| Why do
girls get referred to Germaine Lawrence?
Students who attend Germaine Lawrence are referred
for a variety of behaviors that put them at risk
to themselves and/or others. Some of these behaviors
include being self injurious, physically or sexually
aggressive, running away, substance abuse, school
failure, truancy and eating disorders. Some of
our students have been hospitalized or previously
received treatment at either a short or long
term residential facility. Many of our students
have been sexually or physically abused.
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What type of programs do you have?
Jane Addams Treatment Center
(15 beds)
Provides treatment specially designed for girls
with interpersonal aggression issues, including
students with histories of being either sexually
or physically aggressive towards others as well
as histories of fire setting.
Marian Anderson Program (15 beds)
Provides highly structured, individualized treatment for
girls exhibiting a wide range of high risk behaviors.
Cynthia Browning Treatment Center
(15 beds)
Provides short term CBAT (Community-Based Acute Treatment)
services for girls requiring acute care and short-term comprehensive
assessment services.
Saul M. Hirshberg Treatment Center
(15 beds)
Provides treatment for girls with eating disorders and other
self-injurious behaviors.
Muriel Snowden Program (15 beds)
Provides treatment for girls with impulsive and oppositional
behavior.
Rosa Parks Group Home (8 beds)
Provides a less restrictive environment, in the community,
for girls as they prepare to live independently.
STARR Program (15 beds)
Provides DSS contracted STARR services for girls requiring
acute care and short-term comprehensive assessment services.
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How long do girls stay at Germaine Lawrence
and how is the length of stay determined?
The average length of stay at Germaine Lawrence is about
a year, except for our two short-term programs, in which
girls usually stay for three months or less. How long a
student stays depends on how long it takes her to reach
her goals. After a student has been at Germaine Lawrence
for forty five days there is a Treatment Planning meeting
which includes the Germaine Lawrence treatment team, the
student, her parents/family and funding representatives.
A treatment plan with clear goals is developed at this meeting.
Treatment meetings then take place every three months to
review progress towards reaching these goals. Once a student
has met their goals discharge planning begins.
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Who are the staff that will be involved in
a student’s treatment?
There are a team of staff who are involved in a student’s
treatment. They include the following:
- Program Director
- Treatment Coordinator
- Residential and Academic staff.
The Program Director is responsible for monitoring
all aspects of their program including overseeing the academic,
clinical and residential treatment for each student. The
Program Director is responsible for ensuring that every
student’s treatment needs are being met and the quality
of services provided meets the agency’s standards.
The Program Director is available to parents, social workers,
lawyers, and others involved in a student’s life, to
provide support and answer any questions that may arise.
Each student is also assigned a Treatment Coordinator
who is a Master’s Level Clinician. The Treatment Coordinator
will provide weekly individual therapy, bi-monthly family
therapy, arrange all visitation and coordinate all case
management. Treatment Coordinators maintain regular contact
with parents, guardians and outside professionals.
While the above two staff members are key for receiving
information, all staff can assist parents, and family
members, in understanding Germaine Lawrence as well as receiving
current information about a particular student.
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Do you provide individual therapy?
Individual therapy is provided on a weekly basis. In therapy,
the student will examine her behaviors, as well as some
of the underlying issues that may have affected her ability
to make good decisions and life choices. Individual therapy
also helps the students plan for a successful transition
from GLS, including identifying future goals and prevention
plans for the challenges she will face when back in the
community.
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Do you provide family therapy?
Family therapy takes place at least every other week. Initially,
the focus of therapy is to help the family members connect
with Germaine Lawrence and feel comfortable as they too
learn about our program. The Treatment Coordinator also
uses family therapy to gather information of the student’s
history as well as identify family focused treatment goals.
As treatment continues the focus of family therapy will
shift to identifying ways the student and her family can
strengthen their relationship and improve family communication
and functioning. It is the experience of Germaine Lawrence
that family involvement is a important part of our student’s
success in treatment, both while at GLS and after they transition
from the program. In order to assist parents in being involved
parent orientation, support groups and special events are
held throughout the course of a student’s treatment.
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What types of group therapy are offered?
All students participate in group therapy four times a
week.
Group therapy topics include:
- Survivors Group for sexual abuse victims
- Cycles Group helps girls learn about their behaviors
and ways to change them
- New Games uses activities to promote individual self
esteem and team building
- Adoption Group
- Violence Prevention
- Children of Alcoholics
- Expressive Art Therapy
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How is your school program designed?
Our comprehensive, licensed special education program allows
each student’s needs to be met on an individual basis.
The educational team at Germaine Lawrence fulfills the
educational requirements set by the Massachusetts Curriculum
Frameworks while at the same time providing a learning experience
that promotes a life long love of learning.
Students are assigned to a team of two teachers and two
teacher’s assistants. Each teacher focuses
on particular academic areas allowing them to
become experts on that subject, but at the same
time allowing for overlapping skills between
subjects.
Class periods are from sixty to ninety minutes
long allowing additional time for discussion,
exploration and cross subject instruction. A
key area of focus is hands on, project based
course work. Each classroom has up to ten students
with a Teacher and a Teacher’s Assistant,
allowing for individual academic and behavioral
needs to be addressed.
There are also School Counselors available to assist students
in need of one-on-one attention or who may be experiencing
behavioral problems. Students focus on academic skills as
well as working on developing appropriate classroom behavior,
increasing their attention and concentration abilities and
preparing to transition to a less structured classroom setting
upon discharge.
The Academic Program also offers a Culinary Arts,
Visual Arts and Activity Program.
The Culinary Arts Program allows students to gain
vocational skills by preparing and serving lunch for the
campus. This program also caters special events at Germaine
Lawrence.
The Visual Arts Program emphasizes the
importance of self expression as part of the
student’s treatment. Students with strong
visual art talents are encouraged to seek their
own level of expression, and students who struggle
with artistic expression are given opportunities
to find success. The results of the student's
efforts can be seen throughout the Administrative/School
buildings on Campus.
The Activity Program expands traditional
Physical Education to include activities based
within both the school and residential program.
Students are involved in a variety of physical
exercise including utilizing the fitness room
, participating in team sports (softball, volleyball,
basketball, etc.) and cooperative team building
activities.
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What type of behavior management system do
you use for consequences and privileges?
Germaine Lawrence utilizes a point and level system, where
students receive ongoing feedback regarding their behaviors.
Students work with staff to demonstrate the use
of positive behaviors and earn points that determine
their daily level.
The level system translates into privileges for
the student. As a student moves up to higher
levels she earns more privileges including walks
on or off campus, holding her own money, late
nights, special snacks and off campus activities.
At times a student may make inappropriate choices,
or use dangerous behaviors, and receive consequences.
Each Germaine Lawrence Program has three levels
of consequences, starting with a minor consequence
for behaviors such as swearing, yelling, not
following rules, etc.
If the student is able to work calmly with staff,
sometimes after a brief cooling off period, there
are no further consequences.
If the student continues to demonstrate disruptive
or unsafe behavior, staff will attempt to help
her choose safer, alternative behaviors.
If the student is unable to regain control of
her behaviors, and utilize the alternatives provided
by staff, additional consequences will be put
into place (i.e. loss of privileges).
Students are separated from the group once they
have received a negative consequence. When a
student is able to demonstrate control, as well
as discuss her behaviors and choices, she is
allowed to return to her peer group.
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Do you use physical restraints?
Staff will physically restrain (hold) a student
to maintain safety.
If a student behaves in a way that places herself
or others in immediate danger, staff are trained
to physically assist the student in stopping
the behavior.
A staff member would choose to use this type
of intervention e.g., when a student attempts
to harm herself physically or is physically aggressive
towards others.
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Do you have restrictions for new students?
What about later on in treatment?
Usually a new student will have some restrictions
for at least the first 7 to 45 days. While these
restrictions will vary between programs and the
individual student's needs, typically they include
shoes [staff hold student's shoes unless she
needs to walk outside], open door [bedroom door
must be open unless changing], common room [must
be in staff sight at all times] and campused
[cannot go off campus].
After this initial period of restrictions, a
student is placed on restrictions if her behaviors
places her at risk to hurt herself or others.
For example, a student who may be planning to
run away would be placed on a shoe restriction
for a specific amount of time.
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Who monitors medication? Is there a nurse or
doctor?
There is a school nurse available weekdays during school
hours and a doctor is on call 24 hours a day.
A physician visits the program once a week to provide routine
medical care.
There is also a psychiatrist on call 24 hours a day, and
in the program weekly, to review all psychotropic medication.
Germaine Lawrence has affiliations with Children’s
Hospital to provide these medical services.
If there is an emergency the school nurse and an administrator
are notified (or the on call after 5:00 p.m. and on weekends/holidays).
Parents/guardians are also notified by Germaine Lawrence
staff. Germaine Lawrence utilizes both Winchester Hospital
and Children’s Hospital for emergency care.
All staff are trained in basic first aid techniques as
well as given medical information pertaining to an individual
student’s medical needs. The Germaine Lawrence program
makes every effort to ensure that effective and efficient
medical attention is received by all of its students.
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Who can visit and how is visitation arranged?
All students at Germaine Lawrence are encouraged and assisted
in visiting their home, foster home or relatives. These
visits are negotiated by parents, Germaine Lawrence staff
and funding agencies, on an individual basis depending on
a student’s treatment plan.
In most cases students start off with visits on campus
and slowly move to longer visits in the community and then
at home.
Relatives, Social Workers, Lawyers, etc. are encouraged
to give the program twenty four hour notification prior
to visiting.
The Treatment Coordinator will also maintain weekly phone
contact to discuss how visits have gone, answer any questions
and continue to provide support for all family members.
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Can the students receive and make phone calls?
Each program has phones for the students to use for making
calls and
individual plans around phone use. Contact
with anyone besides relatives, lawyers and outside professionals
is usually restricted until the student has earned a certain
level of privileges and has an approved phone list from
their parent/guardian and Treatment Coordinator.
At admission, or at any point thereafter, the student’s
guardian can place restrictions on who the student has contact
with or whether or not a call is monitored (staff are in
the area during call) or supervised (calls take place on
speaker phones).
The student can also request not to speak with certain individuals
and arrangements can be made to accommodate this request.
Students may be placed on a phone restriction if they run
or have problems with phone usage. Students on restrictions
can continue to have contact with their guardian and other
professionals.
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Can students receive mail and how does this
work?
Mail is delivered each day and staff bring it back to the
program. All correspondence should be addressed as follows:
Germaine Lawrence School
c/o Student’s name
Program name
18 Claremont Ave.
Arlington, MA 02476
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Do you allow smoking?
Germaine Lawrence is a no-smoking facility. This means
that there is no smoking permitted on Germaine Lawrence
Property. Staff and visiting adults may smoke off the property.
Because purchasing cigarettes is against the law for children
under 18 years old Germaine Lawrence does not permit any
student to have smoking material in their possession, while
on the Germaine Lawrence property, or on a Germaine Lawrence
sponsored activity. Students who have smoking materials
will have these smoking materials confiscated and destroyed.
No staff may give students smoking materials. No students
may purchase smoking materials while with a Germaine Lawrence
employee. Students who are 18 or over may possess smoking
materials but must follow the same smoking rules that apply
to adults.
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What should we bring with us to the admission?
The following is a basic guideline of minimum requirements
of what a student may bring with her to the Germaine Lawrence
School:
BASIC CLOTHING:
several pair of underwear ((7-10)
bras (2-3)
Socks ((5-7 pair)
Daily clothes: jeans, shirts, t-shirts, shorts, sweaters,
sweatshirts, etc.
Sneakers
Other shoes
pajamas
robe
slippers
winter boots
mittens
spring coat/jacket
winter coat/jacket
winter hat
swimming suit
One special occasion outfit, if possible
OTHER (if needed the following
items can be provided by program)
2 sets of towels
2 sets of sheets
pillow
blanket
toothbrush
toothpaste
deodorant
shampoo, hair products
soap
feminine hygiene products
alarm clock
appropriate posters or other items for decorating room
books (put names inside)
hobby materials
tapes/cd’s
Please make sure student’s name is on all belongings
at admission.
The following items are not allowed:
TV sets
pets
expensive stereo systems
expensive jewelry
no knives or weapons
no cigarettes, matches or lighters in the programs or school
Money should be given directly to Program staff unless
otherwise approved
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