All treatment is highly individualized to fit the specific needs of each youth. Treatment comprises:

• Individual therapy, provided weekly
• Group therapy at least five times per week
• Family therapy as indicated by treatment need, typically two to four times per month.

We use evidence-based practices such as:

• Trauma Focused-Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT)
• Positive Behavioral Intervention Supports (PBIS)
• Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
• Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)
• Positive Peer Culture (PPC)
• Person-Centered Treatment and Planning
• Motivational Interviewing
• The Matrix Model

Oaklawn goes a step further by offering a trauma-informed community from admission to discharge.

We offer a full range of medical services. Oaklawn psychiatrists see youth to perform evaluations, prescribe medication and answer questions, including any questions about side effects. Nurses are on the campus throughout the day to provide medication management and address somatic complaints.

Additionally, Oaklawn has a physical health care office on-site, staffed with nurses and a board-certified pediatrician, who performs routine physicals and sees youth for acute illness.

We put a premium on family engagement. We know youth are more successful when families are involved in and supportive of their treatment, and when families have the opportunity to address any issues in the home that may impact the youth. Oaklawn Family Engagement Specialists help get and keep families involved throughout treatment and offer techniques that increase healthier interactions. This may include providing Oaklawn gas cards, arranging for Oaklawn transportation, locating siblings and/or parents and scheduling families to participate in events, activities, visitations and more.

A skills trainer and care facilitator work individually with each youth to develop healthy coping skills, independent living skills, positive self-management and social skills. Furthermore, each youth benefits from vocational experiences, either through volunteer or job experience on our campus or in the community. Recreational therapy is also available. Our 12-acre campus is equipped with gyms, a baseball and soccer field, basketball and volleyball courts, as well as playground equipment.

School is provided on campus by School City of Mishawaka. Each classroom has a licensed teacher and an aide. We also have an on-site guidance counselor, administrator and a credit recovery service. Credits are transferable.

• Complex mental health challenges
• Trauma-induced behaviors
• Sexually maladaptive behaviors
• Sexual addictions
• Substance use
• Runaway risk
• Suicide ideation
• Poor boundaries
• Inability to form healthy relationships
• Inability to function in school
• Involvement with court systems
• Intellectual and developmental delays
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Unsafe/unmanageable behaviors

Our programs are designed to help youth develop positive emotional and behavioral responses to everyday life. In some cases, that includes learning how to manage a mental illness.

• Complex mental health challenges
• Conduct disorders
• Trauma-induced behaviors
• Substance use
• Self-harming behaviors
• Sexual acting out
• Runaway risk
• Suicide ideation
• Inability to function in a school-setting
• Involvement with the court system
• Problems with authority
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Unsafe/unmanageable behaviors