Category: Healing

Moral treatment is a key component to Hopewell’s treatment plan for our residents. One aspect of this is ensuring our residents are actively involved in their treatment. This includes the presence of our Resident Council. Through the work of this council our residents are able to create therapeutic opportunities and groups to ensure their best healing.

Two of these groups are our Men’s and Women’s groups. Our residents are all involved in group therapy sessions regularly. Although this group is very beneficial and helpful for our residents’ healing, some of our residents wanted more.

The ability to create new groups and opportunities are some of the many ways that differentiates how Hopewell treats mental illness. Personalized plans and caring are essential to the Hopewell Model of healing. Thanks to the Resident Council these groups are possible. After some conversations about group therapy a few of our female residents expressed interest in creating a separate woman’s group. This allowed our residents to really open up about issues that they were tentative sharing with the community as a whole. There have been so many amazing moments of growth and healing since the implementation of these separate groups.

Once we saw the success the woman’s group was having a men’s group was also created. The results carried over to this group as well. It is always amazing to see group healing succeed, and it is why we are so committed to the therapeutic community model. Men’s and women’s groups exemplify Hopewell’s commitment to empowering individuals toward their highest level of self-reliance, self-confidence and the capacity to live and work within an interdependent, vibrant community.

The Men’s and Women’s Groups meet on a weekly basis to discuss topics especially important to our residents as men or women. Agendas are created and discussions begin.

Every Hopewell resident has a personalized goal plan known as an Individual Service Plan (ISP). Each unique plan is created collaboratively between the resident and his/her clinician. The goals are continually visited throughout the resident’s stay.

The skills learned at Hopewell materialize into results that are closely tracked. Outcomes tracking shows that residents who fully participate in the daily programming see progress in the treatment of their mental illness. These results include: decreased psychiatric symptoms, improved interpersonal and vocational skills, improved level of functioning, increased cognitive effectiveness, decreased emotional distress and improved social and occupational competency.

Hopewell’s admissions process is responsive, caring and respectful of the applicant family’s privacy. Residents must be 18 years of age or older, have a diagnosis of a major mental health condition such as schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, bipolar disorder, major depression and/or other thought, mood or co-occurring disorder conditions, and must express a readiness for treatment. Individuals should have some self-care skills, be medication compliant and be in reasonable physical health. Success at Hopewell depends on multiple factors. Residents gain the greatest benefits when they are comfortable living in a rural setting and are medication compliant, interested in interacting socially, participate in the program, and want to expand their knowledge and understanding of their mental illness. A resident’s length of stay at Hopewell typically is three to six months, although some residents may have longer stays depending on their treatment plans and progress.

The “Hopewell Model” has evolved over the past two decades, incorporating a comprehensive combination of clinical and holistic approaches. Individual and group psychotherapy and Psychiatry coverage have been increased. Respite care services have been added, and an Extended Stay Program has been formalized for residents living at Hopewell for more than three years. Services have increased for residents dealing with dual diagnoses of mental illness and alcohol/drug addiction. Hopewell utilizes an electronic health data management system, and recently formalized an assessment process tied to DSM-5 (the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, published by the American Psychiatric Association).

Ever responsive to the residents’ needs, new programs have been introduced regularly, and staff receive appropriate training for each new program. Examples include Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), a therapy especially helpful for trauma victims; art therapy; yoga; nature studies; and a food management training program; and a peer-led group training called “WRAP” (Wellness Recovery Action Plan). Most recently, Hopewell began to offer Sand Play Therapy on Sunday mornings. The program is part of a research project being conducted by Dr. Sana Loue, Hopewell’s research consultant from Case Western Reserve University.

Additionally, the residents themselves often create new programs. The Hopewell Band developed from Hopewell’s focus on music. The group has produced two CDs and frequently performs for the farm as well as at Hopewell’s annual benefit event. The Creative Writing Group encourages residents to express themselves through poetry, short stories or personal reflections. Often, their work is published in Hopewell’s quarterly newsletter which is mailed to families of current residents, former residents, donors and other friends.

For many of us, one of the most underused resources we have available in our “coping toolbox” is the ability to “live in the present moment.” Choosing to “live in the present moment” means attention to the “here and now” where we can fully appreciate our surroundings and reflect on the feelings and emotions that a particular experience brings to us. It is being “mindful” of our own unique place, time and space in a much larger universe.

Taking a personal audit of where our attention is directed can be helpful in facilitating a more balanced lifestyle and outlook. Three questions you might ask yourself during this audit are:

1. How much time do I spend thinking (worrying) about and/or trying to predict the future?

2. How much time do I fret, regret or reminisce about the good old days or on past shortcomings, mistakes or missed opportunities?

3. How much time do I stay “present focused” on what I am doing and feeling right now?

Some helpful ways to stay present focused may include: simply paying attention to your breathing and posture. Tuning in such sensory areas as smell, texture, colors and sounds around you can help. Sometimes engaging in positive self-talk, performing meaningful tasks for others or participating in healthy, invigorating exercise activities may provide added value. Some people find caring for their pet, tending to a garden or participating in activities requiring mental focus (e.g. Sudoku) useful. Practicing meditation and other healing arts can be very effective “present” oriented strategies as well.

At Hopewell, our community oriented work and nature-based programming are valuable adjuncts to other more clinically focused interventions that we offer. These include medication management, psychotherapy, specialized group treatment and an interactive therapeutic milieu. All are designed to help our residents learn to more fully utilize their own “toolbox.” In doing so, these methods can serve as a means to inwardly balance tendencies to overly rehearse for the future and or dwell on the past in order to attend to and embrace the present moment—perhaps a good lesson for all of us!