Healthy communication is the foundation of therapeutic growth. Throughout the duration of a child’s stay at Open Sky, parents are thoughtfully included in the journey. They receive weekly phone updates from their child’s therapist and communicate directly with their child through intentional letter writing.
Each Open Sky student is assigned a primary clinical therapist who provides weekly individualized therapy and clinical guidance for the duration of the student’s stay. Therapists conduct weekly phone calls with parents to discuss the student’s clinical treatment objectives, progress, and transition plan. The therapist will also review family assignments from the Family Pathway workbook, provide guidance on letter writing, and advise on other helpful resources.
Letter writing serves as the foundation for communication between the family and student while at Open Sky. Mail is hand-delivered weekly to students in the field. Student letters are updated weekly in the Parent Portal. Clinical therapists provide guidance in effective letter writing throughout the student’s stay. This thoughtful form of communication provides an opportunity for the family and student to engage with one another in a meaningful and intentional way. The practice of letter writing naturally creates space for reflection, assertive expression of thoughts and emotions, and response from a grounded and regulated state. This empowers students and families to honor core values and strengthen family relationships through healthy communication.
― Ron, Alumni Parent (2019)