seeking input on Dominion PHP

[Anonymous]

we are considering the Dominion partial hospitalization program for our 8 year old and would love input on experiences with the program. not many programs take kids this age so we don't have a lot of options, but don't want to go into a program that's not reputable or helpful. thanks.

[Anonymous]

Does Dominion take 8 yrs old now? When I looked, they did not.

[Anonymous]

Bump for a 13yo

[Anonymous]

My son went when he was 14 for PHP....did not help him at all. While he was in the program, one the the other patients took her own life when she was at home at night.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My son went when he was 14 for PHP....did not help him at all. While he was in the program, one the the other patients took her own life when she was at home at night.

OH MY GOD.

[Anonymous]

Try Discovery or Keller Center. Dominion’s PHP will barely babysit your kid (though sometimes that’s better than nothing—been there many times).. I’m sorry you’re going through this.

[Anonymous]

My DD did Dominion's IOP after being discharged from Dominion in-patient a year ago -- it was in-person at the time (pre-vaccines) and it was our only realistic option as virtual therapy failed my DD which is why she as (re)hospitalized in the first instance.

We pulled her in the middle of the first week out of two that was planned for. It may be different with your kid being much younger than she was (16 at the time) but the inmates were running the asylum and the therapists really had no control over the situation. In full disclosure, my DD contributed to the out-of-control situation where the teens thought they were smarter than the therapists and were supporting each other (including by picking up on each others' behavioral problems) and ganging up on the therapists complaining about triggers, etc., but I expected that the therapists would be savvy enough about teen behaviors to be able to control/redirect the situation. Unfortunately I think it's the way of the world that the therapists taking these jobs are just out of school and don't have a lot of real-world practical experience under their belts.

I'm really sorry you're in this position. It's terrible to have so few options. I wish you all the best and I'm sorry I don't have a great recommendation for you.

[Anonymous]

A few years ago, DS was there for PHP. He was 10 at the time. Lots of behavioral issues, needed a meds adjustment (ADHD), and his doctors only wanted to do that in a controlled environment. It was not horrible. Biggest issue was communication -- hard to get someone to talk to in order to find out how meds were being adjusted, and it took them like a week to even start that. I remain skeptical of how effective the therapy sessions were for my kid, and doubt he picked up any skills or strategies for dealing with frustration. New meds were an improvement. But the hospital itself was not as bad as I had feared based on what I had read online. At the time (no idea if this has changed), his age group was separated from the older kids there.

[Anonymous]

I would really look for any alternative you can find to Dominion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son went when he was 14 for PHP....did not help him at all. While he was in the program, one the the other patients took her own life when she was at home at night.

OH MY GOD.

Yeah. And a kid at his school killed himself the same week. What a day. I agree with previous comments about the level of therapeutic sophistication just not being there. Try Embark, Discovery, Sandstone. Go somewhere else. I am sorry.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son went when he was 14 for PHP....did not help him at all. While he was in the program, one the the other patients took her own life when she was at home at night.

OH MY GOD.

Yeah. And a kid at his school killed himself the same week. What a day. I agree with previous comments about the level of therapeutic sophistication just not being there. Try Embark, Discovery, Sandstone. Go somewhere else. I am sorry.

[Anonymous]

When we were in a similar situation, we were discouraged about what we heard about Dominion. It was a very difficult period so I understand the desperation. In our situation, DC refused to go and for PHP, it's voluntary so we couldn't make DC go. We ended up having weekly appointments with the psychiatrists who worked very hard at getting DC stabilized with meds. That was critical.

I learnt some lessons from that horrible experience. First and foremost, de-escalate or do what you can to prevent escalation. Consequences, putting my foot down, etc. was counterproductive and led to some scary situations. Decrease demands on the child. Again, I'm not saying you need to do that all the time but it's helpful when you are going through a rough patch and there's little help to turn to.

Sending you a virtual hug OP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:we are considering the Dominion partial hospitalization program for our 8 year old and would love input on experiences with the program. not many programs take kids this age so we don't have a lot of options, but don't want to go into a program that's not reputable or helpful. thanks.

reviving this thread with the same question. concerned about doing harm rather than good.

[Anonymous]

Well this is awesome news. My kid started there today. There are so few options for kids under 12.

[Anonymous]

I'm sorry you're dealing with this, PP. You're right, there are so few options and none is perfect. Do you have a team lined up outside the PHP? All you can do is your best -- and part of that is being as involved as possible in the current therapeutic program, and another part is working to line up the next phase so that your kid isn't cut loose from the PHP without the next steps in place already.