Each new member of the community’s first action of commitment toward success at Yellowbrick is signing the Yellowbrick Community Agreements. In doing so, each individual makes a commitment to work collaboratively in treatment and express a willingness to follow treatment recommendations. This commitment includes being an active participant in the community by sharing thoughts and opinions in a way that promotes personal growth as well as the growth of peers within the Yellowbrick Community.
The Community Agreements have been established and informed by clinical research and experience regarding how to create and sustain safe, self-affirming and nurturing processes in treatment and life. Each Agreement derives from a dimension within which individuals undermine their life goals and/or place themselves at risk. The Agreements are not intended to control behavior; they are empowering vehicles to identify self-damaging choices and enlist you in supporting yourself to protect your treatment and life goals.
At Yellowbrick we greatly value each member of our community. The contributions and input of all community members, peers, staff and family is essential to our optimal functioning.
We strive to create a safe community, which allows for apartment living with available on-site support for growth in all areas of daily living and functioning. For this reason, any actions that threaten the safety of the community such as bringing drugs or alcohol into The Residence/CTC or physical aggression towards others are potential grounds for administrative discharge. Symptomatic or self-destructive behaviors which violate the Community Agreements are understood and responded to as behavioral communications termed public behaviors. As treatment develops, these public behaviors are linked to each individual’s “core enactment” which is the defining self-damaging pattern of relating to self, others and the world. Public behaviors and the core enactment are brought to the Yellowbrick Community Meeting for discussion by peers and staff in order to provide supportive accountability in treatment. In agreeing to enter Yellowbrick, you are joining a community of peers and staff working together to help each other make life transforming changes that have not been previously possible.
Making deep personal changes requires each of us within the Yellowbrick Community to agree with both the spirit and specific content of the Yellowbrick Agreements.
As members of the community, Yellowbrick staff will agree and commit to:
As a new member of the community we ask you to agree and commit to these overarching principles:
To promote these activities, we ask you to agree to:
In community meetings and other discussion forums we welcome your input about any additional agreements that we can make as a community to promote a positive and productive treatment and environment.
Symptomatic behavior is understood as an effort, often unconscious and/or dissociated, to communicate about experiences and aspects of self that are otherwise not safely or directly available to the individual for expression. Yellowbrick’s model maintains that safety is located within individuals, not the environment, but that the availability of supportive and skilled relationships assists individuals to mobilize their strengths on their own behalf. The following cultural norms are also understood to support safety.
The Group Agreements are designed to provide a safe therapeutic environment for our groups. As a group member, you are encouraged to bring additional thoughts and concerns to groups. The Agreements are always subject to review and additions.
If you or someone you know is suffering from mental illness, please use our confidential contact form to send us a message. Our Assessment Center will respond to you as promptly as possible.
Yellowbrick collaborates with adolescents and emerging adults, ages 16-30's, their families and participating professionals toward the development and implementation of a strategic “Life Plan.” An integrative, multi-specialty consultation clarifies strengths, limitations, and risks, and defines motivations, goals and choices.
A mental health condition that’s characterized by intense shifts in mood including both manic and depressive episodes.
People living with Major Depressive Disorder, or MDD, experience episodes of depression and sadness that are debilitating to daily life.
Those living with anxiety disorders experience high levels of anxiety and stress that interfere negatively with daily life.
A mental health issue in which a person’s cognitive function is impaired, resulting in symptoms like experiencing challenges with conducting speech, reading and writing, and behavior.
Mental health disorders that negatively affect a person’s behaviors, thought patterns, and function. People diagnosed with these disorders experience challenges with managing relationships and understanding various situations.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is a mental health condition that people can develop as a result of experiencing traumatic situations, characterized by symptoms including flashbacks, avoidance behaviors, and more.
A mental health condition that is characterized by specific symptoms of forgetfulness and lack of concentration, which makes it challenging to complete necessary tasks.
Mental health conditions that interfere with a person’s eating habits, thought patterns, and behaviors in negative ways.
A mental health disorder diagnosable with the DSM-5 that is characterized by both obsessions and compulsive behaviors.