YOUTH FOR TOMORROW-NEW LIFE CENTER INC

Mommy and Me is a residential program in a campus setting for pregnant teens and young mothers and their babies. The program serves young mothers ages 12 to 18. Mothers and their babies may remain in the program until the child reaches age 4.
Our Expectant Teen Mothers & Babies Home is designed to help expectant teen moms and mothers prepare for motherhood. They reside in a separate home on campus. The home, staffed by experienced House parents, with support from other staff, is dedicated to their special needs and services. Expectant teen mothers and mothers benefit from receiving counseling from our in-house therapists and education from our state certified and accredited campus school. The expectant teen mother’s health is overseen by our staff nurse in partnership with community based medical and psychiatric professionals. Upon delivery, the mothers receive on-going medical care and their babies receive regular pediatric care by a pediatrician.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has identified the Washington, DC area as one of the 14 major sex trafficking centers in the U.S. YFT is the only facility in Virginia and in the mid-Atlantic region that works to offer safe and secure residential and specialized recovery service for girls ages 12 to 19 who have been sexually exploited/sex trafficked. YFT professionals help girls who are victims of sexual abuse and trafficking to regain their lives through individual service plans that set weekly priorities and goals for each girl in their education, residence, counseling/therapy, supervision and safety, self-reliance and relationships.

Program Components
More than 150 girls have been reached through YFT since its “Girls on a Journey” began in 2008. Personalized staff advocates help victims improve their self esteem, learn age appropriate social skills and work through their individual needs. YFT’s integrated program offers sexually exploited and trafficked girls the following support:
-Therapeutic behavior management program for sexually abused, exploited and trafficked girls
-Psycho-educational groups, such as anger management, social skills, stress management, communication skills and daily living skills
-Weekly priorities and goals review through individual service plans
-Independent living and self-reliance training
-Substance abuse education and counseling
-Medical treatment when necessary
-Protection in partnership with police and FBI
-Tailored counseling and therapy for the girl and her family
-Community based support and partnerships with the private sector to provide valuable workforce development skills to the girls

Youth For Tomorrow offers a Residential Substance Abuse Program for adolescents that focuses on prevention and treatment of Substance Abuse Disorders through evidence based practices delivered by staff who specialize in Substance Abuse Treatment. Each participant will receive daily group therapy, weekly individual therapy, family therapy, and support for making behavior changes as well as pursuing academic goals. We serve boys and girls ages 14-18 who meet the criteria for being placed in a clinically managed low-intensity residential program.

We treat Substance Abuse from a holistic framework treating and caring for the individuals physical, social, mental, and spiritual health. Each participant will be treated with dignity and respect as they pursue their path of discovery and recovery during their 4-6 month stay in the Substance Abuse Program. Upon completion of all the individual’s goals, each program participant will receive aftercare referrals that are individually designed to maintain the momentum of recovery and healing.

YFT’s State and regionally accredited secondary school provides at-risk children a stable, supportive educational environment. While most of our students live on campus, Day School students are welcome as well. Our school, grades 7-12, offers at-risk children an opportunity to live and learn together, outside their homes, within a stable and supportive environment.. The purpose of YFT’s school is to provide a way for young people to excel through high-quality education. Enrichment programs – including after-school tutoring, recreation, information technology, the arts, and clinical therapy– are offered on campus.

YFT’s school is well-regarded in the social services and education communities. Many social workers refer their children to YFT because of the opportunity to provide a residential education as a viable and important option for children, particularly teenagers. The majority of our students live in single-family home on campus. However, the same quality education is available to Day Students whose parents chose to place them in a private school setting with a Christian emphasis – particularly for those who struggle in public schools as a consequence of behavioral issues. YFT's school is a diploma granting and State Certified Special Education Secondary School offering a 12 month curriculum.

Youth For Tomorrow's Behavioral Health Services (BHS) offers a broad scope of outpatient mental health counseling services for children (ages five and up), adolescents, adults, families, and couples. Our mental health professionals are here to serve you and your family.

Our services are designed to meet the needs of clients and families from diverse backgrounds who may benefit from outpatient assessment and treatment. We diagnose and treat children, adolescents and adults with a wide variety of issues including but not limited to: depression, anxiety and panic symptoms, post-traumatic stress, anger issues, obsessive-compulsive issues, grief and loss, self-harm, issues related to attachment, co-occurring disorders, aggression, attention deficits and other behavioral concerns, as well as familial and relational issues.

We provide behavioral health services with professional excellence, Christian integrity, professional insight, and genuine compassion. Our staff is comprised of therapists with various credentials, backgrounds, training, and specialties, so we are able to offer a wide variety of treatment, including play therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy, trauma-informed care, and behavioral intervention.

Youth for Tomorrow (YFT) provides two levels of In-Home Services, Intensive In-Home Services and Supportive In-Home Services. They are both based on the philosophy that children and adolescents are best cared for within their home and community whenever it is possible. Services are generally time-limited, family focused and delivered in the home. In-Home Specialists help you and your family address behavioral and emotional issues.

Services include:
-Comprehensive and timely assessment
-Individualized, strengths-bases treatment plans
-Therapeutic services delivered in the home and community
-Family and individual interventions
-Parental coaching and skill development
-Safety and coping skills development
-Psycho-education
-Case coordination
-24 hour crisis support and response

Services begin with a comprehensive evaluation completed by a Licensed Mental Health Professional. An Individualized Service Plan is developed with the family and is used to guide services. The plan is reviewed regularly to evaluate progress and updated as needed. All services are delivered by Licensed Mental Health Professionals or Qualified Mental Health Professionals under the supervision of Licensed Mental Health Professionals.

Therapeutic Day Treatment is a school-based program designed to successfully address mental health, emotional, and behavioral issues that create a barrier to effective learning. YFT's Specialist’s facilitate strategic interventions such as CBT, Person Control, and Strength Based Modalities designed to address disruptive behavior immediately without interrupting the class to address one child’s acting out. Effective interventions improve classroom dynamics and allow educators to teach. An immediate intervention by a specialist gives a child the best opportunity to redirect problematic behavior so he/she can return to learning while protecting the learning environment for their classmates.

The Therapeutic Day Treatment program provides therapeutic supports to youth who struggle with symptoms of ADHD, depression, ODD, mood instability, etc.
The interventions employed by our staff will reinforce positive behaviors while reducing self-defeating ideologies and maladaptive responses to structure by implementing and teaching age appropriate coping mechanisms.

The program’s treatment strategies focus on helping students learn to:
-Control aggression/anger;
-Enhance communication and social and interpersonal skills;
-Make healthy choices and better decisions;
-Improve daily living skills, impulse control, peer relations, and problem solving,; and,
-Improve community responsibility.
-Improve overall psychological well-being

Treatment foster care services are provided in Northern Virginia to youth who are placed out of their home and need intensive support to be maintained in a community placement. Youth (ages 0-21) are placed with trained and professionally supported families. YFT is committed to ensuring that youth maintain and create positive and permanent connections with their biological families and others in their communities.

VOLUNTEER MENTORING PROGRAM
ONE-ON-ONE mentors have the unique role of working with youth to provide a solid support system and be a reliable trusted adult in the young person’s life. Many of our youth have not had a solid foundation or positive role model in their lives. Our goal is to develop long lasting relationships between the mentors and the mentees.

Individual goals are created to empower youth, and to master life skills that enhance his/her future success in the work force.

All mentors are required to participate in a rigorous Federal, State, & Local CPS/DSS background check, and 21 hours of training. All mentors are required to spend 2 hours a week with their mentee.

YFT CARES OUTINGS
YFT CARES is the opportunity for Mentors & Mentees to gather for weekend outings. The goal is to allow the youth to bond with positive role models in a fun and relaxed environment. We want our residents to learn about the world around them, while gaining practical experience as they meet new people, and visit new locations. This opportunity will also allow our youth to put their new social and life skills to the test in a safe and stimulating environment. Some suggested field trips are:
-Museums
-Petting Farm
-Paint Sessions
-Community Outreach
-College Tours
-Yo-Yo competitions
-Double-Dutch Competitions
-Culinary Arts classes
-Volunteer Opportunities
-Horseback Riding
-Educational Outings and more

MOVING ON
MOVING ON offers the church community and any other faith-based organizations, the opportunity to form a small coalition that would function as a strong support system for our young adults, The team would be comprised of members with expertise in the following areas:
-Finance
-Education
-Housing
-Transportation
-Behavioral/Emotional
-Safety
-Spiritual
-Human Resources
-Mechanics

Youth For tomorrow offers each youth a comprehensive team, which is comprised of Case Managers, Therapists, Counselors, and a spiritual leader. Each member of this unique team offers the youth the support that he/she needs to be successful in our program. Unfortunately, this type of support system does not continue once the youth completes our program and enters the community. Consequently, the resident often struggles to gain self-sufficiency. It is our goal to offer to each student who ages out of our program, a strong team of supporters that will remain in the life of the young adult for a minimum of one year.