The Midland County Day Treatment Program is an intensive treatment program for adjudicated youth ages 12-17 who continue to be involved with the Court after other Court interventions. The program targets criminogenic risk factors through cognitive groups and interventions; provides educational assessments, high school classes aligned with Midland Public Schools, credit recovery; and provides opportunities for strength-based activities.
Youth who attend the program are assessed as medium to high risk based on the Youth Assessment Screening Instrument (YASI) and have risk factors in education, family, and substance abuse, attitudes, peers, or skills. Individualized education and treatment plans target the risk and need areas and increase the protective factors in the youth’s life. Length of time in the program is determined by risk factors and willingness to change. The time the youth is in the program may range from 95-365 days. Youth who are determined to be medium risk will receive a minimum of 100 hours of cognitive interventions and high risk youth will receive a minimum of 200 hours.
The program emphasizes Respect, Responsibility, and Safety in all interactions and areas of the program. The cornerstone program is ART: Skill Streaming, Anger Control, and Moral Reasoning Training. Youth are evaluated for mastery of these skills before moving on to each phase and discharge from the program. Interventions with the youth reflect back on these skills. The Cognitive Behavior Modification program emphasizes a positive interaction ratio for 4 praises:1 negative for staff to youth. The program targets sanctions and incentives according to phase level. Youth’s behaviors are monitored throughout the day and dependent on the ability to ascribe to Respect, Responsibility, and Safety. Youth who show competency dependent on their phase can "Make" their day and earn incentives. Youth who do not "Make" their day attend extra skill streaming groups and will examine through a thinking report choices made and alternate outcomes.
All youth attend Victim Impact which addresses thinking errors and the "ripple effect" that the youth’s choices have on the individual, family, and community. Other programs and treatment the youth receive are dependent on their needs.
Parents are involved in the program and members of the treatment team. Parents attend parenting classes either through individual counseling or parenting group. Parents are expected to attend school conferences and other planned activities. Parents may be requested to come into the program with their youth to address issues that may be ongoing in their relationship or home dynamics. Custodial parents or guardians receive updates once per week about their youth’s progress in the program and their behaviors at home. Non-custodial parents are encouraged to call the program for updates.
The treatment team is comprised of the youth, parent, probation officer, therapist, point person and supervisor, and program administrator. The treatment team meets for an initial meeting, an update meeting, exit, and transition meeting at the school the youth will be attending.
Staff team meetings are held prior to the youth moving to a new phase. All treatment plans are monitored by a point person and point supervisor on a weekly basis.
Progress reports are submitted to the Court prior to all review hearings and a monthly report is submitted to the psychiatrist (if applicable). Therapists and parents receive weekly updates. All staff and probation officers receive daily notes on the youth. The youth is re-assessed through the YASI every 90 days.