Our New Treatment Model:BRAID

Crossroad is proud to announce our NEW treatment model - BRAID...an integrated approach to the treatment and care of children in residential care at Crossroad. There are four components to BRAID - the Therapeutic Alliance, Pyschoeducational Treatment, Trauma Informed Care, and Parents as Partners. These approaches are all excellent treatment models. Crossroad has integrated (or braided) these approaches to individualize our approach to each child’s needs, reduce the need for physical interventions, fully integrate the child into the treatment process, and involve the family as a key component to the success and future of the child.

The Four Strands of Braid:

 The Therapeutic Alliance

The Therapeutic Alliance is a model in which the child, client, or patient is in the driver’s seat regarding his/her treatment. Instead of models in which the therapist, agency or caregiver determines the child’s needs, the child is actively involved in determining whether or not therapy, the program, or the therapist is working for the child. The philosophy is that therapy is something done with someone, instead of something done to someone. Research indicates that children will make changes in their behavior based on the relationships they have with people and emphasis is placed on relationship building and cooperative therapy.

 Psychoeducational Treatment

The Psychoeducational model is a three pronged approach to treatment. This approach looks at the biological, psychiatric, and social development of the child. The biological aspect looks for biological causes and concerns regarding the development of the child. For instance, a child who has a bipolar disorder may need psychoactive medications in order to stabilize the physiological changes that occur in a child as their moods swing between extreme highs and lows. The psychiatric aspect of the model is focused on assisting and developing a stronger sense of self and coherent thoughts that are within the norms of society. Lastly, the social portion of the model emphasizes teaching appropriate, adaptive social skills as a key to the child’s success. The use of natural consequences for inappropriate behavior is one aspect, but the use of positive reinforcement and shaping is clearly the catalyst for change.

 Trauma Informed Care

Trauma Informed Care is based in the philosophy that children who have experienced trauma react in different ways than children who have other psychological or emotional issues.  A child who has suffered trauma by the hands of individuals be it family or strangers, develops unconscious reactions to incidents, triggering physiological and emotional responses. Through the active avoidance of re-traumatizing the child and developing trust, while maintaining the child’s safety, the child is allowed to work through the trauma in a therapeutic manner.

 

Parents as Partners

The family partnership piece of BRAID involves the family - not only as a part of the recovery process for the child, but as full partners in the care and treatment of their child. This piece of the program not only addresses therapy, administrative actions, and the overall direction for treatment; it is this partnership that determines the direction. Therapists, residential staff, and administrators take their cues from what the family wants for its future and uses this relationship to forge ahead with the family to a successful outcome.