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Building Success Through Family Involvement
Unlike traditional boarding schools, parents
are very involved at Mountain Springs Preparatory Academy. Because
Mountain Springs is usually the step immediately prior to a
student returning home, parents must be involved extensively in
every aspect of the clinical program of their son or daughter.
Parents play a key role in helping determine initially what skills
and principles are most important for their son or daughter.
 Once
enrolled, family therapy occurs regularly. Before returning home, Therapists help
parents and the student create a home contract, or where one
was already created in a prior treatment setting, update and
refine it based on the progress made at Mountain Springs. As a
student progresses through his/her MAPP (Master Academic and Personal Progress) plan, parents
also have the responsibility of providing consequence feedback
where necessary so that they begin to reassume the mantle of
parenting their son or daughter while they are still at Mountain
Springs.
At Mountain Springs, parents are a part of developing the MAPP plan. One section of this plan
is family goals. Parents work with their student to address issues and solutions that need to be resolved in order to make returning home successful.
Each quarter, a Family Seminar brings parents on campus to workshops and activities prepared for them. These workshops give parents tools in
effectively integrating the philosophy utilized at Mountain Springs in the home environment.
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Communication
Ideas
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Keep letters, emails and phone calls
positive.
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Be firm with your student
concerning values, school guidelines, and family
guidelines.
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Place responsibility back on the student - If your son or daughter calls you
with issues or complaints, always reply with a very supportive “I understand that
must be frustrating for you, what are you going to do about it?” This follows
the MSPA philosophy of having the students take responsibility for their own
lives and will help you and the school be on the same page.
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Ask your student to tell you
about things they are learning and applying in their
lives.
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Apply the principles of teen
communication that you learn in the workshops and in therapy. These
skills have helped many families find greater success in their communication.
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Be careful to avoid
extensive discussion of topics that may lead to feelings
of homesickness or frustration at being away from home.
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Stay current on the detailed monthly reports that are sent to you. These provide great
conversation topics about your student's successes and
challenges.
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Seek positive reinforcement
of the goals your student has set. Be familiar with the
specific goals your student is working on in his/her MAPP plan.
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