BRIDGE CASE MANAGEMENT FOCUS

• Psychiatric and Medical Care
• Clinical Arrangements & Appointments
• Medication Management
• Arrange Intensive Outpatient Program

• Social / Interpersonal
• Social Cues
• Social Networking
• Conversational Skills

• Recreation
• Enjoying Life
• Stress Reduction
• Balanced Routine

• Self-Management
• Organization
• Time Management
• Money Management

• Family
• Family Education / Training
• Liaison for Family & Client
• Liaison for Family & Clinician

• Education / Vocation / Service
• Job Coaching
• Volunteer Activities
• Education Guidance

• Belief System
• Focus
• Attitude
• Perspective

Phase 1

• Use of personal computers is not allowed. Only the house computer may be used by residents during Phase 1 (unless otherwise directed by their treatment team);

• Residents in Phase 1 cannot meet or visit with friends during the first 90 days. However visit by family members is allowed with staff approval;

• Cell phones are not allowed during the Phase 1. During Phase 1 residents may use the house phone (unless otherwise directed by their treatment team).

Phase 2

• During Phase 2, residents may use their own laptop computers in the downstairs common areas under staff observation and supervision. (No pornography or any other inappropriate material);

• Use of a personal cell phone is permitted in the downstairs common areas;

• Visitors/guests may visit residents during Phase 2. All visits are to be scheduled no later than 24hours before the visit and authorized by staff. Visiting hours are from 11:00 AM – 11:00 PM under staff supervision. Guest baggage is to be checked into the office prior to any visit. Further, visitors may be screened by staff and any personal property brought into the residence for contraband, inappropriate materials and illegal substances;

• Failure to adhere to provisions outlined in Phase 2 could result in reinstitution of Phase 1 status.

Phase 3

• Personal cell phone are permitted;

• Use of a personal computer is permitted;

• Residents may visit friends offsite while accompanied by a staff member. All offsite visits with friends must receive prior authorization by staff no later than 24 hours before the planned visit. Upon return from any outside visit, residents may be given a UA test and/or a breathalyzer;

• Use of personal cell phones, personal computers, and guest visits will be continually monitored by Bridge staff to assure adherence to these provisions.

• Failure to adhere to provisions outlined in Phase 3 could result in reinstitution of Phase 1 or 2 status.

Bridge Case Management / One-on-one Guidance

• Individual check-ins: Staff will meet one-on-one with each resident throughout the day.
• Assessment and collaboration
• Bridge staff will oversee each resident’s daily activities in terms of planning, scheduling, and coordinating transportation, meals, etc.

Objectives:
o Developing trusting relationships between staff and clients
o Making our program individualized & ensuring that no client falls through the cracks in terms of devoting our resources and time to meeting their recovery needs
o Providing one-on-guidance

Recovery / Therapeutic Sessions

• Attending psychiatrist appointments regularly
• Attending therapy/IOP appointments regularly.
Objectives:

o Engage in the professionally-guided, therapeutic foundation for recovery
o Utilize tools learned in therapy in one’s daily life
o Being honest and open with one’s treatment team

Medication Observation and Assistance
• Bridge will provide complete medication management, including observing & assisting each client in taking his medication as well as ensuring prescriptions are refilled
Objectives:

o Increase awareness of time to take meds
o Develop consistency and good habits in taking medication as prescribed

General House Structure

• Sign-in/Sign-out sheet
• Residents will sign-in each time they leave the premises, and each time they return.
• Curfew
• Residents will abide by enforced curfew
• Resident Observational Rounds
• Staff attends to the location and activity of each resident and will conduct regular room checks.
• Personal Business (PB) FoBridge Managers
• Each day, residents will fill out a personal business form which outlines what their daily activity will be
Objectives:

o Developing personal accountability
o Increasing community responsibility, respect, cleanliness and cooperation

Morning Gratitude and Meditation
• Each morning, house members gather in common area for readings, expressions of gratitude and meditation
• Facilitated by Resident Manager
• Members will read from inspirational material and each share on the reading or what they’re grateful for
• Members will discuss their personal &/or recovery goals for the day
Objectives:
o Increase client’s ability to center themselves, focus and practice meditation for continued use after they leave
o Creating achievable goals for the day
o Practice community and interpersonal relating skills
o Improve communication skills

General House Meeting – Weekly
•Each week, house members gather in common area for a house meeting –attendance is mandatory
• Each resident takes turns in discussing how his week was, what goals he had achieved, the various challenges he encountered and the victories he had.
• This serves as a general processing group.
• Additionally, residents discuss any house concerns that are on their mind. Objectives:
o Increasing responsibility and respect
o Practice community and interpersonal relating skills
o Improve communication skills
o Creating achievable goals for the week
o Being mindful of progress made toward their goals.

Daily Reflection
•Each evening before dinner, house members gather in the common area to check in about how their day went – goals achieved, challenges, etc.
• Residents assess whether they achieved or made progress on their personal and/or recovery goals stated earlier in the day (during Morning Gratitude & Meditation (see above)
Objectives:

o Practice community and interpersonal relating skills.
o Improve communication skills.
o Practice reflecting on the positives from the day.
o Being mindful of progress made toward their goals.

House Responsibilities
•Every resident will be assigned house responsibilities.
• This includes maintaining their rooms and a section of the common area (e.g., vacuuming the living room, after-breakfast clean-up, etc.)
Objectives:

o Practicing hygiene and self-care
o Practice community responsibility, common courtesy, respect, cleanliness and cooperation

Physical Exercise
•Aerobic, weight lifting and yoga classes, supervised by staff • Free gym membership to LA Fitness
Objectives:

o Encouraging and increasing knowledge of personal health & wellness
o Stress reduction
o Balanced routine

Vocation or Education
•Reintegrating with career and education, including setting goals and receiving staff support in helping to schedule appointments, meet obligations and walk through difficult and challenging moments that arise as one begins or continues work or school

Organized Recreation
•Every afternoon, residents participate in organized recreation (either offsite or at the house.)
• Facilitated by a Bridge staff member or case manager. Sometimes this is facilitated by a professional in that particular recreational activity/sport.
• Attendance at these groups is mandatory for all residents unless they have prescheduled appointments.
• Examples of recreational activities:
o Bowling
o Boxing Science USA
o Basketball (and any number of sports)
Objectives:

o Encouraging and increasing knowledge of personal health & wellness
o Developing a nascent interest in an athletic pursuit
o Enjoying life
o Stress reduction
o Balanced routine

Workshops
•Either one or two 45-minute workshop/groups are held in the morning (sometime between the hours of 10am and 12p); plus a one 45-minute workshop/groups held in the early afternoon (sometime between 1pm and 3p). • Example of schedule looks like this:
10 - 10:45AM = GOAL SETTING
11:15 - 12PM = HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS
1:30 – 2:15PM = SPIRITUALITY

• Facilitated by a Bridge case manager or other professional
• Attendance at these groups is mandatory for all residents unless they have prescheduled appointments.

• Topics for these groups are:
• Goal Setting
o How to set achievable personal goals.
• Organization & self-management
• I believe…
o Identifying past and current beliefs, and which new beliefs you have that you’d like to incorporate into your belief system.
o How do we change our self-talk & our beliefs about ourselves.
o How does what we believe affect our daily life
• Time Management
o Effectively & responsibly planning our days.
• Healthy Relationships
o Communication skill building
o How to ask for what you needs are
o Establishing healthy boundaries
o Navigating and regulating intimacy
o Sexual intimacy as separate from emotional intimacy
o Relationship care
• Social Skills (with role-playing)
o How to effectively manage/deal with relationships and rejection
o Social cues
o How does one talk about oneself – being able to be aware of positive/negative cues when with others
o Social networking
o Conversation skills
• The Diamond Within (self-exploration)
o Finding the creative self in each of us
o Exploring what your dreams are
o Uncovering hobbies & interests
• Music Listening & Emotional I.Q.
o Experiencing and naming emotions (and identifying the physical cues of emotional expression)
o Listening to client-selected pieces of music and identifying our many feelings as specifically and as nuanced as we can
o Experiencing feelings coming; experiencing feelings going
o Knowing that the experiencing of an emotion always has a beginning, a middle and an end
o How to visualize an experience of an emotion
• Nutrition
o Healthy food knowledge & habits
• Sleep Wellness
o Healthful sleep habits and patterns
o The rituals of a good night sleep
• Spirituality
o Centering & connection
• Stress reduction
o Self regulation and de-escalation of dysfunctional emotions
• Self-Esteem: what is it and how to build it
o Building self-esteem through doing ‘esteem’-able acts. What is an ‘esteem’- able act and how do we do it?
o Ego strength
• Personal finances
o Developing effective money management and responsibility skills
Objectives:

o Developing and expanding upon skills needed for successful independent living
o Guided exploration of one’s self; embracing a deeper knowledge of self

Bridge Adventures are tours, outings, field trips, etc. – scheduled for each day – that focus on the following educational and therapeutic themes:

‘Celebrate Your Life’ Mondays are about learning to have fun in social settings, understanding public social cues and, how to respond properly

‘Beauty Is All Around Me’: Cultural and Art Tours on Wednesdays focus on inculcating, ,contemplation ,mindfulness and aesthetic interest

Environmental and Natural Settings

‘Go See It’: Search, Discover, Learn – help ignite and increase awareness of one of the most exciting and burgeoning fields in American industry: science & technology.

For ‘Having Fun!’ – creating fun and joyful experiences for our clients – is what differentiates the Bridge Program from other similar programs.

Our residents not only enjoy themselves at Bridge, but they gain the recovery experience and skills they need to sustain that happiness for a lifetime.

The following are ‘Weekend Adventures’ from the past that our clients have coordinated themselves:

 Boat trips to Catalina Island  Deep-sea sport fishing off of Marina del Rey  Trips to Disneyland Resort, Six-Flags Magic Mountain, and Universal Studios Hollywood  Walks on the beach – at Malibu and Venice  Holiday parties & dances  Pool parties & BBQs

The Objective of Resident-Planned Week end Adventures’ is the Planning & participating in fun events; Developing a passion for exploring outside events & excursions; Enjoying life and stress reduction; Community activity

Bridge Volunteer Leaders are individually designed volunteer opportunities based on each resident’s interests.

These experiences affect our residents in very meaningful ways – for some, even life-changing. Our goal is to our clients recognize the clues to special talent that they have and how they can best develop it to contribute to society – at any level.

The therapeutic objectives of bridge volunteer leaders is; Developing social responsibility; Nurturing leadership and initiative; Giving back.

The following are a sample of the current activities of the Bridge Volunteer Leaders program:

And many more…

Through assessments and individual counseling, we develop an appropriate Individualized Transition Plan to help them plan their future.

Career

Higher Education

Whether the student wants to continue in post-secondary education at a university, community college, vocational school, or the student wants to work full-time directly out of high school we build, evaluate, and ultimately bring to fruition an individualized set of goals that will help them succeed.