Willow Springs, located in Reno, Nevada, is a 116 bed, locked facility founded in 1988. Accredited by the Joint Commission, Willow Springs provides evidenced based individualized treatment. The programs treat a wide range of disorders including depression, Bi Polar, Anxiety, PTSD, schizoafective, schizophrenia and substance abuse disorders.

Willow Springs has three distinctive programs, including the Pediatric, Latency, and Adolescent. Programs. All programs include CBT, survivor's group for those suffering with sexual abuse. The programs treat ages 5 to 17. Each age groups are separated by separate dorms and no overlapping in programming. The Pediatric program is designed to help children 5-12 make successful transition from childhood to early adolescents. Children this age need a supportive and structured approaches to work with complex developmental issues. The Latency program is for those children who have reached puberty. The Adolescent program covers age 13 through 17. The goals of the Adolescent Program are many, and use the positive peer model of treatment. The program also uses a level system to help the adolescent to manage their behavior. All programs are multidisciplinary and have a full array of family, individual, group and experiential therapies.

The treatment team includes Medical Doctors, Child Adolescent Psychiatrists, licensed therapists, Alcohol and Drug Counselors, Registered nurses, case managers, Dietary Services, Education Staff, and Mental Health Services.

The programs are driven by positive relationships focusing upon active family, patient, and staff relationships, with staff modeling positive social skills and close communication and respect of the patient and family. Willow Springs stresses relationship supported programming, emphasizing staff modeled behaviors, compassion, in an effort to provide meaningful relationships with the patient and family. The intended out come is to instill confidence and value to the patient and family's life. The milieu approaches include instilling a sense of value and worth to each individual. Listening with an open mind, accepting where the patient is upon admission along with identifying and uncovering a patient's positive attributes as well as their strengths.

Throughout my visit, it became clear that the program offerings and their dedication to families, patients and each other was genuine. Each and every staff member that I spoke with, stressed the over riding attitudes and philosophies of treatment provided by Willow Springs. For a hospital the size of Willow Springs, it is difficult to ingrain philosophical approaches throughout the Hospital, but it was apparent that all staff I spoke with were passionate about what they did. Their Mission Statement is the first and most important work that leadership needs to undertake at the top.

"We are compassionate, committed and caring people, dedicated to inspire hope, as well as the ability to achieve and celebrate success through the power of relationships developed with children, families, and the communities we support.."

I found many examples of committed staff. For example, the Principal and Education Director of the school, Terri Peltier and I discussed the significance of bullying within any population of teens. Terri takes her influence beyond Willow Springs. She has been active in the community, being involved with the Attorney General and Nevada State Department of Collaborative Task Force on Bullying in 2002. She also was involved in the development of the Ant-Bullying program for Wahoe County School District. When so many of the general population among young kids were either victims or are bully's, one can only imagine what percentage of hospitalized youth have been bullies or victims. Willow Springs has their own expert resulting in assurance at the leadership level that this issue will be addressed at Willow Springs. The Willow Springs school is a licensed private school providing kindergarten through high school-level education with class size of 15 to 19 at the high school level and a ratio of one teacher to 8 students.

Another example of Willow Spring's leadership is their 20 bed DBT program. The entire treatment team did it right, by having the entire team trained under the founder of DBT, Marsha Linehan. Those trained include psychiatrist, therapist, nurses, and direct care coaches. This training includes intensive individual, family, and group therapy.

One of the key treatment components is substance abuse treatment. Motivational Interviewing is implemented in order to build rapport with patients by meeting them where they are in their recovery process. Again, the focus is upon the relationship between the patient and counselor. Their belief is that substance abuse may be a life long process, and continues throughout a person's life. The program uses the Matrix model of Relapse Prevention. 12 step meetings include weekly on site meetings and includes individual counseling. Individualized relapse prevention groups are held and information is sent back home with 12-step listings, sober activities, educational opportunities and out patient treatment.

I also had the opportunity to meet with David Briggs, LCSW, LCADC, director of clinical services. Interesting enough, David worked with Catherine Freer wilderness program and has a keen interest in experiential programming. They have developed a ropes course called Challenge by Choice course. This is a three-phase program of outdoor group activities. The program uses a series of elements including ropes, cables, and logs that create challenges to the patients. They are designed to develop communication skills, leadership, and problem solving skills and are voluntary activities.

I spent most of my time in the dormitory and living space areas. Both the boys and the girls were orderly and respectful to staff as well as to this writer. It was clear that order was well kept. The boys and girls appeared to be actively engaged in what ever activity they were in.

Willow Springs is a program that has been successful at working closely with insurance companies. This could be an opportunity for parents to obtain some financial opportunities in this slow economy. I had a boy in the hospital a few months back. When working with the family, the boy appeared to benefit from a two month treatment and returned home to live with his mother. Instead of wilderness, a patient could be stabilized at Willow Springs. All necessary assessments can be completed at Willow Springs with minimal cost due to insurance payments. Upon completion of treatment the treatment team, parents and consultant can collaborate to make plans upon discharge from the hospital. The program is a preferred provider for TRICARE, accepts most major health care insurances, and is Medicaid Approved.