Welcome Parents & Guardians
We understand that there is probably no one in the world who cares more for your child than you do or who knows him or her better than you do. We also understand that the time before your child's admission to Hillcrest was very difficult for you and for your family. Now that your child is at Hillcrest, we will do everything we can to help. We will try to help you contribute to and participate in your child's treatment. We are open to any questions and will address any concerns you may have about your child’s treatment or program.
To learn more, please download our Parent Handbook and other valuable resources provided on this page.
Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.
Treatment Philosophy
Skills Assessment and Development
Developing a comprehensive understanding of each individual, their strengths and challenges, and the specific influences to their difficulties is a primary, and ongoing component of treatment. The Assessment of Lagging Skills and Unsolved Problems (Greene and Ablon), along with supporting assessment tools, are utilized to facilitate this process, and to guide the treatment/intervention planning for each student.
Through this process a thorough understanding of strengths, resources and limitations is acquired and a plan to help develop skills and resources while not overwhelming one's resources can be initiated.
The core skills that are focused upon throughout all HEC campuses include: independent living/functional skills, academic skills, and the skills identified in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) (Linehan): Mindfulness, Emotional Management, Distress Tolerance and Interpersonal Effectiveness.
Trauma Informed Care (TIC)
When the environment is very overwhelming, as is often the case when a person experiences trauma, attachment disruption, loss, domestic violence or abuse, the result can be significant impact on the development of the person's skills and resources. Exposure to those who have experienced these events has impact on others in the community.
A trauma informed environment requires an understanding of trauma and considers its effects, at the personal, individual, and societal levels. As trauma and loss are, at their core, violations of interpersonal connection, the HEC community focuses on developing healthy relationships with others.
Within these healthy relationships, motivation, healthy sense of self, and connections to others and the community are developed. Other primary intervention approaches from the TIC philosophy include psycho-education about trauma/vicarious trauma and its effects, understanding the influence of individual trauma histories, making meaning from these difficult experiences, developing self-awareness, developing skills and resources to manage more effectively, and proactively planning for safety.
Communication, Notification, and Student/Parent/Guardian Involvement
Hillcrest Clinical staff maintains regular communication with all parents/guardians for general updates and treatment progress reports. Incidents of physical aggression and/or bullying are communicated within 24 hours whether their child/client is the perpetrator or victim. Parents/guardians, who are inherent members of their child/client's treatment team, are encouraged to participate in the processing/repair of an incident.
Any incident involving an allegation of serious assault, injury, or criminal activity is subject to a formal investigation per Hillcrest Policy and DEEC regulation.
Parents are invited to visit their child at any time, and our clinical staff are available to meet with parents at their convenience for any reason. Hillcrest has a FaCT Committee (Family Centered Treatment) with parent members to help enhance communication and support for families. Families are invited to several Parent Advisory Groups throughout the year, as well as numerous other family support opportunities.
All students will participate in a psycho-educational group to learn about and discuss the prevention of and appropriate responses to bullying. Students at each campus, driven by their respective Student Council, participate in "Anti-Bullying" campaigns regularly.
Student Handbooks include the following procedures for communicating a grievance or reporting an incident of bullying:
Student Grievance Procedures:
Students of Hillcrest have the right to voice their concerns/complaints, without fear or reprisal. There are several people on the campus that can help you with this. If you have concerns that your rights have been violated, you were mistreated, you are a victim of bullying, or you did not receive adequate care, you may file a grievance. Your concerns must be communicated to your clinician. Your clinician will review the grievance and within 24 hours, will notify the appropriate individuals, who will then conduct the investigation of the allegation. These individuals may include, but are not limited to, Supervisors, Assistant Program Directors, Program Directors and the Human Rights Representative on your campus. Upon receipt of the grievance, the Human Rights Representative will only be involved if it appears that the grievance involves a violation of your rights. The primary role of the individual is to advise those people investigating your grievance. You are free, at any time, to notify your agency, lawyer or guardian of your concerns.
