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Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is the primary treatment modality used at Alternative Living Solutions-Greensburg Youth Initiative to establish a foundation for long-term responsible living. Research indicates that youth with behavioral and emotional difficulties can benefit from CBT.

CBT is based on modifying everyday thoughts and behaviors, with the aim of positively influencing emotions. CBT focuses on changing negative or faulty patterns of thinking into accurate, desirable ones.

All Youth will attend CBT groups where they will learn how to identify thinking errors and common mental mistakes. Alternative Living Solutions utilizes components of CBT as a means of assisting youth in managing the social and behavioral dynamics of their lives.

Examples of Thinking Errors

Excuse making: Is a means of avoiding responsibility for not having honored a commitment; reason used to deny accountability and therefore sidestep consequences for one's failure. Excuses usually involve things rather than people.

Blaming: Is where a person holds other people responsible for their pain, or take the other track and blame himself or herself for every problem they encounter.

Justifying: The process of making something right from something wrong by listing reasons that validate this, thereby avoid feeling guilty.

Redefining: Shifting the focus from one person to another, changing topics of conversation from an undesirable one to a safe one, or by "re-labeling" to make something OK.

Super-optimism: Extremely "wishful" or "magical" thinking; establishing unobtainable goals that are not realistic due to a lack of a concrete plan of action; "I think-therefore it is"; attributing more to something than that which really exists.

Lying: The process of deception and dishonesty through falsification of the facts. The three forms of lying are:

Commission – Making something up that is simply not true Omission – Half-truths; saying partly what is so, but leaving out major sections

Assent – Faking agreement with someone (being fake) by responding affirmatively to their input but without believing it

Every youth’s progress is tracked and recorded on the Youth Development Summary

Each day youth are required to carry out basic program expectations. These expectations have a total of 425 points assigned to them. Youth must have at least 325 points to earn privileges. Points and behaviors are evaluated nightly during Mentored Reflection. Staff meets with each youth individually to discuss progress and calculate points.

Positive role modeling, completing extra chores, exceeding program expectations, and practicing pro-social behaviors are recognized and rewarded through our behavioral incentive program. Sand Dollars may be earned by youth and spent in the Sand Dollar Shop.

Our Sand Dollar economy assists in not only reinforcing acceptable behaviors, but also in teaching some essential independent living skills. Sand Dollars are recorded/deposited in checkbooks. Youth learn how to budget, reconcile a checkbook, write checks, and save “money”.

Sand Dollars can be spent in the Sand Dollar Shop every two weeks. Youth are able to purchase health and beauty items, stationary, stamps, books, clothing, extra phone calls, and snacks. Youth are able to save their Sand Dollars for items they wish to purchase from department stores by creating a Behavior Contract.

Behavior Contracts are created by the youth and approved by the Director of Operations. Before the contract may be created the item, store, and amount to be spent must also be approved. The youth is responsible for identifying behaviors they need to work on and setting goals related to those behaviors. The youth will evaluate their goals for a pre-determined amount of time. Upon completion the youth will be able to go to the identified store with staff to buy their item.

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Contact Information:

Telephone:     (724) 834-3496     FAX:     (724) 834-4200

Postal address:     Alternative Living Solutions

                                 2108 Tartan Court
                                   Latrobe, PA 15650

Electronic mail:     Information:     admin@alternativelivingsolutions.com

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Send mail to webmaster@alternativelivingsolutions.com with questions or comments about this web site.Last modified: 03/04/10 - Copyright @ 02/2009

Send mail to webmaster@alternativelivingsolutions.com with questions or comments about this web site.
Last modified: 03/04/10 - Copyright @ 02/2009