Program Goals

Youth Health Associates' overarching goal is to apply a multi-modal approach in addressing the young person’s offense patterns. YHA bases it's finely crafted treatment model on the latest, and most up-to-date empirical research in the field of Sex-Specific treatment. This makes YHA the intelligent choice for change in working with our troubled residents.

Adjunct to our sophisticated individual clinical services, residents' treatment is supplemented by milieu treatment, behavioral modification and Psycho-Social Rehabilitative Services (PRS). This versatile and innovative approach allows residents to prepare for practical application of the invaluable skills and knowledge they acquire while in our care. These approaches focus on the following areas: development, social skills, recreation, education, finances, self-care, transportation, housing, employment, relapse prevention and reintegration.

YHA also provides the finest Group Therapy complimentary to residents' individual clinical programming. Our mental health professionals have over 100 years of combined experience working specifically with sexually aggressive youth and youth with sexual behavior problems. This outstanding clinical feature empowers our residents to make substantial changes in their unhealthy behaviors. You won't find a more qualified and reliable clinical team anywhere.   

The primary aim of Youth Health Associates’ sex-specific treatment is to instill in the youth the knowledge and tools to effectively build and implement a positive identity and self-image revolving around healthy ways of meeting their needs. In accordance with the NOJOS holistic developmental treatment philosophy, Youth Health Associates believes that treatment interventions need to help the youth to successfully re-enter a healthy developmental pathway and foster the competency and resiliency needed to resolve the initial and current factors that led them to offend.

Youth Health Associates integrates standard sex-offense-specific treatment components, such as development of full accountability for all offense behaviors; advancing and sustaining victim empathy and general empathy for others; insight into offense dynamics and their choice to offend; education about healthy sexual attitudes, boundaries, and sexual identity; and, the product of a realistic and comprehensive relapse prevention plan to avoid future offense. The treatment and healing that takes place at Youth Health Associates assists youth to develop a better understanding of themselves, their sexuality and sexual development, and instill within the youth an ability to own the consequences of their actions. Overall, this helps the youth mature and reestablish a normative pathway for their sexuality and healthy life.

Short Term Goals

Clients: With all youth, YHA identifies specific negative and maladaptive patterns of coping while providing healthy alternatives that relate to the young person’s abilities and strengths. YHA views each youth as more than an offender. Our residents are treated as persons of infinite worth, and we strive to treat the whole person while forming a healthy identity.

Facility Goals: YHA aims to systematize and standardize our treatment, training, protocols, records, manuals, job descriptions, etc. to enhance our ability in providing a complete continuum of care for our clients. Additionally, it is imperative that all of our procedures are communicated and accessible to all parties involved in the success of the youth.

Long Term Goals

Clients: YHA works closely with other agencies in helping the youth in treatment, the victim and in promoting eventual community reintegration and family reunification (where appropriate).

Facility: Our goal is to make our continuum of care the finest available. YHA aims to have the ability to back this up with measured treatment outcome data. YHA wants to foster a reputation of integrity, respect, consistency and safety.