Who we treat

Cost

Length of Stay

Number of beds & staffing

Treatment philosophy

Program leaders

Program description

Treatment details &
clinical protocols

Adhering to treatment

Making treatment work

Program life

Daily treatment schedule

Family involvement

Psychoeducational groups

Discharge planning

What patients say

Admissions

Packing for your stay

Compass Young Adult Program

Program life
The Menninger Clinic strives to offer a treatment experience that differs from a traditional hospital to help patients take full advantage of treatment.

Where patients reside
The Compass Program is located in one of the seven one-story buildings on the 14-acre campus shaded by tall pines. The patient living buildings are much like a university residence hall with patient rooms up and down the hallway. A spacious common area with sofas and tables exists between the halls and staffing area. Rooms where groups meet, nursing station with an open doorway, TV/game area, a kitchen-snack room and laundry room round out the Program’s space.

On the campus, lawn chairs, gazebos, a pool, a full-size gymnasium, tennis courts, walking trail along with the sounds and sights of a backyard await patients during their unscheduled time.

Program meetings

Group psychotherapy: Participation in group psychotherapy provides patients with the opportunity to share thoughts and feelings in a safe and confidential environment. This is the least structured group offered on Compass. In a group setting with peers who have experienced similar struggles, patients have a place to explore their innermost feelings, discuss relationship issues and explore options. Therapists help provide structure and interpretation but in this group, the relationship with self and with peers is emphasized.

Community meeting: The focus of this meeting is to provide a forum for all residents of Compass to discuss issues or events affecting their community.

Meditation group: This daily group is a guided meditative experience. The purpose is to introduce you to the stress-relieving benefits of a daily meditation practice that facilitates living in the present moment.

Rounds: A member of the treatment team—psychiatrist, primary clinician, nursing staff—meet with patients twice a week to review the individual’s treatment and discuss specific aspects of treatment, recovery and discharge planning.

Spirituality group: This group helps individuals explore the relationships between God/higher Power, self and others, and how these relationships may impact their current issues and conflicts. Religious theologies are respected while discussion focuses on how individuals’ perspective on their belief system may help or hinder their wellness.

A wide range of specialty services, such as the trauma group, eating disorders group, learning disabilities assessment and neuropsychological assessment are also available through collaboration with other specialty programs at The Menninger Clinic.

Men’s/Women’s groups: These required groups are held weekly and led by staff. They provide an opportunity for men and women to explore issues related to esteem, sense of self and other gender-related issues in a supportive setting.

Atmosphere on the unit
Staff dress in business and business casual attire. Patients are encouraged to dress comfortably. Appropriate attire is required on the unit at all times. The guidelines are: be clean and covered, and shoes and shirt are required.

Most of the treatment team offices are located in the building with the unit. As a result, members of the entire treatment team interact with patients both formally in treatment and informally throughout the day. Staff are available on the unit around the clock when patients have questions or need support.

The patients and staff function together as a community. The patient community plays a vital part in the milieu. Patients meet weekly in a community meeting. This meeting provides a forum to welcome new patients and staff, say goodbye to those leaving and to discuss issues of interest to the patients. Each day patients and staff meet to plan the activities for evenings and for trips into the community.

For meals, patients are encouraged to eat together in the Dining Room with supervision of staff. Meals are also delivered to the unit. At the cafeteria, patients and staff throughout Menninger share the same main dining room.

The unit is left unlocked unless the staff or patient community determines that locking the unit is best for the safety of one of the patients and the patient community.

First days in the program

• With an Admissions coordinator, the patient and family complete the admissions paperwork.
• Members of the treatment team greet the patient and family on the unit.
• The staff inventories and checks the patient’s personal belongings.
• The patient moves into his/her room. Rooms are set up for double occupancy. Each offers an in-room bathroom with tub/shower, individual desks, a closet and a window. A handicapped accessible room is also available. This is a co-ed program. Roommates are the same gender. Patients socialize in the common areas and not in one another’s rooms.
• A staff psychiatrist and an internal medicine physician see the patient within 24 hours of admission.
• Staff introduce the patient to other staff and patients, and orient them to the unit.
• The treatment team and patient work together to stabilize symptoms and begin assessments that help the team better understand the patient and his/her needs. During these days, the patient may participate in a shortened version of the core programming. The treatment team and patient collaborate on goals for treatment, and a treatment plan is set.

Daily treatment
The Compass Program provides a supportive and structured environment specifically for young adults, ages 18 to 30, who struggle with managing the transition from adolescence into adulthood. A dual disorders treatment program for individuals with substance abuse or addiction is also available.

Treatment addresses the factors that affect young adult patients who are having difficulty navigating developmental stages and managing mental illness. The treatment team works with each patient to diagnose any inherited characteristics in their illness, assess significant life events that may influence their functioning and address family, occupational and cultural effects on the patient's well-being.

Therapy integrates teaching of life management skills, more effective coping strategies and social rehabilitation. Patients participate in a structured treatment schedule Monday-Friday. On weekends, patients learn to manage unscheduled time, putting into practice the life and leisure skills they are addressing in specialty groups. Patients also use unscheduled time to complete projects related to their treatment and take part in physical fitness activities.

The young adults participate in core program activities and specialized therapies, which are based on the clinical needs of each individual. Patients experiencing substance abuse or addictive disorders also participate in 12-step addictions treatment. These therapies are integrated into the following core schedule.

The treatment team may enhance programming and update the schedule to meet the needs of patients.

Unstructured time
An important component of the program is teaching individuals how to use unstructured time more effectively. The Menninger Clinic makes provisions for unstructured times within the program’s community calendar activities. The goal is to reflect upon how patients will use leisure time outside the treatment setting. The staff considers the use of leisure time and relaxation as important aspects of personal mental health.

Unscheduled time may be used to do therapy homework, “practice” socializing with others, relax with a hobby or activity, exercise, read or participate with other patients and staff in planned recreational activities.

Supervision by staff
The patient’s treatment team determines the level of supervision the patient needs. Supervision levels change throughout a patient’s stay based on the team’s assessment of the patient’s clinical needs.

The supervision levels and the activities prescribed by the treatment team aim to help the patient accomplish treatment goals and provide for the patient’s safety. As the patient attains their goals, they typically earn privileges to participate in individual and group activities on and off the campus.