| News
& Views
- Dec, 1992 Issue |
Intermountain Children's
Home
Tina Johnson, Director of Social Services
Helena, Montana
406-442-7920
Founded in 1909 as an orphanage
for children, the home became a specialized residential treatment home
in 1980. They are now on a 40 acre location on the edge of Helena treating
boys and girls between the ages of five and twelve at admission who
are moderately and seriously emotionally disturbed. The current population
is 24 students which will increase when new construction is completed.
It is a private, non-profit organization, governed by a board of trustees,
and is licensed as a child care agency for residential treatment by
the state of Montana, and also operates under the auspices of the United
Methodist Church, the United Church of Christ and the Glacier Presbytery.
Over 50% of their income comes from private contributions. "The treatment
model utilized...is the Attachment Model. We view children's pathology
and attachment problems to be intertwined. For some children, there
is an early failure to bond to parenting figures; for others, a disruption
of the bonding process. In either case, over a period of time, the child
develops a collection of learned behaviors to avoid and resist the demands
of bonding. "Children with attachment difficulties do not trust adults
or caregivers care, control, or incorporate the behaviors and values
of their caregivers. They develop behaviors that control others, keep
others at a distance, and they meet their needs through manipulation
or withdrawal." "Each child lives in a small group setting of eight
children who are under the care of at least two staff during waking
hours and one awake staff at night. The task of the milieu is seen as
the creation of an environment that facilitates close, intense personal
relationships while confronting behaviors that interfere with that closeness.
This milieu provides a caring environment focused on treatment incorporating
family values and qualities. The process becomes a re-education in living."
Copyright
© 1992, Woodbury Reports, Inc. (This article may be reproduced without
prior approval if the copyright notice and proper publication and author
attribution accompanies the copy.) |
