This essay is a depiction of a student visiting public community agency. The agency describe is the Crossroads Youth Center in Fairfax Country, Va. A description of this agency is included along with the services and treatment options that are offered. Crossroads is described as having some problems and the essay concludes by suggesting that this agency is not a favorable place to work.
¶ … community agency report for the Fairfax County Alcohol Drug Services/Community Service Board (ADS-CSB) Crossroads Youth and Adult Residential Program. This report will first give some pertinent background information about the program including the mission, organization, services and operations. The essay will then describe the visit and evaluation that I conducted which includes my opinions on the organization and how effective this program is for its intended population.
The Crossroads Adult and Youth Residential program is located in the affluent neighborhood in Alexandria, Va. According to their website " Crossroads Youth is an 15-bed modified therapeutic community home for boys ages 15 through 18 who have significant chemical dependency and co-occurring mental health problems. These complex issues are often associated with legal involvement and a history of school failure. "
The emphasis for this program is on raising the level of independent functioning so that participants can transition successfully to a less restrictive, more normalized setting. The program serves 20 to 30 boys each year who stay, on average between 3 to 6 months at the facility. There is a school on site, which is operated by the Fairfax County Public Schools to maintain each patient's educational path. During the stay, boys receive group and individual counseling in accordance to an individualized treatment plan. Included in these treatment plans are such programs as anger management conflict resolution, individual family sessions, and a weekly multi-family group.
The Crossroads is a Fairfax County sponsored program that receives funding from this agency and is directed by the Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board (CSB) which is mainly a volunteer organization. The CSB is organized by a 16 member board that directs funding and program initiatives. The 35 member staff at the Crossroads consists of licensed counselors, medical doctors, mental health recovery staff and an administrative staff. The organization also receives funds by donations and county tax dollars. Some patients pay some of the costs but many are there free of any costs.
The following treatments are available at Crossroads:
-Assessment and diagnosis
-One-on-one counseling
-Group counseling
-12-Step meeting integration
-Real time therapeutic supports 24 hours per day
-Family therapy
-Case management
-Moral Recognition Therapy
-On-site psychiatric assessment and treatment
-Medication monitoring
-Peer support and social skills training
-Emotional regulation training
-Crisis prevention/intervention
-Recreation and leisure activities
-Mental health recovery support
Application to Coursework
The Crossroads, in my opinion, is an adequate mental health facility, demonstrating both acceptable and questionable procedures. My visit to this location was extremely educational as I had a chance to witness firsthand how mental illness can be treated in this type of environment. I spoke to many people while there, including doctors, nurses, counselors and patients. The experience was informational but I am not convinced that this place is operating at its fullest potential.
My experience sitting in on a group therapy session was very enlightening. I heard many troubled stories and immediately became grateful for my personal upbringing and development. Hearing stories of abuse and reckless behavior had a profound impact on the way I see mental illness and can now appreciate the many complexities that accompany treating these wayward youths. The lead counselor for these sessions, was a bit overwhelmed and often lost control of the session while some of the boys demonstrated rude and unstable behavior. Perhaps this is normal for this type of session, but for me, I appreciate a more formal and control orientated structure.
Some of the staff members were not very helpful when I approached them for information, and I felt that this may be in large part to the incredible amounts of stress and chaos that are present at the Crossroads. Still, many of the young boys were making significant progress and those at the tail end of their stay were eager to get back into the real world and start living again. Other boys clearly did not belong in this type of agency as their mental problems need much more individual attention and seclusion to sort out some of the more troubling aspects of their young lives.
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