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The Bethesda Day Treatment
Center, a private, non-profit corporation established in West Milton,
Pennsylvania, in 1983, provides intensive day treatment for preadjudicated and
adjudicated youth who have committed delinquent or status offenses.
Youth are referred to Bethesda from nine Pennsylvania counties.
Bethesda provides up to 55
hours of service per week to youth who reside at home.
It administers both school and after school programs. The school program operates form 8:30 a.m. to 7:45 p.m.
Some youth attend both programs; others attend regular school during the
day and come to Bethesda for the after school program.
The school program provides
individualized education; the after school program focuses on a variety of
treatment services. Clients’
families are integrally involved in the treatment process.
Treatment services include individual, group, and family counseling; drug
and alcohol counseling; life skills development; and opportunities for
employment. Work experiences are
provided for all clients of working age; clients are required to contribute the
majority of their paychecks to pay restitution, court costs and fines.
Bethesda serves as an
alternative to residential placement for some youth. For other youth
returning to the community from residential placements, the program serves as
part of an after-care plan. The
average length of participation at Bethesda is approximately 6 months, although
some youth continue with the program for up to 12 months.
The staff to client ratio is 1 to 3.
A
preliminary study of the Bethesda program revealed a recidivism rate of only 5
percent in the first year after discharge, far lower than state and national
norms. This finding, while
impressive, must be viewed with extreme caution because the sample size was very
small (n=20), and the study did not incorporate a control group.
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