Residential Services

Residential Services at Sununu Youth Services Center (SYSC) encompass education, residential unit life, permanency planning, as well as clinical treatment services. The goal at SYSC is to provide youth with ongoing assessment of their needs and strengths, as well as comprehensive mental health treatment.

Clinical Services

Clinical Services are provided to youth at SYSC by licensed mental health professionals, including Master’s-level clinicians, a facility psychologist, and psychiatrist. Every youth is assigned a primary clinician upon admission. Youth work with their clinician and treatment team on developing treatment goals that address their identified needs. Clinical services available to the youth include

  • Mental health screening
  • Individual, family and group therapy
  • Safety planning
  • Crisis intervention services
  • Treatment planning.

When a youth is committed to SYSC, a systematic process is used to classify youth to a therapeutic program of care. Progress in programming is reviewed through regular treatment plan meetings with the youth’s Treatment Team. The Treatment Team is comprised of the youth’s

  • Primary clinician
  • Facility psychologist
  • Primary and secondary youth counselors
  • Educational representative
  • Juvenile Probation and Parole Officer (JPPO)
  • Permanency specialist
  • Parent(s) or guardian(s)
  • The youth. 

Residential Programming

Youth placed at SYSC are integrated into residential unit life with their peers following the admission process. Each unit is staffed by Youth Counselors at all times, who engage youth in meaningful recreational activities.

SYSC uses a positive-behavioral interventions and supports model to promote and develop positive behaviors in youth. Youth are able to earn various incentives/privileges based on their daily behavior in the facility. Youth committed to the facility are able to earn various levels of trust including the ability to access the campus and the community with staff supervision, as well as furlough passes with their family.  

Medical Services

Medical Services at SYSC are responsible to ensure the health needs of all youth are met while in secure residential treatment. Both on-campus and community-based medical services are provided, with access to hospital emergency services and preventative care as needed. All youth have access to medical care provided by registered nurses, pediatricians, psychiatrists, and dentists.

Medical services at SYSC, may include, but are not limited to:

  • Admission physicals
  • Medical screenings
  • Lab testing
  • Immunizations and
  • Health education.

Medical specialty services are obtained from a wide variety of community-based providers.

Education

Educational Services at SYSC provide comprehensive academic programs to all youth at the facility. Academics offered include:

  • Special education programming, inclusive of modified regular programing and regular classroom support
  • Implementation of supports necessary to ensure compliance with any 504 plan a student may have;
  • General education programming
  • Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT)
  • High School Equivalency Test (HiSET) preparation

In order to transition smoothly into community schools, employment settings, and independent living situations, youth are provided opportunities to learn

  • Academic and literacy skills
  • Technical and vocational skills
  • Job skills,
  • Independent living skills

The SYSC education department provides youth and their parent(s) or legal guardian(s) with documentation of the youth’s progress towards educational goals by providing transcripts/report cards each quarter or upon the youth’s release, whichever occurs first. 

Permanency Planning

Permanency planning at SYSC involves a broad range of services to assist youth in identifying and achieving their transitional goals so they can create a permanent, stable life out in the community.  

This includes providing opportunities to work on transitional plans during their stay at SYSC, enhanced concentration on their goals around the time of their departure, and continued assistance after departure.  

The overall goal is to prepare youth with the right tools and resources so they can learn the necessary life skills to succeed in the community.