Virtual Tour
Initially licensed in 1969 as a foster/group home serving three to five children at one time, Christian Children’s Home of Ohio (CCHO) now has five cottages on its 165-acre Wooster campus that are home to as many as 46 at-risk kids whose lives have been turned upside down by abuse, neglect and trauma of all kinds.
Watch the video for a guided virtual tour of our 165-acre campus to learn more about the work being done in CCHO’s residential treatment program, and read through a few more details below.
OUR
CAMPUS
Our residential campus sits on 165 acres in Wooster, Ohio where children ages 6-18 reside in multiple cottages that house clients based on age, development, and gender and features individual bedrooms for each client. In CRC at CCHO, our goal is to help residents explore traumatic events and find healing and restoration through a variety of therapy, connection and interactive strategies. We focus on helping residents build skills that will not only make them successful in homes and communities, but will enable them to lead productive lives as adults, breaking the cycles of abuse and neglect that they have experienced.
OUR
STAFF
Our team employs a trauma effective approach to engage residents in a calm and compassionate way, eliciting safety and focusing on relationships and connection, providing 24/7 supervision to all clients. Our SCM certified and trauma effective direct care staffing team creates a 1 to 3 ratio with our clients. This allows for clients to feel safe and our team to focus on preventative strategies, de-escalation skills, incentive plans, and creative interventions to create the least restrictive environment for clients.
STATUS
SYSTEM
Our program utilizes an innovative status system that is directly linked to the resident’s individualized treatment plan goals. This system encourages goal setting, the ability to clearly view progress/outcomes and allows the treatment team to provide a specialized approach to meet the individual needs of clients. Furthermore, our program offers a balance of structure and flexibility to encourage healthy decision making.
COMMUNITY
INTEGRATION
Residents are exposed to community integration activities such as sporting events, theatre, museums and concerts. Field days and other campus-wide activities are scheduled to enrich resident life, promote teamwork and social skills and prepares residents for community living.
RESIDENTIAL
COTTAGES
Children ages 6-18 reside in one of five cottages based on age, development and gender. Each cottage contains individual bedrooms for each client, privilege rooms with TV’s and video games, dining rooms and sensory rooms.
CAMPUS
ACTIVITIES
An in-ground pool bordered by an open horse pasture, a baseball/softball field, an outdoor basketball court and a geodome provide plenty of physical activity outlets for residents. A vast wooded area with hiking trails as well as a ropes course with a Certified Ropes Course Instructor and a new gymnasium augment the overall experience that residents gain during placement here.
THERAPY
SERVICES
Four clinicians per cottage provide individual and group services. The primary therapist meets with residents individually 1-2 times per week to start the trauma work process, work on self-esteem, self-worth needs, and more. The clinical case manager helps reinforce social skills and behavioral motivations while utilizing a holistic care approach. The clinical support provider focuses on social skills, hygiene, utilizing coping skills and more. Finally, the integration therapist supports the family unit through the transition into residential care, in-program treatment, and the transition back into the home or community.
Residents also meet weekly with the music therapist at the beginning of their stay to foster connection within the program, discover residents’ likes and dislikes, and address any integration problems, while utilizing a music-oriented approach.
Independent living skills are interwoven into all aspects of client life. Children get an average of 3-4 hours of individual therapy and 5-7 hours of CPST services. All residents also participate in 3 hours of Day Treatment groups with their cottage peers 7 days a week.
TRAUMA
TREATMENT
Each resident can participate in one of two types of trauma therapy: Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), or the Instinctual Trauma Response (ITR) method, according to the unique needs of the resident. Both aid in reprocessing traumatic experiences and helping to regain a sense of connection with self and others.
ART
THERAPY
Each child is able to participate in individual art therapy to assist in an alternative expression of thoughts and feelings. Residents have the opportunity to explore a variety of art media as they acknowledge and process hurt, grief and trauma from their past.
MUSIC
THERAPY
Residents also meet weekly with the music therapist at the beginning of their stay to foster connection within the program, discover residents’ likes and dislikes, and address any integration problems, while utilizing a music-oriented approach.
EQUINE
THERAPY
Equine Therapy that utilizes relationship logic and biofeedback assists in processing trauma and further developing social and coping skills. Click here to learn more about our innovative equine program at One Heart Stables.
MEDICAL
SUPPORT
Nursing and Psychiatric services are offered on campus to monitor and manage medication and ensure the overall wellbeing of each child. In addition to using medications conservatively, psychiatric services include holistic viewpoints as well as ongoing collaboration with the cottage treatment teams to ensure efficient and effective medication utilization. GeneSight, a test that combines personal genetic data with medication information, is used to shorten a resident’s road to recovery and optimize medication success
INTEGRATION
THERAPIST
Our Integration Therapist supports the family unit through the child’s transition into residential care, his/her treatment while here, and the transition back into the home and/or community. We currently are working to develop programming that will allow us to provide more consistent aftercare support for the children and families/foster families involved with the child’s case once he/she discharges from our residential program to continue to ensure a successful transition into the community.
In putting the children first, we seek to put the family first as well in hopes this will build stronger and healthier families and children.
COMMITTED
TEAM
Weekly interdisciplinary team meetings occur to discuss the progression of each child including cottage, life, school performance, therapy and other aspects of resident care.
