy parent-child boundaries and relationships.
• Household management
• Scheduling and attending appointments.

Shiloh House provides home and community based services for youth ages 7-18 and their families who are struggling with a wide variety of Problematic Sexual Conduct.

Shiloh House community based treatment for Problematic Sexual Conduct includes a combination of in-home Sex Offender Management Board (SOMB) Master’s level treatment and Bachelor’s level in-home Behavioral Life Skills Coaching services. These services are customized to the individual and family and will target the family need for safe and healthy sexual behavior, life skills, community safety, strengthening parenting skills, conflict resolution, informed supervision, offense specific psycho-education, support and accountability, and offense specific individual and family therapy.

The goal of this program is to prevent out of home placement and maintain the family unit, by providing home based services for families in crisis and linking the family with supportive resources and community partners.

During supervised visitation sessions, Life Skills Coaches demonstrate parenting techniques and responses that are age appropriate for the children within the family. This applied learning approach helps parents build skills they may not have previously had the opportunity to learn, and increases the confidence they feel in their ability to meet the needs of their children. Life Skills Coaches teach parents effective, age-appropriate discipline techniques such as limit setting, establishing natural and logical consequences, healthy boundaries, consistent structure and routine, and how to create goals that are appropriate for the age and cognitive ability of each child. Visitation may take place at pre-approved community locations or even within the home. A professional Life Skills Coach will be available for any questions, as well as to ensure child safety and quality of visitation.

Shiloh House offers educational support services that provide intervention systems designed to help address behaviors linked to expulsion, suspension, dropping out of school, and truancy. These interventions help improve parent capacity, strengthen academic achievement, support truancy prevention and increase social and emotional functioning in both the home and school environments.

Through a team of educational engagement coaches we assist and educate parents and students who have been truant, expelled or at-risk, to help resolve issues related to student success through behavior coaching, credit recovery, tutoring groups and mentoring. Services are also intended to prevent the need for higher levels of care or a more restrictive placement, incarceration and help transition students to a less restrictive environment.