1(435) 867-8168 - Cedar City

About Us

Residential Treatment Center for Youth with Compulsive Sexual Issues

Introduction

Turning Point Family Care is made up of two different, but related programs. There is the Foster Care Program and the Residential Program.

The Foster Care Program

The Foster Care Program was created in 1999 in Southwestern Utah. It is made up of approximately 20-24 homes. This foster care portion gives Turning Point Family Care a unique advantage over its competitors by allowing the youth to experience a more normal home like situation, while still receiving the intense therapeutic treatment they require. This allows our therapists and the families of our youth the chance to observe the youth in a less controlled environment to see how they respond.

The Residential Center

The Residential Center is a state of the art facility which was built from the ground up to treat and successfully supervise male adolescents who are sexually compulsive, and whose compulsive behavior may lead to future serious problems including, but not limited to, incarceration. Our program staff and therapists have a rich and lengthy history of working with this particular population of youth. This handout is designed to give you a quick overview of our facility, our school, the therapeutic program and our therapists who work with this growing population of youth.

Therapists

The Network on Juveniles Offending Sexually (NOJOS) is an organization that was started in Utah 20 years ago and is made up of individuals and therapists who have or are currently providing treatment for youth with impulsive sexual problems. NOJOS is an all-volunteer organization of people and agencies who believe that adolescents who act out sexually can be successfully treated and can learn to live a very productive and healthy life out in society. NOJOS over the years has evolved into an organization which issues Credentials to individuals and programs who work in this area of expertise. The goal of this credentialing is to guarantee that youth with these problems are getting the best possible treatment available to them. All of our therapists are either NOJOS certified or in the process of getting certified. Certification requires a minimum of two years practicing with this population under the direct supervision of another NOJOS therapist. Our therapists are; John Brown LCSW, Dan Huntsman LPC, Brent H. Judd LCSW, Rick Morris LCSW and Rashell Stubbs LPC.

Psychiatric Treatment

Our facility contracts with Ryan R. Williams, MD. as our psychiatrist. Dr. Williams is a well-trained child & adolescent psychiatrist with cross training in pediatrics and child abuse & neglect. The pediatric experience has given him added perspective on childhood physiology and a more comprehensive medical model for conceptualizing mental health and illness. Dr. Williams has a broad and balanced education in the use of biological as well as psychotherapeutic treatments.

Direct Care Staff

In addition to our therapists, our Direct Care Staff have years of service with this type of population. These employees are managed by our Program Director Joe Kealamakia and the Living

Center Supervisors

Tyler Seegmiller, Gordon Reid and Kelly Beynon. Together these supervisors have approximately 17 years of experience with this population. They oversee approximately 2 dozen employees with a vast variety of education and experience. The State of Utah requires our employees to receive specific training. This training is conducted monthly by individuals with expertise in the required areas. Much of our training is conducted by our NOJOS certified therapists. With three living centers available, we can strategically place youth in an area that is appropriate for their age and risk level.

The Facility

Brent H. Judd came to Turning Point Family Care in 2005 after working with this population of youth for approximately 18 years. Brent and our Program Director, Joe Kealamakia put together a treatment program. Joe had worked with these youth in another residential program for 10 years. Together they helped the owners of Turning Point design a facility that would protect youth with these types of behavioral problems, protect the community in which the youth lived, and to protect the staff and residents who reside and work here. Our facility with its individual private bedrooms, video surveillance, and trained staff offers the best possible protection to the youth who come here to live.

Facility highlights include:

  • Individual bedrooms
  • A maximum of 10 youth in a living area, 2 cameras at the front and back
  • Two bathrooms for each 10 youth
  • Approximately 50 cameras recording youth and staff behavior
  • Therapist offices with cameras
  • Open and spacious kitchen area
  • Cameras on the outside of the facility view the entire surroundings
  • A washer and dryer for every 5 youth
  • Handicapped rooms
  • Safety Rooms (if residents are threatening self-harm)
  • A staff ratio of one staff member to every 4 residents
  • Licensed by the State of Utah

JCAHO Accredited

Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO)
In January of 2011 the Joint Commission accredited the Turning Point Family Care Program for 36 months. This Behavioral Health Care Accreditation Program was a rigorous audit of every aspect of our program. Very few Behavioral Health Care Programs receive the same accreditation that Hospitals and other Medical facilities are required to have. We feel honored that JCAHO recognized the expertise and professionalism of what we do.

Educational Program

Our school is under the direction of the Iron County School District, which follows the Standards set forth by the Utah State Department of Education. We have two full time teachers in our facility, along with two teacher aids. Two of which are Certified in Special Education. Together these educators have approximately 30 years teaching students with sexually impulsive behaviors. Because our teachers are under the umbrella of the Iron County School District our residents are able to get an education which is very similar to what they would get in a regular school setting. We regularly have residents who complete their high school education and receive their diploma, which is equivalent to what other youth in our community receive. Because not all of the youth that arrive at Turning Point Residential are of the same age and grade level, our educators have been able to mold their educational program to meet the special needs of our youth.

Our Therapeutic Program

We have designed a 6 phase treatment approach for our youth. Each phase is designed to set a foundation for what the resident will be working on next. Each phase also decides the resident's level of privileges. Privileges are also based on the resident's willingness to comply with program standards and complete therapeutic assignments. The phase program is also designed so that the youth needs to demonstrate mastery of the concept in the school, the living center and when out in the community.

Phase

  1. Orientation
  2. Accountability
  3. Cycles
  4. Empathy
  5. Relapse Prevention
  6. Preparing for Release

Mastery

  1. Demonstrates a knowledge of rules, policies and procedures.
  2. Client is accountable for his day to day actions with others and self.
  3. Intervenes in his own cycles both sexual and maintenance.
  4. Demonstrates empathy for victims, peers, teachers and staff.
  5. Understands concepts and has a viable plan for his community.
  6. Resident has made final preparations to return home.

The therapeutic program is accomplished through individual, group and family therapy. It is our goal to provide every possible help to the youth, his parents and any that he has offended upon. When appropriate, the primary therapist will travel to a youth's community to help in the unification process for all family members that have been affected.