The Integral Role Of Families
Families play a vital role in Gateway’s treatment process. Parent and family involvement is crucial to ensure each youth's healing and growth is sustained well after treatment at Gateway is completed.
Gateway’s family interventions provide a foundation for parents to be more effective in reaching their child in a way they can best receive support and forgive or work though past grievances. We work with teens and their parents to identify underlying dynamics that contribute to conflict and to help establish family patterns of behavior that lead to better ways of relating. Additionally, Gateway’s developmental, skill-building approach gives parents a sense of focus, inspiration, and encouragement when times get tough.
In addition to weekly family therapy sessions, families may participate in weekly virtual "Parent Drop-Ins" and Parent Weekends conducted every three months. Parent Weekends include a four-day experience (Thursday through Sunday) during which families participate in parent-teacher conferences, parent support, psycho-education and training sessions, family therapy groups, experiential family therapy sessions and initiatives, and individual time with their teen.
Parent visits are welcomed, with the timing coordinated through the youth’s therapist. To help parents stay in touch with their child’s lives, we regularly post pictures of their weekday activities and weekend experiential adventures on the Gateway Parent Portal. Academic progress and ongoing educational performance is available as well thanks to the Power School online tracking system and regularly emailed "Teacher Notes". Parents have contact with their teen through in person visits and weekly social phone calls, letters, faxes, and e-mail. And we encourage parents to call or email their therapist at anytime to check on their son.
