Leaving your child in someone else’s care is one of the hardest things for any parent to do. Even when our brain knows it’s the best thing to do, the heart has trouble letting them go. We’d be lying if we said it was easy, but having clarity on what life will look like for your child while they’re away can ease this anxiety.
We want to give you the confidence that Clearfork Academy is truly creating the best environment for their recovery, so here is what a day in the life of your teen looks like during their substance abuse and mental health treatment.
Our Morning
Our days are robust and full of activity. Some might even say exhausting, but this is what we strive for. We pack in as much therapeutic activity as we can to get the maximum amount of long-term benefit and mental healing for each minute your child is with us.
We start early. Before 8 a.m., we do the normal waking-up routine of getting dressed, brushing our teeth, having breakfast; then we do what we call “The 3 Gs”:
– What is our Goal?
– What are we Grateful for?
– What are we expecting God to do today?
It’s our way of setting purposeful intentions from the very beginning each morning, and it helps us get into a positive mindset to tackle the rest of our day.
With our minds now focused, it’s time to start the school day. Lessons go for four hours, from 8 in the morning to noon, to make sure they are staying sharp and not sacrificing their education while in treatment.
Our Afternoon
There’s a brief time set aside for relaxation and mental rest in between the end of our school day and when we break for lunch. Then, we’ll eat together before our 1 o’clock group. This group session is focused around a life skill that your child can take with them for real-world application every day.
Here, we’ll cover topics like time management, conflict resolution, and other skills that may be hard to learn independently. These are all best practice, teachable moments that can have a massive impact on their future success and happiness, which is why we’ve made them a part of our core curriculum.
At 2:00, we jump into process group. We really get into that next level of engagement; it’s not a time to simply complain about our day. This is where we get to know the intimate details of each other’s hearts. There will be laughter, tears, and bonds formed here to get your child through their treatment while they discover their own sense of self.
There is also an hour dedicated to fitness. We have a variety of planned structure activities designed to work out your child’s body and mind. We practice calisthenics, cardio, and offer free weights and other various exercise equipment. The exertion is a great way to stay healthy, and the physical activity is its own form of therapy. They can work out whatever is on their mind through sweat, grit, and their own strength.
Later in the day we have our family sessions and one-on-one counseling time. Family sessions are designed to address your family’s unique needs, so everyone can begin to heal. During one-on-one counseling, our therapists work to help your teen understand the underlying causes of their addiction and find lasting change.
Our Evening
After we have dinner, and our nurses make medication rounds, we spend time in our smart recovery and 12-step based NA or AA style group sessions. This is the time we will really talk about the in and out of addiction: the signs, the symptoms, the steps to recovery, and the interventions. We diagnose what the nuts and bolts of teenage substance abuse are and break it down for them to understand what they’re dealing with. These can vary from speaker meetings to step studies, etc.
Next, we have a time for meditation and self-reflection, and this is when we will also do an informal discussion to share about how the day went. We check in every morning with our “3 Gs”, and at night we check out by sharing our wins for the day.
Lastly, we will cap off our rigorous day with a full 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep. This is crucial; it’s the brain’s time to store information, process memory, and this is when the body does it’s best healing.
In a Nutshell
Our weekdays are packed to ensure your teen is getting the structure and every facet of therapeutic activity that they need for their recovery. The weekends are still full of clinical engagement, but it’s also a time for rest. Their minds and bodies can relax a bit more in anticipation of the week to come.
At Clearfork Academy, our thirteen-week program is based on our core values and best practice interventions to help your teen process, understand, and recover. This isn’t a band-aid. These are lifelong skills for long-term success.
If your child is struggling with substance abuse or mental health, we’re here to help. Our clinical admissions specialists are available 24/7 to help with your unique situation. Please call us at (817) 259-2597, email us at help@bivisee1.sg-host.com, or visit our website at www.ClearforkAcademy.com!
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Originally from the Saginaw, Eagle Mountain area, Austin Davis earned a Bachelor of Science in Pastoral Ministry from Lee University in Cleveland, TN and a Master of Arts in Counseling from The Church of God Theological Seminary. He then went on to become a Licensed Professional Counselor-Supervisor in the State of Texas.
Austin’s professional history includes both local church ministry and clinical counseling. At a young age, he began serving youth at the local church in various capacities which led to clinical training and education. Austin gained a vast knowledge of mental health disorders while working in state and public mental health hospitals. This is where he was exposed to almost every type of diagnosis and carries this experience into the daily treatment.
Austin’s longtime passion is Clearfork Academy, a christ-centered residential facility focused on mental health and substance abuse. He finds joy and fulfillment working with “difficult” clients that challenge his heart and clinical skill set. It is his hope and desire that each resident that passes through Clearfork Academy will be one step closer to their created design.
Austin’s greatest pleasures in life are being a husband to his wife, and a father to his growing children. He serves at his local church by playing guitar, speaking and helping with tech arts. Austin also enjoys being physically active, reading, woodworking, and music.
