Therapeutic Services

Reflections for Youth offers clinical services to in-patient clients and their families, and also offers clinical therapy to out-patient youth and families in northern Colorado.  

RFY's clinical program measures success in 2 ways: progress through treatment plan goals (established by clinician and the use of the GAIN assessment at intake, at 6 months after intake, and at discharge); and progress through the requirements of RFY's various programs leading to a transition to a lower level of care.


RFY offers Behavioral Support Programming to youth and families (BSP). BSP is a program offering clinical support to families in the home while a youth is residing with their family. The goal is to keep families residing together and learning skills in the home to ensure the safety, cohesion, and engagement of the family as a whole. BSP can include out-patient individual and family therapy, as well as time with a Youth Family Advocate, YFA, in the home.YFA's can spend between 5 and 40 hours per week with youth and families in the home.

For more information, contact the RFY Clinical Director at 970-344-1380x205.


The following are programs, theories, and treatment modalities implemented at RFY:

The Discovery Program TM: RFY utilizes The Discovery Program TM with all clients receiving day treatment services.  The Discovery Program TM, was developed by Eric Larsen, M.Ed., in collaboration with William M. Timpson, Ph.D.  "The Discovery Program is a concrete, skills-based curriculum that creates positive change in students." (Larsen, Timpson 2001).  The program has research proven success assisting youth in increasing academic achievement and learning positive social skills that help them succeed in school and life. 
For more information please visit: www.sopriswest.com

The Nurtured Heart Approach TM: RFY utilized the Nurtured Heart Approach TM as a part of the cumulative classroom management strategy.  Developed by Howard Glasser in the 1990's, the Nurtured Heart Approach TM works within the philosophy of rewarding desired behaviors with positive attention and not giving attention of any kind to undesired behaviors.  This philosophy rewards and reinforces youth when they make positive chioces, thus enhancing their understanding of the power of positive choice.  The Nurtured Heart Approach TM does not ignore negative behaviors.  RFY staff assign specific boundaries and consequences from day one with clients and enforce appropriate, consistent, and natural consequences for negative behaviors.  This reduces the attention given to negative behaviors and enhances the focus on positive behaviors. 
For more information please visit: http://wik.ed.uiuc.edu/index.php/Nurtured_Heart
or http://www.nurturinggreatness.net/

Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT):  RFY utilizes DBT as our primary mode therapy. DBT enhances and develops effective skills that assist in finding balance in conflicting areas of life. These conflicts are present in most lives and represent two truths that often oppose each other. One example is our desire to be our own unique individual and our desire to be loved and attached to others. DBT suggests that finding balance in life can help develop emotional and social stability through awareness our inner self and core values. Clients in DBT participate in individual
therapy, DBT skills group, program assignments and support in learning the skills.  Client progress is monitored through the GAIN Assessment, client self-reporting, the individual therapist and client's individual treatment plan, the client's DBT team evaluations, and the reduction of behavioral outbursts in the program and while on home passes.

Family Therapy: Families with youth in program are offered weekly therapeutic sessions with one of RFY’s licensed therapists. These family sessions are designed to enhance communication skills and foster education concerning adolescent development. The effects of specific mental health disorders are taught in order to decrease hostilities, enhance empathy, increase understanding and develop effective problem-solving skills. Families are involved in goal development throughout the sessions, and participate in the completion of an after-care agreement.

Individual Therapy: Residents and day treatment students receive weekly therapeutic sessions with one of our licensed therapists. Sessions are designed to promote self awareness and evaluate the client’s ability to make choices, deal with problems, and to challenge him or her to change the way he or she handles stress, relates to others and makes decisions. The overall goals are to increase protective factors and decrease risk factors.

Dependency and Addiction Services: Reflections for Youth is now Provisionally Licensed with ADAD/DBH which means RFY is licensed to provide substance abuse treatment as a Transitional Residential Treatment (TRT) center in the state of Colorado. The dependency and abuse program is divided into two separate components. The first component is educational services regarding chemical addiction and its impact on individuals, families and society. This is a basic curriculum offered to all residents of Reflections for Youth. The course is delivered in a once per week group run by line staff during the evening program at each of the two residential facilities. The second component is a treatment program designed to increase self-awareness and teach skills to promote personal growth, forgiveness, health and well being.  The core components of the program are all based on evidenced based practice with significant outcome results.