At Kolburne, we have an environment in which every aspect and every interaction between resident and staff, patient and therapist, and student and teacher – be it in the classroom, the residences, or any other part of our program – is meant to be helpful toward treatment goals. We call this our Therapeutic Milieu; everyone working together to provide a caring, healing environment with the singular goal of helping our children and young adults make progress, gain understanding, increase skills, and look forward to the future.
Milieu programs include:
Residential Care & Treatment
The Kolburne School
Pre-vocational Programs & Career Counseling
Nursing Services
Kolburne’s Nursing staff is comprised of licensed nurses and trained staff under the direction of Dr. Margo Drohan, Kolburne’s Director of Nursing and Health Services, who is responsible for overseeing the 24/7 health and medical needs of all Kolburne students.
The Nursing Office is located on the Woodruff Campus in Burritt Hall and staffed by Licensed Nurses every day from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Satellite health offices are located in the group residences. Nurses schedule routine weekly visits to the group residences and as needed, and a Nurse is always on call for any need from 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.
The Nursing staff is responsible for administering, monitoring and supervising medication administration, addressing health concerns, providing first aid, and coordinating routine and complex healthcare services with appropriate community service providers and regional specialists, as needed. The Nursing staff also works closely with each student’s Inter-Disciplinary Treatment Team to address health and medication issues.
Although Kolburne is located in a rural part of Massachusetts, the Berkshires are well known for community-based health services, highly skilled specialists and hospitals. Emergency medical needs and unique medical conditions are supported by such nationally-acclaimed local and regional hospitals as Fairview Hospital in Great Barrington, Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield, Bay State Hospital in Springfield, MA, Shriner’s Hospital in Boston, and Albany Medical Center in New York.
For more information on Student Healthcare & Wellness, click here.
Respite Care
Planned Respite Care
Kolburne’s Planned Respite Care program makes it convenient and easy for families or caretakers to place a child in an appropriate therapeutic setting while they take a break or vacation. Kolburne provides a safe, social and fun experience with the individualized and special support they need for the length of their stay.
Emergency Respite Care Program
Kolburne’s Emergency Respite Care program is designed as a resource for hospitals and state agencies that need emergency and limited shelter placement for acute care children in transition. Kolburne’s experienced and trained staff can provide emergency pick up within a 50-mile radius, and is set up to support all medical, clinical, and educational needs.
Respite Care Program Features
- Year-round planned respite for children ages 8-22 (48-hour minimum care stay required).
- Community-based residential housing and larger group dorm housing on our Woodruff Campus.
- Direct support staffing by trained child care workers and supervisors.
- Day and residential programming and recreational activities with an appropriate peer group.
- Individualized academics (optional with IEP), prevocational and recreational programs and activities.
- Medication management, illness or injury assessment by Registered Nurses.
- Clinical assessment and support, if needed.
- Weekly non-denominational religious services.
- Free transportation to and from home and Kolburne within a 50-mile radius.
- Set daily fee pricing.
Recreational Program Highlights
- 800-acres in the heart of the Berkshire mountains with trails for hiking and snowshoeing
- Educational Complex with Certified Teachers, Academic and Life Skills Classrooms, and Indoor Heated Pool
- Playgrounds & Adaptive Playground Equipment
- Kayaking, Fishing, Slip n’ Slide
- Scavenger Hunts
- Friday Night Socials, Dances, and Bonfires
- Ropes Course
- Community-based Trips
- Basketball, Floor Hockey, Kickball, Racquetball
Diagnostic Assessments
Upon admission, or shortly thereafter, the following assessments and tests are completed or updated to give the student’s inter-disciplinary Treatment Team a better understanding of their strengths and weaknesses: ABAS (or equivalent assessment of basic skills, coping ability, strengths, and weaknesses); IQ screening; OT assessment; an assessment of trauma and trauma related issues; nursing and nutritional assessments; bio-psychosocial assessments; self-preservation and residence skill assessments; Initial Psychiatric Evaluation; behavioral assessments such as the BASC-2, Beck Youth Inventory or Beck Depression Scales (depending on age); and/or other assessments as deemed necessary by the student’s Treatment Team for a complete diagnostic assessment.
Within 21 days of admission, members of the student’s Treatment Team meet to review their observations and assessments, including input from the student, family and/or agencies, and develop a sense of the overall target or vision for the student’s future. This is best characterized by the overall approach taken by Kolburne: “How do all parties envision the student functioning and in what situation or context at the end of his or her stay?” This is then translated into proposed goals, objectives and interventions for the student’s treatment plan, which is designed to overcome these obstacles and support the student’s success in fulfilling his/her target.
Autism Spectrum Care
Our work with students on the autism spectrum leads us to an emphasis on sensory-motor, language, emotional regulation, and social skills to strengthen deficits. Each student’s needs are addressed with a treatment plan that might include a variety of behavior and relational techniques; Physical, Occupational, and or Speech-Language Therapies; and Skills curricular.
Trauma Informed Care
We incorporate into our treatment planning, students’ neurological and physical conditions. We emphasize empathy and trust in all of our relationships with students, and help them to develop self-calming and reassuring skills as well as emotional regulation.
