Kaizen is dedicated to providing support to help the entire family become a healthy system. When the family unit is healthy, there is support, boundaries, clarity in roles, healthy communication, safety, and trust. The family system work is not about laying blame or labeling, but rather working through difficult patterns and behaviors from the past and developing unity in supporting healthy family relationships moving forward.

Much of our work at our boy's residential treatment facility is centered on exploring, understanding, and refining each young man’s sense of self – the conceptualization of his identity, self-awareness, and overall worth. Often, a young man arrives at Kaizen dealing with profound struggles of shame and a destructive self-concept. In order to truly facilitate healing and long-term hope, we recognize that it starts from within and seek to cultivate that growth.

Our belief is that “we are not our diagnoses” and that our past does not define us. Through traditional therapies (individual, family, and group therapy), coupled with adventure-based experiences, these boys can begin to see the value of others as they recognize it within themselves.

Another critical element of success after treatment is the ability to generalize skills from one environment to another. Of course, we want each young man in the program to do really well here. But what matters most is doing well outside of the facility. This requires the ability to utilize healthy coping strategies, open and respectful communication methods, and problem-solving skills, which need to be implemented beyond the structure of residential treatment. An important part of the Kaizen program also entails learning healthy recreational skills. Prior to sexual behavior treatment, many of our boys fell into patterns of isolation, withdrawal, and secrecy.

Some may have looked “happily engaged” on the surface, but internally were struggling with destructive habits and a lack of healthy creativity.

An important part of Kaizen is the adventure program, designed to introduce or reignite interest in healthy, pro-social recreation. Mountain biking, skiing/snowboarding, kayaking, fishing, rappelling, paintballing, hiking – these kinds of activities engage young men in a multi-sensory way, providing not only healthy outlets but can help establish new coping mechanisms.

The foundation of our entire program is based on attachment theory, which at its core is a powerful reminder that each of us is worthy of love and belonging. Adolescents with sexual behavior problems have an incomplete and/or misguided view of normal, healthy relationships – or at least are uncertain about how to maintain them. They also often fail to see the ripple effect of one aspect of life (behavior, emotions, etc.) onto another, sometimes not understanding the relational consequences of their actions. And yet, each of them simply yearns to feel deeply loved, highly valued, and securely connected.

With its relationship-based approach, and its emphasis on family involvement, Kaizen recognizes that future success depends upon learning how to interact with others in healthy ways. Programmatically, we strive to model healthy interactions and facilitate relationship skills development (communication, problem-solving, empathy, teamwork, etc.).

The ultimate goal for these young men is, in some form or another, to return to their homes and families and become productive members of society, positively contributing to the well-being of others. This requires opportunities to integrate into the community with the appropriate balance of supervision.

At Kaizen, community integration involves a variety of weekly community activities, depending upon each young man’s preparation. There are also opportunities for service projects, extended visits with parents, home visits, and other opportunities to demonstrate healthy integration.

For older adolescents facing young adulthood, there are also opportunities to experience more responsibilities within the community.

Finally, this integration into the community entails establishing a realistic and highly supported transition plan. Moving from the structure of a residential treatment center back into the home and/or community is a massive step. Depending on the young man and his family situation, the transition plan can take many forms. An important element of the latter phases of treatment will focus on developing and practicing a viable transition plan.