Clinical Care
Chamberlain serves a diagnostically diverse student population. Our students have a wide range of learning and emotional challenges, including, but not limited to, learning disabilities, mood disorders, anxiety disorders, thought disorders, personality disorders, ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Reactive Attachment Disorder, PTSD, and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.
Our approach to clinical care is founded in the belief that all students are capable of enormous personal growth when they are provided with the support they need. Here, therapists meet individually on a weekly basis with students. Therapists utilize a variety of techniues to individulize treatment based on each students's needs and strengths. Therapeutic strategies include Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Social Thinking Model, Exposure and Response Prevention, Motivational Interviewing, Acceptance and Commitement Therapy, Collaborative Problem Solving, Client Centered Therapy, community-based life skills training, play therapy, and solution focused therapy among others. The therapists maintain close contact with Education staff, Student Life staff, Nursing, Pyschiatrists, and Administration so that they have intimate knowledge of how each student in their care is doing in all aspects of student life. Therapists are part of the treatment planning for each student, and they accompany them to on-campus psychiatry appointments.
Family involvement is a key aspect for student treatment. Therapists maintain close contact with families to coordinate care and provide support. Services offered to all families include psycho education, parent coaching, and a quarterly parent support group. The Chamberlain Parent Support group provides parents with an opportunity to communicate with other parents regarding questions, concerns, and suggestions in an attempt to help all parents feel a sense of belonging and decrease anxiety about their student's placement at the Chamberlain School. The Parent Support group is facilitated by the counseling department to maintain a respectful environment and ensure that all conversations remain confidential. Family therapy is offered when clinically reommended based on student stability and goals of treatment.
Staff Spotlight: John Kersting, MD |
John Kersting, MDPSYCHIATRIST John has been with Chamberlain since 1998. He is one of two psychiatrists at Chamberlain. "Studies I've read show that American students receive on average six times the medicines that British students do. And it's not because we're smarter than the British. There is a pervasive sense in America that only medicine can change behavior. Of course, many children indeed have significant psychiatric or medical problems that require medicines. But here, with all of this clinical and behavioral support, and with children supervised by supportive adults, we can try to discontinue or change the medication of children who have come to us seeming overly medicated." |
For a more in-depth description of Chamberlain's clinical services read our Statement of Purpose, Philosophy, Goals and Objectives.