How to get started in Treatment

Thank you for your interest in receiving treatment for your child and family at the Adoption & Attachment Treatment Center of Iowa. We are committed to providing a state-of-the-art treatment program for Reactive Attachment Disorder. We have received accreditation from the National Association for the Training & Treatment of Attachment Disorder in Children ( www.attach.org) as Registered Attachment Clinicians. AATC of Iowa is the only Registered Attachment Organization in the State of Iowa, and one of 18 in the United States. We won’t stop there either, we are dedicated to continuing our own study and research and securing additional training to remain one of the best RAD treatment clinics in the country. We have "found our niche" and love the work that we do. We have found that our own unique treatment protocol is very effective in healing children with RAD, and subsequently the family.

Due to the efficacy of our treatment protocol, we often find that we have an ongoing waiting list for families seeking treatment. For this we apologize. However, we have devised a system that we hope will help you get "jump started" in the meantime. All families entering into treatment at AATC for attachment related services are required to attend a parenting training program prior to beginning services. We periodically offer group training for parents and we also offer individual training sessions for new families beginning treatment. Please know that we realize you have read more books on parenting than anyone you know, and have tried everything you could think of to help your child. However, please offer a bit of trust when we tell you that our parenting program (which is a large part of our treatment protocol) is unique and very effective. The most common response we hear from parents is "I’m not angry all the time anymore". This is the first step to the family's healing process. In addition, we offer a Parent Education and Support Group. We also offer children’s Social Skills Groups twice a week. We realize that many of you travel a significant distance to secure the appropriate treatment for your child and are trying to make the most of your investment of time and resources. We do require a screening interview prior to your child attending the Social Skills group so that our staff are prepared to best serve their specific needs when they join us.

We need you to call your health insurance company prior to your Intake Appointment for pre-approval, unless your child has Medicaid/T-19 for primary insurance or will be receiving services from the Department of Human Services. We require that the estimated balance of payment (cost of service less the estimated insurance payment) at the time services are provided. While we will take responsibility for requesting/authorizing more sessions when necessary, and submitting your claims on a timely basis, you will be responsible for any unpaid balances of services provided to you and your family.

We can provide you a list of the insurance companies that we are on approved provider panels. However, we recommend that you call your insurance company to check to see if Best Growth Options Counseling Service, Inc., Denise L. Best, LMHC (Licensed Mental Health Counselor), or Farrah Bonde, LISW (Licensed Independent Social Worker) is on their provider panel as we have sometimes been approved through an umbrella company and can accept insurance from companies we did not apply to. If we are not on their provider panel, we suggest you call your insurance company and advise them of your special needs child and request that an exception be made so that your child can receive the specialized services they need. We will do everything we can to assist in assuring payment from your insurance company, and will do everything within reason to work with you on payment for services. Our #1 priority is healing your child and your family.

Please call your insurance company for pre- approval for the groups and following services. We realize that not all insurance companies will authorize all of the following codes, but we are able to provide services under the following codes. We provide this information to give families an array of options to try and reduce their out of pocket expenses. Please ask for approval with your insurance company for the following codes:
---- 90801 Intake Appointment under your child's name & both parent’s names.

----96101 Testing under your child's name.

---- 90853 Group: under the child's name.

----90846 Family therapy without child present under the child’s name and/or a parent.

----90847 Family therapy with child present under the child’s name and/or a parent.

----90806 Individual therapy under the child’s name and both parent’s names.

Fill out the initial paperwork packet that includes the Intake face sheet form, Intake Assessment form, evaluation and screening tools, the Physician’s Release form, Fee Agreement Form, General Releases of Information, Permission to Treat form, that need to be filled out and returned to us as soon as possible (along with other previous treatment records). Many of these forms and other useful information about our services can also be found on our website www.aatcofiowa.com.

All persons directly parenting are strongly recommended to read Foster Cline & Jim Fay’s book “ Parenting with Love & Logic,” which can also be bought at local bookstores, through their website, or we provide them at our office for $17.95.

We ask that you copy or request copies of reports and/or evaluations from prior Mental Health, Psychiatric, Medical, Academic, Social, Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Sensory Integration, or any other relevant records that will assist us in better serving your child and send them to us as soon possible. We can provide you with Release of Information forms for your convenience, if you would like the reports sent directly to us.

You will be contacted to set up an appointment for therapy to begin when your name comes up on the waiting list.

When we set up the Initial Intake Appointment we may ask that the parents attend without the child. This first appointment is to complete the Intake Process, provide you with test results and together develop a Treatment Plan. At this time we will advise you of the specific treatment interventions we will be recommending for your child, you, and the entire family and explain how these will help your child heal and what to expect. This appointment typically lasts 2 hours.

Your next appointment may also be for the parent’s only. We will begin the Therapeutic Parenting Training module. This appointment typically lasts 1.5 – 2 hours.

We will then set up an appointment to evaluate your child/begin services with your child. This initial appointment with your child and members of the treatment team establishes the expectations in treatment for your child, therefore we are known to work with a child as long as they need us, they are that important to us. This may include the MIM (Marshak Interaction Method - an evaluation tool developed by the Theraplay Institute out of Chicago), child evaluation and parent-child relationship evaluation, which help us to identify the specific treatment needs of your child. This appointment can last between 2 and 3 hours. We ask that you be flexible with the time commitment for this appointment, and prepare accordingly regarding meals, childcare for other children, travel time, and work/other commitments.

The ongoing appointments are typically 1.25 to 2 hours dependent upon your insurance carrier and the needs of your family. In the beginning of treatment, we often see the parents first for 30 to 50 minutes, discuss their week: struggles, frustrations, successes, concerns, etc. then provide some education on what is going on with their child or between them and their child and ways this can be addressed. We also use this time to explain anything we are going to do in the therapy session with the child that they might have difficulty with such as planning narratives, processing the child’s trauma memories, etc. As the parents understand their child better and the interventions, and the child heals, we end up spending less time with the parents and more time with the entire family. We have found that 2-hour sessions have proven to be the most successful format to help children who have attachment disruptions, significant behavior challenges, and considerable grief and loss issues to work through.

Please expect to be in treatment for 8-12 months depending on the age of your child (the older the child, the longer treatment takes). We strongly request that you commit to the healing process of your child, yourselves, and your family during this time by NOT taking on any other significant obligations during the time you are in treatment. While we understand that life changes happen, we request that you do not voluntarily take on commitments that will take your focus away from the healing process; particularly taking on more children/foster children. We prescribe a great deal of "homework" that is very time consuming and needs your undivided attention; your child’s healing time will likely be significantly less this way.

We have developed a private group room on Yahoo for parents to provide support, ideas, and encouragement to each other. Most of our parents feel isolated, misunderstood, and alone due to the complicated nature of this disorder. There is no substitute for another parent living with a RAD child like you do, to truly “get it”, and be on your side. Members have to apply for access to protect confidentiality. It is another resource for support during treatment that we hope you will use in between appointments.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aatcofiowa/

We are truly looking forward to helping your family heal!