Excelsior's Short Term Intensive Residential Treatment Program (hospital diversion/hospital step-down) is an alternative to hospitalization. Girls in crisis in hospital emergency rooms (many with suicidal gestures) can stabilize their behaviors at Excelsior Youth Center and return to a less restrictive setting in 3 days. The intent is to provide a highly structured and safe environment for girls to stay that provides intensive mental health and psychiatric services and is short term (typically 3-5 days). Some girls remain longer, depending on their individual needs. Some become full time residential clients.

Home-Based and Outpatient Services: This program is very individualized and intensity and frequency of services may be adjusted to the needs of the client and her family. Services include individual and family therapy, group counseling, psychiatric services, medical evaluation, mental health assessment, safety planning, crisis intervention, discharge/aftercare planning, and behavior-coaching and counseling.

Since problems can occur at any time the Community Based Services treatment staff are available 24/7 to respond. Staff are trained in verbal de-escalation. Crisis intervention may include counseling and coaching, instructing and safety planning that will help the family stabilize in the moment. Crisis intervention is followed-up in therapy and with behavior coaching in the home.

From March to December, 60 young girls including Josie have received Excelsior's Community Based Services and most of them were returned home and remain with their families at this time. They are maintaining stability, learning new coping skills, repairing family dynamics, staying in school and some have part time employment.

Josie's Story:

Josie explains her drug abuse actually started in the 6th grade when she felt targeted by bullies due to her weight problem. She felt accepted by kids in the drug culture but she spiraled downward with the help of a much older boyfriend. He abused her physically and emotionally and encouraged her into prostitution to pay for cocaine. The death of 3 friends from suicide (drug overdose) sunk her into a deep depression and 3 suicide attempts of her own (hospitalizations). Nine months ago she cried out to her parents that she urgently needed their help. Her supportive Mom and Dad (desperately trying to help their only child) reached out to Excelsior Youth Center where she continues to receive a myriad of services with Matt's help. Though she relapsed once, she's been clean for 3 months and even survived the trauma recently of the death of her Grandmother.

"I NEVER want to feel that again, having to tell my parents that I relapsed," says Josie. "I owe it to my Grandmother and my Parents to stay motivated and clean. This is the first time in my life that I feel I'm on a good path. Excelsior continues to keep me drug free." Josie's grandfather died recently and she remains sober and dealing with life well despite this loss.

Knowing public school (her relapse happened there) is not appropriate, Josie is enrolled in a supportive alternative high school that performs random drug tests with its 50 students. The Kid Rock funds will give her the opportunity to graduate from high school.

Kid Rock, in association with a powerhouse group of local Detroit business people, donated money to local charities via the Kid Rock Foundation all along every stop of his current club tour.

Josie's and Matt's story is a front page story on the December 3, 2011 issue of the Boulder Daily Camera newspaper www.dailycamera.com.