For Parents

How are Families Involved

You may feel like you’re losing your child right now. You’ve talked to counselors, teachers, religious leaders, and even law enforcement, but nothing has helped. Your daily life has become a constant battle with feelings of fear, hopelessness, and failure because your child has become someone you don’t recognize.

It’s easy to give in to defeat. It’s understandable to feel helpless. Your anger is natural because the wounds are fresh. But, you are not alone. We’re here to help your son, and to help rebuild your family relationships.

Lakeside Academy’s goal is to help parents understand each aspect of their student’s progress and care by providing:

Weekly phone calls with your student
Regular letters from and to home
Detailed monthly progress reports

Parent Weekends

Parent Weekends are designed for parents to reconnect with their students, to meet with counselors and staff, and to network with other parents. We host a formal parent weekend 4 times per year. During these weekends you can expect educational programming, time to discuss any issues, worship services, and time alone with your son. In warm weather months, we welcome parents to stay onsite in one of our cozy cabins.

4-Level Curriculum

In our 4-level program, we meet each student where he’s at, and then encourage him to take ownership of his life by demonstrating positive spiritual, mental, and emotional growth. We work with him through four different levels, each with its own therapeutic focus, life skills development, and behavioral milestones. As students advance from one level to the next, they are rewarded with more personal privileges and responsibilities.

We also provide licensed chemical dependency and mental health counseling based on assessed needs. Our treatment approach for your son will be based on his individualized clinical assessment, a collaborative working relationship, and an empirically proven cognitive-behavioral treatment model that addresses the whole person (physical, emotional and spiritual needs).

Weekend Visitation

Home Visits

Students may earn up to three home visits during their stay at Lakeside Academy (LA). The purpose of these passes is to allow families time to connect and to gauge the progress of the student outside of direct Lakeside Academy supervision. Families are highly encouraged to uphold the standards and policies of LA during home visits. Home visits are allowed after successful advancement to each level in the program.

Home visits are not allowed prior to 90 days in the program.
Level 2 home visit is up to 4 days
Level 3 home visit is up to 5 days
Level 4 home visit is up to 6 days
Passes must be at least 45 days apart from each other
Passes not used during the level cannot be accumulated

We are a voluntary program

Your son needs to be okay with coming out here. It’s not good for the boys out here or your son if they run or are aggressive. Show them photos. Help them understand what can be on the other side.

Motivating Positive Behaviors

At Lakeside Academy we use a point system to help students understand the connection between behaviors and outcomes. Students learn that their actions and behaviors directly lead to either rewards/privileges or to negative consequences. When a student demonstrates personal growth and positive behaviors, he earns points toward special privileges and advancement to the next level. On the other hand, negative behaviors result in a restriction of privileges.

Our scoring model focuses on respect, responsibility, resourcefulness, positive peer interactions, and dealing constructively with authority. Many students may come to Lakeside struggling with what it means to live healthily and with a purpose. For this reason, Lakeside Academy utilizes a Behavioral Grading System to evaluate and train students in various areas of character and behavioral development.

This point card serves as a medium for conversations and feedback from staff and for the student to learn the cause/effect relationship to their choices. Although this point card may start by using extrinsic motivation for change, the hope for all students is that they mature past the need of a card and that the values would then become part of who they are – intrinsic in nature and because it is the right and Christian thing to do.

How will I Know How My Son is Doing?

Acclimation Period

Pause for kid and parent. Life is sucking right now. Everyone gets a breather. 30 days. Supervised phone calls.

Communication

Weekly communication (phone calls, email) with Care Manager, Teachers, LADC, Spiritual Care Counselor

After a Home Visit

Spiritual Care counselors can help bridge the gap between students and families are a good or tough home visit.