The Child Study and Treatment Center provides psychiatric services in a campus setting, with separate cottages designed to serve children ages 6-12 and adolescents ages 12-17. Patients live in one of four cottages determined by age where they have individual bedrooms and a shared day area. Each cottage has its own kitchen and dining room. A treatment team is identified for each child and their family or caregiver, and all are included in regularly scheduled treatment planning. Parents and caregivers are strongly encouraged to participate in care and services, including family therapy and multi-family group therapy sessions. The treatment team welcomes participation from the family’s natural support system and community partners to assist the youth in developing the skills and support system needed for ongoing recovery after discharge.
Cottages and age groups
Each cottage and school has its own program manual that addresses the unique issues specific to the youth admitted to that cottage. You can ask for copies of the cottage and school manuals, which are highly informative and useful reference guides.
- Camano Cottage for children ages five to 12
Camano Cottage admits children ages five to 12
Camano Cottage admits both boys and girls ages six through 12 years old (with some variation) and is designed for the youngest population of ours. The cottage capacity is 16 patients.
Camano cottage uses a cognitive behavioral milieu, a structured incentive program and practical coaching to assist in behavior change. We draw from the dialectical behavior therapy for children model to increase emotion regulation and distress tolerance skills. All patients receive anger management and social skills training. Camano staff use these approaches to build mastery and teach coping skills so that children may learn to safely express their feelings.
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- Ketron Cottage for children ages 11 to 16
Ketron Cottage admits children ages 11 to 16
Ketron Cottage admits youths ages 12 through 14 years old and is intended for the young adolescent population of CSTC. Like other cottage programs at the hospital, Ketron provides a cottage manual to youth upon admission. "The Ketron Youth Handbook" is a youth-friendly guide that counselors review with each youth on admission day to help orient them to basic rules, schedules, activities, and treatment team members. Every youth has a primary counselor on each shift who helps them learn program rules and structure, develop individualized safety plans, and successfully reach their goals. The cottage has a capacity of 16 youth.
The cottage treatment team collaborates with youths to help them connect their internal experiences (i.e., emotions and thoughts) to language, making them more likely to make safe choices in difficult moments. Youths also learn more about the relationships among their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, and how these relationships can lead to helpful or unhelpful outcomes. As Ketron youths learn and practice new skills, they learn how to use these skills to prepare for and cope with life challenges and be more successful when they return to the community. The team also works with families whenever possible to teach them skills to help increase productive communication, build trust, reduce conflict, increase behavioral skills and increase successful problem-solving.
The Ketron program relies on collaborative communication styles that enhance motivation for change by increasing youth engagement and collaboration, affirming youth strengths, and helping each youth identify their own goals and values. Treatment is tailored to the individual youth and is informed by cognitive behavior therapy, dialectical behavior therapy and trauma focused-cognitive behavior therapy. The goal of Ketron Cottage staff is to create a safe and trustworthy place where youths can learn and practice safe speech and actions, respect for self and others, responsibility for self, commitment to positive behavior, hopefulness and skills to be more effective and safer in the community.
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- Orcas Cottage for children ages 15 to 17
Orcas Cottage admits children ages 15 to 17
Orcas Cottage is a program for older adolescents within Child Study Treatment Center and generally admits a maximum of 15 youths who are a danger to themselves or others due to a psychiatric disorder. Behavioral characteristics of Orcas youth often include suicidal and para-suicidal behavior, aggression, interpersonal chaos, emotional instability, impulsivity, identity confusion, psychotic behavior and, in some cases, an inability to manage basic self-care needs.
The focus of the program is to provide extended psychiatric treatment to help youth develop the skills necessary for them to successfully return to their families and communities. The program primarily uses dialectical behavior therapy to address many core issues among our client population.
The Orcas Cottage layout consists of two separate living areas for youth: the Sound Program and the Harbor Program. The Sound Program side has two pods with four single bedrooms and one additional room. The Harbor Program has seven single bedrooms. Most youth begin their treatment on the Harbor side but may move to the Sound side as they demonstrate greater independence and responsibility in their treatment. Counselors are trained to communicate with patients to help them become and stay engaged in treatment and motivated to achieve their goals.
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- San Juan Cottage for children ages 15 to 17
San Juan Cottage admits children ages 15 to 17
San Juan Cottage admits up to 18 adolescents between the ages of 15 and 17 who present a danger to themselves or others due to a psychiatric disorder. Youth admitted to San Juan Cottage often experience suicidal behavior, self-harm, aggression, emotion dysregulation, psychosis, impulsivity, difficulties with relationships, and/or inability to complete self-care tasks. San Juan Cottage also admits forensic patients for competency evaluations and/or restoration.
The cottage is divided into two separate living areas: Rainier and Glacier. Each side of the cottage has two pods with four single bedrooms. The Rainier side includes two additional single bedrooms near the day hall. Most youth initially begin their treatment on Glacier, but may move to Rainier as they demonstrate safe behavior and the ability to be more independent and responsible in their treatment. Some patients may remain on Glacier if they need closer attention due to concerns such as aggression, self-harming behaviors, the inability to carry out basic activities of daily living without close supervision and/or for forensic or legal purposes.
Treatment on San Juan Cottage is focused on helping patients develop necessary skills to safely return to their families and communities. The treatment program is primarily based on principles of dialectical behavior therapy. Other therapies, such as cognitive behavioral therapy, trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy, motivational interviewing, and collaborative problem solving are also incorporated into treatment and milieu programming on San Juan Cottage. Staff are trained to help patients practice skills to manage feelings, make safe choices, and achieve their treatment goals.
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