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New Perspectives - Jan,
2001 Issue #77
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Willow Springs Center
Reno, Nevada
Karen O’Connor – Director of Admissions
1-800-448-9454
Willow Springs Center, a 74-bed, co-ed psychiatric residential center
for children and adolescents ages 5 through 17, is licensed as a hospital by the state of Nevada. They are also accredited by JCAHO
(Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations) and are a member of the American Association of Children's Residential
Centers.
They take an active, family oriented approach to patient care, offering
both a children's and an adolescent's program. The Children's Program provides residential treatment for children ages 5 through 12
and is designed to treat maladaptive behaviors and/or disorders that occur during childhood. The program is designed to help children
learn healthy ways of expressing feelings while working on self-control and building self-esteem.
Willow Springs Adolescent Program provides residential treatment
for teens, ages 13 through 17, who may be experiencing problems at home, school or in their communities due to depression, anxiety,
attention deficit disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, adjustment disorders, dual diagnosis, personality disorders and/or behavioral
disorders. The goal of the Adolescent Program is to help teens develop self-confidence, trust and the responsibility necessary to
move successfully into young adulthood.
Each resident has a treatment plan, and under the direction of a
licensed psychiatrist, each child receives a comprehensive evaluation upon admission. The treatment plan is reviewed and revised frequently
to reflect a child's progress. Residents receive a full compliment of therapies including individual, group and family therapies while
in treatment.
The facility and grounds are designed to provide a supportive, safe
environment for patients and families. Residents of Willow Springs Center live in a dormitory style setting, thus providing for 24-hour
interaction with peers and staff. On the Children's Unit, boys and girls live in separate rooms, each containing two or three beds,
with private bath facilities located within a few doors of each room. The boys and girls live on separate hallways in the Adolescent
Unit, with an expansive dayroom and lockable hallway separating them. Each room on the adolescent unit is semi-private and has private
bath facilities.
Both programs enroll residents in their state licensed private Truckee
Meadows School in which students may earn transferable credits. Willow Springs Center also offers the Adventure Challenge Course on-site
as well as other recreational therapeutic opportunities. Course elements include ropes, cables, and logs that create obstacles or
challenges. This experiential learning program is designed in three phases.
Phase One of the experiential learning program features warm-up
games that enhance awareness of the group and its members. Phase Two challenges the group to solve problems creatively. Group members
begin to communicate, develop trusting relationships, and discover they're capable of much more than they once thought. Phase Three
presents the most difficult and inspiring aspects of the course. Individuals and groups are challenged to achieve peak performance
by traversing cables and climbing heights of 30 and 40 feet (adolescents only). These exercises are more than physical challenges.
They present obstacles as opportunities for personal growth. The course is conducted within a safe, organized, and sequential system
led by instructors who are accredited therapists. The Adventure Challenge Course helps young people realize that many obstacles they
face in life come from within and can be overcome. Sometimes, your biggest challenge in life is yourself.
Willow Springs Center strives to provide an environment that addresses
the individual needs of each patient, offering multi- disciplinary treatment team involvement in all aspects of care. The patient
is given the opportunity.
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