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What do I need to bring for my child's stay?

When packing for your child, please keep in mind that Bridges does not provide storage space. Bridges reserves the right to send articles back home with parents/guardians that are deemed counter-therapeutic to our environment. Linens, laundry facilities and detergent are provided. The following list will be helpful when gathering your child's belongings:

Permitted Items

• A weekend bag/suitcase to remain on campus for the child when passes home are granted; large containers and suitcases will not be stored and will need to be taken back home.
• Seven days of seasonal clothing including jeans and t-shirts; casual clothing may include jeans and t-shirts.
• Sturdy tennis shoes (non-marking soles)
• Bathing suit (all seasons)
• Gym clothing
• Radio, clock, hairdryer and other electrical appliances will need to be found in safe working conditions by Bridges'' maintenance.
• Personal hygiene products
• Favorite toy (for younger children)
• Tapes and posters may be brought.
• Bridges does not provide clothing or spending allowances for the residents. You may leave money for your child with the milieu coordinator. This money will be monitored by staff

Prohibited Items

• CD players/CDs
• iPods/MP3 players
• Cell phones
• Other personal electronic devices

Residential treatment programs provide intensive help for children and adolescents with serious emotional and behavioral issues including Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Conduct Disorder, Depression, Bipolar Disorder, ADHD and educational issues. While in residential treatment, children and adolescents temporarily live outside of their homes and in facilities like Bridges Treatment Center where trained staff provide treatment and around-the-clock supervision.

Residential treatment programs are helpful for youth who have not responded to outpatient treatments, who have education needs that cannot be met in a less restrictive setting or who are in need of further intensive treatment following inpatient acute psychiatric care. For youth who have exhausted the less restrictive options in their community, Bridges is there to help.

Effective residential treatment programs like Bridges provide:

• Comprehensive evaluations assessing residents'' emotional, behavioral, medical, education, social and leisure needs, and supporting these needs safely and productively.
• Individualized Treatment Plans that meet the particular needs of each resident.
• Individual, family and group therapy.
• Psychiatry care provided by a board certified child and adolescent psychiatrist.
• Ways for families and communities to be involved, like opportunities for family therapy, on-site visits, home passes and telephone calls.

At Bridges, we conduct treatment within a therapeutic milieu designed to provide a maximum of peer involvement. Daily activities promote cooperative interaction, healthy confrontation and recognition.

• Individual, group and family therapy
• Licensed educational services, including special education services
• Occupational therapy
• Speech and hearing services
• Social skills training
• Nutrition, fitness and health programming
• Psychological testing
• Assessments
• Treatment planning with recommendations for therapy, education and medication management once discharged
• Counseling for co-occurring substance abuse disorders
• Cognitive behavioral therapy

Our treatment team includes two board certified child psychiatrists, licensed clinical social workers, licensed professional counselors, special education teachers, and registered nurses with expertise and training in Trauma Focused CBT, motivational interviewing, play therapy, sexually reactive behaviors and co-occurring disorders.

Bridges Residential Treatment Center is licensed by the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (DBHDS) and the Virginia Department of Education (VOE). Accreditation by the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) attents to our compliance with the highest national standards for safety and quality of care and our commitment to continually improving patient care. Centra, which owns Bridges, is Magnet-certified, an award given by the American Nurses Credentialing Center to select hospitals that satisfy a rigorous set of criteria designed to measure the strength and quality of nursing. Bridges Residential Treatment Center is accredited by the Virginia Association of Independent Specialized Education Facilities (VAISEF).

To view or print the license issued by Commonwealth of Virginia's Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (DBHDS), click here.

To view or print the license issued by Virginia Department of Education (DOE), click here.