Our Clinical Pathways

Lifeskills offers clinical pathways, which are the foundation of our evidence-based practices. Each pathway is led by a doctoral-level or licensed clinician with additional national certifications in their area of expertise. 

Based on an assessment of clinical need and diagnosis, each client is prescribed the most appropriate primary and secondary clinical pathways. Throughout treatment, we’re flexible within our clinical pathways to ensure that each client’s recovery journey is right for them.

What Our Clinical Pathways Entail

Lifeskills offers pathways as the foundation of our evidence-based practices. Each pathway is led by a doctoral-level or licensed clinician with additional national certifications in their area of expertise. Based on an assessment of clinical need and diagnosis, each client is prescribed the most appropriate primary and secondary clinical pathways. Throughout treatment, we’re flexible within our clinical pathways to ensure that each client’s recovery journey is right for them. Two common examples of prescribed primary and secondary clinical pathways include:

Trauma Treatment & Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
Clients must have the emotional regulation skills necessary to process trauma without becoming emotionally dysregulated or experiencing suicidal ideation. For this reason, before entering the Trauma Treatment Pathway, a client may enter the DBT Pathway to address their emotional dysregulation.

Substance-Induced Psychosis
For a client suffering from substance-induced psychosis, we treat the psychosis symptoms first using the Cognitive Remediation Therapy (CRT) Pathway. Treating the psychosis symptoms before the individual enters the Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Pathway allows them to have better insight into their substance use. Once the client is stabilized, we transition them to the SUD Pathway.

Our Clinical Pathways

This pathway was designed for individuals who have been diagnosed with complex psychiatric and co-occurring disorders.

These individuals may have experienced any of the following: higher symptom acuity, medical-related complications, lack of adherence to medication, treatment resistance, escalated risk-taking behaviors, and multiple treatment episodes.

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is an evidence-based approach for managing mood disorders such as depression, anxiety disorders, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). CBT enhances awareness of irrational and self-defeating thoughts, helping individuals understand their responses to these thoughts while building essential coping skills.

Cognitive remediation therapy (CRT) is a treatment designed for individuals with thought disorders and psychosis due to substance use disorder (SUD). Our skilled clinicians facilitate individualized computer-based CRT programs to enhance cognitive functions such as executive functioning, processing, decision-making, impulsivity, and overall comprehension.

This evidence-based approach, combined with our life skills training, supports clients in managing their symptoms, thereby promoting more extended periods of stability and sobriety. 

This pathway is primarily used to treat personality disorders, including borderline personality disorder (BPD) and emotional dysregulation. The Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) Pathway incorporates four core components:

  • Skills-training groups
  • Individual DBT therapy
  • Phone coaching
  • Weekly consultation team meeting.

A DBT clinician is available 24/7 for phone coaching for residential and partial hospitalization to ensure continuous support Programming. 

Targeted to individuals that are at risk of developing cardiometabolic syndrome and includes culinary arts, fitness training, and nutrition coaching (provided in tandem with our other clinical pathways).

The Metabolic Fitness Pathway supports individuals with sedentary lifestyles or those experiencing lethargy and weight gain related to mental health conditions or psychotropic medications. It improves overall wellness through lifestyle changes, nutrition, and physical activity.

Key components include:

  • Initial nutritional assessment: Conducted by nutritionists and nurses, complemented by health and wellness psychoeducational groups.
  • Ongoing support: Includes coaching, grocery shopping, meal plans, and weekly culinary arts groups.
  • Personalized exercise: Individual and group sessions supervised by a certified personal trainer.
  • Additional activities: Regular yoga, meditation, pool access, and gym membership.

Note: Services are tailored to clinical appropriateness for individuals with eating disorders, but primary treatment for eating disorders is not provided.

Our staff engages with residents in real-life situations to ensure that treatment plans remain accurate and effective. By combining recreational, social, and life-skills activities with various therapeutic sessions, we support our clients by reintegrating them into everyday life and reclaiming control.

The main components of our Social Integration Model are:

Relevant
This approach helps clients achieve personalized treatment goals and regain control of their lives. Clients select activities that align with their recovery progress.

Real Time
Our licensed professionals observe clients and provide interventions. These observations are integrated into each client’s treatment plan, allowing them to practice and apply learned skills to various situations beyond treatment.

Life Strategies
Clients receive expert clinical care and guidance from our licensed staff, practicing essential life skills for success post-treatment.

Our distinctive Social Integration Model equips residents for life beyond treatment and aims to help them achieve the highest level of individual recovery.

The Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Pathway supports individuals with substance use disorders and co-occurring mental health issues by integrating CBT, REBT, and DBT principles with a 12-step philosophy. It involves clinical groups and various supports.

The trauma treatment pathway addresses PTSD, complex trauma, and dissociative identity disorder (DID) using modalities such as cognitive processing therapy, seeking safety, and exposure and response prevention therapy (ExRP) as needed. Treatment follows a 3-stage approach:

  • Safety and stabilization
  • Trauma processing
  • Reintegration, including gender-specific groups in our women’s program.

Primary modalities include CPT, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), seeking safety, and DBT.

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