Summer Programs

The following summer programs have typically been selected based on individual need and ability:

• Community Activity and Recreation
• Social and Communication Skills Training
• Self Care Management
• Behavioral Intervention and Self-Regulation
• Parent Training and Support/Counseling
• Camper Youth Support/Counseling
• Outreach to an Individuals Home

As all individuals are unique, GEI will entertain unanticipated needs for any person or family that requests our consideration. If we can develop a program to meet the person and /or families needs we will gladly do so.

Hours/Days

Typical hours are from 9:00 AM to 3:30 PM daily Monday through Friday. Actual hours are dependent upon individual camper need and program design.

GEI intent is to design a program that fits the abilities and needs of each camper so as to maximize their opportunity for success.

Program History

GEI's summer camp incorporates knowledge acquired from a program that has existed continuously for over 23 years with a focus on the complex problems of children, adolescents and young adults. Therefore, GEI staff brings a variety of clinical and educational preparations and experiences to our summer camp programming.

On GEI staff are people with: mental health training and experience, teachers with training and/or experience with special populations, college students selected for their experience with complex needs populations, and doctoral psychologists. Independent professionals outside GEI can be contracted and included in special circumstances.

The GEI goal is to have each enrolled camper work with a staff member with whom they form a positive relationship. This may involve one or more staff depending on the camper’s ability to make transition and tolerate multiple staff.

It is the responsibility of the GEI staff member to fit the camper’s needs. Staff is assigned based on probable and continued success with an individual camper or group. Staff reassignment can be made to find the best fit for each camper. Again, the number of involved staff for a given camper is based on the camper’s ability to tolerate transition and/or multiple people.

Each camper, as they are able, selects and participates with their family and GEI staff to design a unique summer program that incorporates their existing skills and abilities. By focusing on existing skills and abilities there is an increased opportunity for a positive summer experience.

Not only are the selected components of each person’s program based on their unique needs, the schedule can be tailored to the rest of the family's summer schedule. Thus, a camper may enroll and participate in a program, leave for a family vacation or other planned activity, and return to complete their summer camp program.

Multiple factors are considered in the development of each camper’s program including but not limited to their ability to tolerate stimuli such as sounds, light, proximity of others, number of others, specific activities, and their function on a given day. The dynamics of these variables provide GEI staff insight on how best to engage a camper so as to increase the likelihood they will participate and benefit as fully as possible.

Expressly absent from the GEI summer camp are one size fits all programs.

Issues likely to influence a camper’s function are:

• illness, past and present; on-going medication;
• their ability to exercise self control, or the need to learn it;
• their emotional well being; their communication skills or need to develop them;
• social skills or need to acquire them;
• the influence of their cognitive function including medication and lack of self regulation;
• arousal level that can be influenced by worry and stimuli the camper is unprepared to manage successfully.

Campers are not placed in groupings based on similar diagnosis. Even with similar diagnosis the individuals are not all the same and do not have the same abilities and needs. It is the person’s unique abilities and needs that serve as the basis for any groupings at GEI.

No person in a group is more or less important than any other. The abilities and needs of each person should contribute to the overall goals and function of the group.

Movement from one grouping to another based on a person’s strengths and needs can be undertaken at any time. Again, the goal is to facilitate success for each person as well as the group.

Community Activity and Recreation

Campers with greater self regulation and ability to function in the community can select from a wide variety of local recreational and social opportunities. Day trips to these places and events are planned with staff for both the one-on-one and small group programs.

Each camper is encouraged to make choices and explore their interests. For campers the skills involved in the processing, planning, and decision making can be as important as the actual activity. The camper’s abilities are facilitated by staff on an as needed basis in real time with the goal of increased self confidence.

Social and Communication Skills Training

Due to the unique needs of people accepted into the GEI summer program one-on-one and/or small group activities that best fit the campers existing strengths are provided.

Communication and socialization skills are often a significant need for our campers. A program tailored to best meet those needs is common. For some that can mean a gradual introduction into a small group while for others the small group can be the beginning.

No matter the starting point each person is encouraged and facilitated to make decisions that best reflect their wishes and interests.

Self Care Management

For those campers needing to learn self care skills GEI staff will design and develop tasks that facilitate this process. Such programs can include basic skills of eating, toileting, and personal hygiene.

These programs may work best when provided within an individuals own home setting. The goal is to develop a program so that the results will continue after summer camp is over.

Behavioral Intervention And Self Regulation

While specific behaviors are important, GEI programs are designed to facilitate the ability of each person to make choices so as to achieve self-regulation and to build self-confidence.

Behavioral compliance is necessary for participation in many activities of life but compliance for the sake of controlling the individual does not address the needs of individual’s self-control. The GEI approach focuses on positive efforts to facilitate effective decision making to adapt to a given situation.

Self regulation includes unsuccessful choices. At GEI a non-successful choice is used as an opportunity for the camper to make an adjustment and learn from the overall experience. It is not solely a right or wrong choice to meet some social standard of acceptance. A choice must be adaptive for each individual and that includes the right to say “no.”

The GEI process is intended to empower campers to make choices. The goal is to not subject them to one more program that externally controls their choices, activities, and behaviors.

Effective decision making at the pace of the person affords a much higher probability of success and enjoyment of summer camp activities. Such experienced success is more likely to be retained by the camper. Therefore, subsequent effort to engage the person in positive behavioral choices and outcomes is more likely to continue after the summer is over.

Parent Training And Support/Counseling

GEI can provide tailored programs for parents and families both with and without the inclusion of the enrolled summer camper. It is believed that individuals and families are doing the best that they can and the GEI goal is to provide new ways to conceptualize problems.

By GEI providing individuals, parents, and families with new ways to address the unique needs of a designated camper and the family, each can function more effectively, both during and after summer camp.

Due to the complex dynamics of each camper and their family, higher order GEI staff training, skills, and experience are required. GEI staff trained in mental health will be involved in such programs.

Camper Youth Support/Counseling

All GEI programs address individual need. However, there are needs that can be best met in a more traditional counseling format. Such circumstances do not preclude GEI staff from providing support in other programs, as is typical.

Often the need for more focused individual support/counseling can be determined during the GEI initial assessment and program development. In some cases, this can only be determined after GEI staff has had the opportunity to spend more time with a given camper.

GEI will include the responsible decision making person(s) in instances where a program change is thought to be in the best interest of the camper.

However, the discovery of such need will be addressed by GEI staff on an as needed basis so as to not interfere with the individual’s or other campers successes.

Fees

Program costs vary dependent on the components of the camper specific program. The selected services provided within a program and the staff required to fulfill these requirements determine the actual costs.

In general, non-doctoral staff in a one-on-one program is $55.00 per hour plus any activity fees for trips and outings. Fees for programs requiring doctoral staff is $150.00 per hour for a one-on one meeting or family meeting involving support and/or counseling. Programs containing combinations of staff are based on the actual cost of providing the service plus any applicable activity fee for field trips or outings.

In Summary

No single aspect of the GEI program is more important than any other. The GEI goal is to know how to follow each person’s needs and wishes and when to introduce a selected activity. More important is the clinical knowledge required to know what an individual’s strengths and abilities are so as to make a reasonable plan that has a high probability of success.

It is also critical to know when something is not succeeding and how to make an adjustment so as to facilitate a person’s success. If something is not succeeding it is not the person’s fault but the responsibility of GEI staff to make an effective change to achieve a successful outcome.

Again, the available activities for a given camper can vary widely and are based on the individual’s abilities and needs. For some this can mean the more customary outings and activities of a more traditional summer camp.

For others the range of activity may need to be more restricted and managed more closely.

This is truly a unique aspect of the GEI experience and reflects the focus on each person’s unique existing abilities and needs.

GEI accepts that we set the stage for a camper’s successful experience. Many of our campers have already had far too many negative experiences in their life. It is the GEI goal that each camper should have a positive experience.

Glen Eden Institutes
Non-Discriminatory Policy

Glen Eden Institutes admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to campers. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in administration of its policies, admissions policies, and programs.

For information not included or questions not answered in this brochure please contact:
Dr. A. Ronald Seifert, Ph.D.
Director, Glen Eden Institute
360-697-0125

Glen Eden Institute
A Non-profit Corporation