Youth Questions & Answers

What age range does the Youth Centre accept?

By law of South Africa, we are only able to accept youth thirteen years and older, unless permission is granted by the Department of Child Welfare

 

Can healing wings Youth center assist my child in overcoming his addiction to pornography and masturbation?

Healing takes place when an individual has been taken from a familiar environment. Your child will have no exposure to internet access and other devices where he can access pornographic material and explicit material. Intense didactic groups on pornography and sexual abuse are done. Individual counselling will focus more on cognitive restructuring, finding the underlying triggers and challenging the child’s thoughts pattern.

 

Does healing wings provide counselling to children that have been abused?

Didactic groups on pornography and sexual abuse are done. Trauma counselling in the case of sexual abuse will be utilised.

 

What kinds of doctors and their specialization are working at the center?

We do not have doctors on site but referral doctors in Nelspruit. We do however have professional nurses who attend to minor ailments.

 

What type of treatment and therapies are utilised at the centre?

We provide individual therapy, group therapy and outreach therapy. These therapies will normally encompass some of the following: 

• Cognitive behavioural therapy,
• Dialectical behaviour therapy,
• Person centered therapy,
• Gestalt therapy,
• Motivational interviewing,
• Solution focused therapy,
• Reality therapy,
• Family therapy,
• Multimodal therapy,
• Acceptance and commitment therapy
• Equine therapy
• Cinema therapy
• Bibliotherapy
• Nature therapy
• Exercise therapy
• Art therapy
• Work therapy
• Therapeutic music sessions
• Prayer & Meditation (mindfulness)

 

How are the youth taught discipline at the centre?

Highly structured schedule based programme. They are taught the value of punctuality, routine, structure and planning.

 

How is oppositional behaviour dealt with?

The concept of cause and effect is taught through a system of consequences allocated for infringement against the programme.

 

Do they perform basic chores?

Basic chores are performed such as washing dishes, making their beds, cleaning the surroundings and sweeping their rooms.

 

How is schooling and tutoring handled?

An independent organisation, The Button Foundation, operates in conjunction with Healing Wings. They run the Impaq home schooling system and have five tutors facilitating the tutoring. Each child will be allocated a grade co-ordinator and term progress reports are emailed to families to keep them in the loop.

 

My child has been diagnosed with Bipolar, will he learn coping mechanisms to deal with his illness and will he receive treatment for Bipolar?

 

• We have a referral psychiatrist who will be able to handle the clinical aspect of the condition.
• In our experience we have found that the removal of most of the stresses that the child is often subject to as well as the highly structured environment, has a positive effect on nearly all psychological disorders. In addition, the individual therapy that is provided will help to bring to the surface past traumas that may be contributing to the presenting condition.

 

What type of life skills are taught to help the youth re-integrate back into the home and society?

• Implementing personal boundaries
• Conflict resolution
• Leadership
• Group dynamics
• Anger management
• Respect
• Planning and time management
• Communication Skills
• Work ethic
• Self-governance

 

What are rules regarding visitation and contact of family members?

Initial visitation will occur after a period of six weeks. This will be a Nelspruit area based visit, for three days. The reason being that a return to the home environment can cause a regression. Thereafter, every six weeks a similar visit will be allowed. Home environment holidays are evaluated from the four month mark onwards.

What are rules regarding vacation time such as December holidays and Easter?

No vacation may be longer than 14 days, and during all holidays an in-depth contract is signed which stipulates the boundaries and regulations for said holiday. Holidays are considered a privilege and can be removed if the behaviour does not merit one.

 

What type of extra-curricular activities are offered?

• Art Groups
• Soccer
• Hiking
• River Walks
• Rugby
• Volleyball
• Cross Country
• Core Exercise
• Team building Activities

 

My child is a vegetarian , will the centre be able to cater for his diet?

Our kitchen is fully equipped to handle any dietary requirements, and provisions will be made to accommodate his or her needs.

 

What is the estimated duration of the programme and how is this determined?

The recommended minimum is nine months, however length of stay is determined across a variety of factors including but not limited to: individual progress, recovery environment, and sustainability of progress made. Ongoing assessments are done according to “Child And Adolescent Level of Care utilisation System” ( Calocus is a tool to determine the appropriate level of care placement for a child or adolescent to ascertain the level of care required).

 

How are the family members of the patient involved in the therapeutic process?

Bi-weekly feedback will be given to the family, in which the case manager may give therapeutic suggestions to the family based on the issues surfaced in therapy with the child. In addition, family sessions are held during visits prior to holidays, wherein past and present issues are challenged and discussed. If any pressing issues are identified, a stand-alone family session may be scheduled.

 

What is the success rate of troubled youth regarding recovering?

The exact figure is hard to determine as recovery is a lifelong process, not a product. However in our experience we generally see a positive longer term outcome in about 60% of our residents.

The Youth Centre treats youth with various addictions ranging from Drug abuse, Alcoholism etc , what is the impact of getting treated with Youth with various problems?

As with any school environment, a child will be exposed to a variety of characters. We have a strict boundary system that protects individuals from those we perceive to be having a negative impact on them. In addition, all drug talk is banned, and we make every effort to create a new culture. In our experience, we treat many non-drug users and none of them have turned to drugs after treatment, as found in our follow ups with ex residents.


Are there facilities similar to Healing Wings Youth Centre in the country, if so, how do they differ , what competitive edge does Healing wings offer?

Healing Wings is the only facility that provides both school and recovery in one location.


What happens after the therapeutic period when the child comes back home?

There is an extensive aftercare plan, tailored to each individual, which covers every aspect of life after treatment. In addition, contact is maintained and support groups are recommended.