What will my regular communication be with Open Sky?
Weekly phone calls with your Open Sky therapist focus on your student’s development in the program, treatment planning, review of family members’ ongoing work in the Family Pathway workbook, and aftercare planning. Your therapist will be available via email and voicemail in between weekly calls. The naturopathic physician on staff will also be contacting you to discuss possible complimentary care options for your student, your family and yourself. You and the naturopathic physician will decide how future communications would be most beneficial. For routine questions about things like billing or mail, Open Sky administrative staff are there to answer your calls during business hours (8:30-6:00 Mountain Standard Time). For after-hours concerns Open Sky provides an emergency on-call number.

How do I communicate with my son or daughter while he/she is at Open Sky?
Communication between student and family takes place through letter-writing. Students are expected to write letters to family every week, as are parents. Letters the students write and photos from the field will be posted on the secure website, available only to the family and Open Sky staff. Letters written by families to the students will be delivered to the field several times a week.

Will the therapist keep me informed about what I can do to support my son or daughter while he or she is at Open Sky?
Yes. The Open Sky Family Pathway is a workbook of assignments for family members that will guide you through the week-by-week process of treatment at Open Sky. On your weekly phone calls with your Open Sky therapist you will discuss review and develop your Family Pathway assignments. When the going gets tough keep in mind that the more work you put into the therapy assignments the more you and your student will benefit from the Open Sky program.

What is the Parent Group Teleconference?
Open Sky holds Parent Group Teleconference calls once a week. This is an opportunity for all parents of Open Sky students to join in on the same call, experience community, and offer as well as gain support. The Parent Group Teleconferences can focus on a variety of relevant subjects, including drug and alcohol abuse and treatment, aftercare planning, and adolescent development issues.

When will my child be ready to graduate from Open Sky? How will we know?
The treatment team, which consists of family members, student, therapist, wellness director, field guides, and possible other involved professionals (psychologist, psychiatrist, educational consultant, home therapist, therapeutic boarding school) develop specific and realistic goals for your student at the onset of their program. Goals and progress are assessed and adjusted accordingly on an ongoing basis. The student’s progress toward these goals helps determine the length of stay necessary. The Open Sky program is self-paced, with a minimum stay of 5 weeks and a maximum stay of 12 weeks. The typical Open Sky student stays for 8 - 9 weeks.