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Mission Statement
The mission of Eastern Suffolk BOCES at Outreach House, an educational, residential and therapeutic community for adolescents, is to provide instruction based on the New York State mandated curriculum. Students are educated within a highly structured environment so they can continue their academic progress as they experience successful lives free from drugs and alcohol.
Program Profile Summary
Outreach is a Therapeutic Community whose mission is to help adolescents lead lives free from drugs and alcohol.
George DeLeon and M. Rosenthal define the principal aim of the therapeutic community is a global change in lifestyle: abstinence from illicit substances, elimination of anti-social activity, employability, and pro-social attitudes and values. The rehabilitative approach requires multi-dimensional influence and training which, for most, can only occur in a 24-hour residential setting. The TC coordinates a comprehensive rehabilitative offering in a single setting. The "therapist" and teacher in a TC are the community itself, consisting of peers and staff who role model successful personal change. Staff members also serve as rational authorities and guides in the recovery process. The TC's approach to rehabilitation is based on an explicit perspective of the drug abuse disorder. It is this perspective that shapes its organizational structure, staffing and treatment process.
Treatment usually spans 9-12 months and residents enter the program through the court systems, by school referral or voluntarily. The program meets the needs of the residents through a variety of components, family therapy, individual and group therapy, recreation, vocation and education.
Eastern Suffolk BOCES has been invited to provide the educational component while the students are completing their course of treatment. One unique aspect of our BOCES program is that we work in conjunction with another organization. Outreach is a TC with specific guidelines as to how their facilities will be run. Although the school functions on its own, we (the staff) must be willing to understand and accept the concepts of the TC philosophy. The success of our work is based on a good relationship with the organization that houses us. Through weekly meetings, we are able to accomplish this goal.
Outreach has seven teachers and seven assistants and maintains a ratio of 8:1:1 with all students in the house attending school. The majority of students are not labeled as having handicapping conditions. The number of classes and teaching staff at Outreach allows for more flexibility in scheduling and grouping students. The purpose of Eastern Suffolk BOCES at the Outreach program is to help students gain credits and pass statewide tests in order to receive New York State High School diplomas as they work on their recovery.
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