Psychiatric • Health/ Nursing • Clinical/Case Management • Individual and Group Therapy • Crisis Management • Academic Special Education • Pre/Vocational Programs • Speech, Language, Physical and Occupational Therapy • Living Skills • Social Skills • Character Development • Comprehensive Highly Structured Residential Program • Transitional Homes in Local Communities • Recreation and Activities • Competitive and Intramural Sports Teams • High and Low Ropes Course

Clinical Services
Kolburne maintains a clinical service program designed to address the needs of students with emotional and learning difficulties and maladaptive behaviors. The staff who provide Clinical services include Psychiatrists (MD) and masters-level licensed or licensed-eligible Clinical Specialists with backgrounds in Clinical Social Work, Psychology, Guidance, Counseling and Psychiatric Nursing. Periodically, Kolburne also maintains a Field Placement program for graduate students completing Masters programs in those fields matriculating in nearby universities.

Psychiatric
Upon admission, students are assigned to a specific psychiatrist. The psychiatrist completes an initial evaluation, determines the appropriate working diagnoses, and appropriate medication regimen to be administered. The psychiatrists meet with the students on at least a quarterly scheduled basis or, more frequently as needed, to review progress and overall functioning.

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Health/ Nursing
Kolburne provides comprehensive nursing and medical services for students through a primary health care model. A licensed professional nursing staff is available for the students from 7 am to 11pm, seven days a week, and on call from 11pm to 7 am. Medical coverage for emergency care and services such as x-ray and lab is available 24 hours a day through a local community hospital. Individually assigned primary care physicians provide comprehensive student physical health and wellness services.

Clinical/Case Management
Students are assigned to specific clinical specialists. These therapists are the lead treatment staff responsible for treatment. Clinical specialists complete assessments and assist students as well as Academic, Residence and Nursing program staff to develop student treatment plans. The clinical specialist coordinates the review of student progress, and, as case manager, is the primary contact for the parent, guardian, referring agency and sending school district.

The clinical specialist is responsible for collaboration with local resources in the student’s home area, reporting the student progress toward discharge as well as recommending needed after-care resources in the receiving community to facilitate continued growth.

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Individual and Group Therapy
The clinical specialist provides therapy support for the student on an individual basis. Sessions are scheduled to ensure at least one hour per week of individual time. These sessions may occur on a once per week basis or as multiple sessions during the week, depending upon need. Group therapy may be available as well, depending upon the issues presented by the student. Group therapy sessions are usually conducted with co-therapists throughout the year. These occur on a weekly basis and students attend for a 6-8 weeks for each group.

Crisis Management
Kolburne's twenty-four hour supervision, medical, and clinical services provide safe, effective crisis management. Staff are extensively trained in crisis prevention and response. Upon being hired all staff receive over 40 hours of training related to understanding, preventing, and safely managing crisis situations. Staff review this material in monthly practice sessions and through annual retraining. Training involves verification of skills through various testing methods. Staff must demonstrate competence in all aspects of crisis intervention. Kolburne's strength-based treatment approach proactively limits crisis -- a supportive, positive orientation enables staff to intervene upon recognition of conflict or general anxiety. Additional on-call psychiatric, clinical and medical services assure safe, effective crisis management.

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Full Academic Special Education Program

Elementary School
Kolburne has self-contained elementary classrooms for students aged 8-14, grades 2-8. All elementary students are offered art and physical education classes along with standard academic subjects. Upon completion of our elementary program, students are assessed for one of three different programs.

High School
Students who have incoming high school credits and/or who are capable of earning credit toward a high school diploma, are enrolled in Kolburne’s 9-12 high school program, which includes academic subjects, pre-vocational programs, art, and physical education as well as a resource room available for additional assistance. Students move through the various classes according to a traditional schedule.

Our curriculum is reviewed on a regular basis to assure content area equivalency with the high school academic standards of referring states.

Self Contained High School/GED
High School students who may find it difficult to transition throughout the day and in and out of high school subject classes often learn more easily in this classroom. Our Self Contained High School/GED programs offer all academic subjects and, depending on need, physical education and art classes. Students often study with the intent of taking the General Education Development Test (GED). Practice tests and instruction for the GED are emphasized as well as Life Skills. Students may also participate in a pre-vocational program as part of the curriculum.

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Pre-Vocational Programs
The pre-vocational setting includes four Life Skills classes where students who need more independent daily living skills are enrolled in this program which emphasizes the academic subjects and how they relate to daily living. Our pre-vocational program, which assists students with building skills necessary for future employment, includes:

Office Skills
Small Engine Repair
Grounds Maintenance
Computer Technology
Building Trades
Family Consumer Science
Horticulture
Nursing Home Internship Program
Laundry Services
Janitorial Program
Culinary Arts I
Culinary Arts II
Vocational Retail Program

Our pre-vocational program assists students in developing appropriate work skills and appropriate work behavior. If students meet regulated criteria and the treatment team approves their request, they may obtain employment either on or off campus as part of their pre-vocational program. Students who have completed GED, High School and IEP criteria are candidates for graduation.

Academic subjects are taught by certified (or waivered) elementary and secondary special education teachers as well as by subject certified teachers. Pre-vocational skills are supervised or taught by certified vocational instructors and vocational specialists, with a ratio of approximately 1 staff member to 4 students.

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Speech, Language, Physical and Occupational Therapy
Speech and language services will be made available to students who are in need, after an initial evaluation by Kolburne's speech pathologist. Evaluations will be administered after admission with a funding agency, school district, or Kolburne faculty referral. Our speech and language pathologist will then develop updated, appropriate speech and language goals for the student’s IEP. Therapy takes place on an individual basis.

Kolburne provides physical therapy to students as required on their IEP. Physical therapy services are administered by a certified physical therapist.

Kolburne provides occupational therapy to students who require it. Occupational Therapy evaluations are administered by Kolburne's certified occupational therapist after a referral from the funding source, school district and/or Kolburne faculty.

Living Skills Training
Hands-on practice of living skills occurs on a daily basis within our on-campus and off-campus group home residences. Our group homes allow for students to learn aspects of living independently related to cooking, cleaning, self-care, and shopping. On campus students learn hygiene, shopping, cleaning and other individualized skills as needed, depending on discharge criteria. Kolburne’s use of Berkshire County resources also creates opportunities for learning. Off campus recreational and educational outings as well as off campus dining and special events fosters true experiential learning. Formal living skills training occurs in group settings as part of the evening daily routine. Kolburne utilizes the Preparing Adolescents for Young Adulthood (PAYA) curriculum. This program enables staff to teach activities related to understanding how certain things work in society. Students learn basics of banking, bargain shopping, job seeking, housing and many other important skills. Students progress in key areas are documented through assessment and the treatment review process. Many students in off-campus group homes work in the community.

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Social Skills Training
Teaching social skills is paramount at Kolburne. Healthy adult/student relationships create the setting for teaching. Kolburne utilizes its social skills program through modeling, general praise, instruction, daily empowerment conferences, and formal structured learning groups. Empowerment conferences provide practice of key target social skills necessary for student success. Prime Advocates are assigned to each student to assure individual attention. Staff review target skills through encouragement, role-play and feedback. Formal structured learning groups occur during evening program each week to review additional skills. Skills related to improving frustration tolerance, increasing problem-solving abilities, and building empathy, are discussed and practiced in a safe learning environment. Additional empowerment groups occur at the beginning of each school day to encourage students to use new skills. Throughout the day, students are praised and rewarded with positive points for using target skills, as well as meeting classroom and program expectations.

Character Development Training
Kolburne’s Character Development Program is derived from the Josephson Institute's Character Counts program. It serves as the backbone to teaching social skills. Target skills relate to aspects of good characterr. Character Counts put emphasis on the six core ethical values that all students and adults should aspire to live by: Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, Caring, Fairness, and Citizenship.

The Six Pillars of Character are intertwined throughout all aspects of Kolburne’s culture. As you walk around the Kolburne campus, signs reminding students about good character are found everywhere. In addition to weekly character development training, student character assemblies and special character events occur frequently.

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Comprehensive Highly Structured Residential Program

Kolburne provides a highly structured, staff-intensive, comprehensive residential program. Residential teams are based upon age, gender, and developmental and treatment needs. Residential staff assist students in setting realistic goals, and providing social skills instruction with independent living and character development skills.

Kolburne’s residential structure incorporates a daily routine that offers consistency, predictability, and supervision. Components of the program include a daily community meeting, character development training, social skills training, independent living skills training, recreation and activities, meals, leisure time, hygiene skills, chores, and bedroom cleaning maintenance.

Transitional Homes in Local Communities
Within a variety of living locations our residential services help prepare students for eventual independent living. In addition to our main campus and on-campus group homes, Kolburne maintains group homes in Great Barrington, Sheffield and Lee which offer community-based living and employment opportunities, while still utilizing programs and services provided through our main campus. Community-based residential opportunities are also offered at our Lee, MA campus. Please see residential service descriptions for a full review of these programs.

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Recreation and Activities
The mission of the Student Activities program is to provide a wide range of recreation and leisure programs that will enable all Kolburne students to find an activity that stimulates their interest and increases their self-esteem.

There are four major categories of activities: Athletics, Outdoor/Adventure, Leisure and Arts. Students are encouraged to participate in each group so that they have a well-rounded diverse activity program, which supports their various needs as indicated in their Treatment Plan.
Examples:

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Additionally, there are Theme Nights, field trips and other overnight trips

Competitive and Intramural Sports Teams
At Kolburne, students enjoy the many benefits of being on sports teams. Students participate in a variety of intramural sports or compete on varsity sports teams. Intramural sports include flag football, basketball, softball, deck-hockey, soccer, volleyball, swimming, and ping pong. Varsity sports include flag football, soccer, basketball, and softball. Kolburne students also participate in the Special Olympics in events such as down hill skiing, bowling, track and field, and softball.

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High and Low Ropes Course
Imagine standing on a small wooden platform, built into the trunk of a tree 50 feet in the air. You look below at the people encouraging you to jump to a trapeze bar 8 feet away, 50 feet in the air. The facilitator and your teammates are encouraging you to take the leap. You take a deep breath, bend your knees and jump…

This is one of the elements at Kolburne's High Ropes Course. It’s called the Leap of Faith. And that student who made the leap was wearing a helmet and a safety rope harness that was being tended by trained staff. This was her third try and this time she made it, to the cheering approval of her fellow students and teammates. Learning not to give up on yourself is just one of the lessons learned on our High Ropes Course. And the self-esteem gained by succeeding at these elements cannot be taught, it has to be experienced. Our students learn that future obstacles can be overcome with persistence and hard work.

In addition to the Leap of Faith, Kolburne's High Ropes Course consists of such elements as the Burma Bridge, the Vertical Playground, the Gorge Swing, the Postman’s Walk, the Crisis Bridge, the Criss Cross, and the Multi-Vine Traverse.

"Kolburne’s ropes courses present a unique combination of dramatic skill elements within an old pine forest. The incredible natural setting complete with a mountain stream and groomed trails allow for safe recreation capable of meeting anyone’s need for fun and excitement."
John Snyder - Out-Door Wilderness Guide

Kolburne also has a Low Ropes Course. It consists of the Spider Web, the Mohawk Walk, the Triangular Tension Traverse, the Wild Woosey, and All Aboard.

The Low Ropes Course teaches teamwork. These elements cannot be completed alone. Each requires a team of students working together under the guidance of trained staff. When they complete an element successfully, the smiles and high-fives say it all. These students are learning that obstacles that cannot be overcome by themselves can be overcome by working through a team.

Students are guided through the various elements of both the high and low ropes courses. Certified ropes instructors working with trained staff, gently persuade students to push themselves beyond their comfort zones. After these students realize some success at the easier elements, they move on to the more difficult elements with confidence. Students who meet the challenges of the ropes program develop self-esteem, confidence, coordination, trust, persistence, problem-solving skills, and team building skills.

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