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Specialized care defines CALO
September 16, 2007
By Deanna Wheeler
 LAKE
OF THE OZARKS - When kids come here, they are usually coming from
another facility, another residential treatment center or straight
from the hospital, so they think they know what to expect, they have
their defenses up, they’re ready to battle, CEO and Founder of
Change Academy Lake of the Ozarks Ken Huey said.
But then they see this view, he
said pointing to the 700 feet of Lake Ozark waterfront and the two
boats, they start working with the Golden Retrievers and they think
maybe this is going to be different.
Exactly the reaction Huey and his
team is going for.
With most residential centers
located in the western part of the United States, he said Missouri
offers a unique location for his facility.
An educator, middle, works on
the daily lesson plan with two girls in
the program. Huey said the program offered through Brigham Young
University not only allows some kids to catch up to the level where
they should be but often surpass it.
CALO is a private adolescent
residential treatment specializing in attachment, trauma and affect
regulation nestled here in Lake of the Ozarks.
A lot of big words for kids who
just need to have a second chance.
Huey said a lot of the kids he
treats have problems with relationships and that has transcended
through other parts of their lives.
“So we go back and we change that.
We show and teach them how to deal and manage their emotions without
a fistfight or cutting themselves or running away,” he said.
Building relationships is at the
core of the program and is achieved through several different
methods, including taking the kids through an adoption process of a
golden retriever.
“They have to go through the
parenting process with the dogs and when everything doesn’t go their
way, we step back and help them realize this is similar to what they
were putting their parents through,” he said. “We get them to feel
the same things their parents felt and the empathy builds
relationships.”
Huey also takes advantage of the
lake and teaches the kids how to waterski, wakeboard, swim and
kayak.
“We put them in these controlled,
stressful situations and help them work through it,” he said.
“Learning to waterski is extremely stressful and when they don’t get
up, they get frustrated and want to give up, we step in and talk
them through what they are feeling and help them work through it.
They’re learning life skills.”
Because some of the kids have never
learned “normal” touching, Huey said his method also teaches trust
and respect through physical interaction.
Simple things like placing a hand
on a shoulder or giving a hug is terrifying to some of these kids
because all they know is pain with touching, he explained.
He said one of the kids was burned
with cigarettes as a small child and locked in a closet when he did
something wrong. He was removed from his household and placed in
foster care where he was later adopted. But those feelings stuck
with him, Huey explained, and he started reacting the best way he
knew how, physically.
“Abnormal touch was normal to him.
You could not get close to him because you would just see him
physically tense up,” he said. “It was like a hot poker.”
Four weeks into the program, Huey
was able to place a hand on his leg.
Months into the program, Huey said
the boy had a breakthrough when after a rough day, he offered Huey a
hug.
“He’s 16 years old, and you know
he’s never done that before, unless it was with a girl and only so
he could have sex with her. So it was truly exciting to see that
change in him,” he said. “That’s why we do this.”
But it’s not cheap for the private,
more individual care. Huey said because the ratio of staff to kids
is so high in state facilities, some get lost in the cracks and many
do not get all the help they need before they are released. Often
times, several stays are needed in state facilities.
CALO charges from $9,000 to $13,000
a month, depending on the child. That cost includes everything from
trips on the boat and therapy sessions to the ropes course and
online academic program through Brigham Young University that allows
the kids to not only get caught up on their schoolwork, but often
times get ahead, Huey said.
“Right now, though, we’re working
on breaking even. We’re working off of no margin. If I’ve got money,
I buy something for the kids,” he said, explaining 75 percent of his
budget goes into staffing.
Huey has even held off buying
furniture for his office to buy a pingpong table for the recreation
area.
“I couldn’t rationalize it in my
mind,” he said.
The cost is also rational for
parents looking for a solution.
“I know a lot of parents’ greatest
fears is the sheriff’s department at their door telling them their
child is dead or one awful situation or another. We try to prevent
that,” he said.
Because they’ve only been in their
location down Horseshoe Bend since June, he said there is still a
lot of work that needs to be done, inside and out. And with more
kids being referred, Huey is questioning when he’ll get the time, or
money, to get it all finished.
Especially before October, when
Huey will be sitting down with Dr. Phil McGraw of the Dr. Phil Show
about his program. The meeting could result in a segment about CALO.
Contact this reporter at deannaw@lakesunleader.com
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