Our Therapeutic

Model

E-Nini-Hassee helps girls fully realize the potential that already exists within them.

We focus on...

Helping girls develop accurate self-awareness is the foundation for long-lasting change and required for healthy relationships, academic accomplishments, effective decision-making and successful careers. To increase self-awareness, our students engage in a variety of therapeutic activities and reflective practices to discover what they do well and to evaluate their guiding principles, values and beliefs.

The E-Nini-Hassee approach is strength-based and child focused. We emphasize on increasing self-awareness and helping each girl develop effective problem solving, coping, communication and social skills to become a successful young woman. We use many therapeutic approaches to accomplish this including but not limited to: reality therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), mindfulness, strength-based approach, motivational interviewing, and group therapy.

Upon admission, each girl and her parents provide information on the concerns, needs, strengths and goals they want to address. This input is coupled with formalized academic, social skills and mental health assessments that we administer to help us design an individualized master treatment plan for each girl.

Why Group Therapy?

Group Therapy is considered an effective modality for overcoming resistance:

members confront each other about their resistance - harder to deceive each other
more likely to accept information from peers than a group leader/parent due to potential adversarial relationships with authority
provide each other with the opportunity for mutual aid and support

(Milgram, D., & Rubin, J. S. (1992). Resisting resistance: Involuntary substance abuse group therapy.
Social Work with Groups, 15(1), 95–110. https://doi.org/10.1300/J009v15n01_08)

Therapeutic factors we incorporate:

1. Instilling hope - encourage progress and provide support

2. Universality - we are all in this together

3. Imparting information - education and instruct

4. Altruism - provide opportunities to build self-esteem through community support and giving back

5. Corrective recapitulation of primary family group - groups reflect family dynamics and provide opportunity to resolve conflicts

6. Developing socializing techniques - reveal habits that may undermine relationships

7. Imitative behaviors - provide opportunities to try out behaviors in safe group environment

8. Interpersonal learning - build clearer perceptions of self and others

9. Group cohesiveness - create safe environments for honesty and openness to build

10. Catharsis - learn how to express feelings and thoughts

11. Existential factors - provide space to manage hard truths and evaluate importance of responsibility over own life

(Yalom, I. D., & Leszcz, M. (2021). The theory and practice of group psychotherapy. Basic Books.)

We Believe In...

Therapeutic Home Visits - Our girls go on home visits every six to eight weeks in order to show areas of progress and areas of continued growth. This enables the family to be a part of the therapeutic process. The girls get to practice their skills and return to the program to recognize necessary areas of growth. This model is very different from most programs.
Individualized Treatment Plans - Because our girls come in with a variety of different needs, we ensure we highlight the areas of growth within their treatment plans. The length of stay is progress-based and the treatment plans are reviewed and edited monthly to ensure success.
Family Involvement - We include parents/guardians throughout the process. They assist in the treatment planning process and can participate in Parent Workshops, a therapeutic Parent Weekend, and Family Sessions. The girls check in with their parents/guardians monthly, either through home visits or phone calls.
Group Therapy - Our girls learn from each other; because of their experiences, they can relate and understand each other, which helps them to build confidence and empower one another. We believe common humanity enhances their ability to see and be seen.
Evidence-based therapeutic programs - We use programs such as Seeking Safety, Voices, and 8 to Great to demonstrate best practices in self-esteem and substance abuse issues.
Positive Role Modeling - Our Youth Counselors and all of our staff practice what we preach. Our counselors are in group five days a week, 24 hours a day, we do not have shift work. This helps the girls understand that they are not alone.
Consistency & Relationship Building - Unlike other programs, our staff works around the clock to provide genuine connections and reconstruct similar parental roles. We have successfully demonstrated that positive role modeling is one of the most powerful tools for young women.