Ryther Programs
Programs: From our full-time psychiatrists and psychologist to our master’s level therapists to our cottage counselors, each staff member brings professional experience and unconditional compassion to help nurture healthier children and stronger families.
Ryther delivers a wide array of behavioral health services for children and their families:
- Sub-Acute Residential Care for children ages 6-13 with emotional, behavioral and mental health problems due to abuse (physical and sexual), neglect or trauma
- Therapeutic Family Care Program providing therapeutic and traditional foster care as well as in-home support
- Mental Health Outpatient Treatment for children ages 2-18 and their families including psychiatry, psychology and autism assessments and diagnostics
- Co-Occurring Program for teens with both substance abuse and mental health issues
- Drug and Alcohol Assessments and Level I Outpatient Treatment for teens
- Substance Abuse Inpatient Program for male teens ages 13-18 who have failed in prior treatment
- Collaborative Coaching for teens and their parents, providing early intervention and coaching
- Aspiring Youth for children, teens and young adults with Asperger's, ADHD, learning disabilities and similar traits
Recent Successes and Current Challenges
A Success
By age nine, “Taylor” had already experienced a lot of trauma, enduring both physical and sexual abuse before he was removed from his home to live with a relative caregiver. Despite her best efforts, she was unable to care for him due to his difficult behaviors that included violent outbursts as well as fire-setting. The first step after he was admitted to Ryther’s Sub-Acute Residential Treatment Program was a psychiatric evaluation with Ryther’s Child Psychiatrist, Dr. Linda Ford. Taylor’s diagnoses included ADHD, bipolar disorder, depressive disorder and oppositional defiant disorder. Over time, Dr. Ford developed the optimal medication management plan and stabilized his mood and behavior so he could succeed in the therapeutic process of healing. Besides individual therapy, he also had a canine companion, participated in Little Bit therapeutic horseback riding, and attended Survivor’s Group, a group for children who have been sexually abused. Here, he was able to explore the abuse of his past, express grief and resolve key issues. Taylor’s caregiver was actively engaged in family therapy at Ryther and developed the skills to provide the structure Taylor needed to succeed in her home. When Taylor left, his Ryther case manager remarked, “His future is really bright. Ryther staff watched him grow into a boy who is socializing, planning, looking forward to things, and was able to say good-bye. He left a whole different child. There isn’t a staff member here who wasn’t affected by his success.”
A Need
Ryther's Sub-Acute Residential Treatment program treats 36 children, ages 6-13, at any given time. These children have endured egregious abuse, and their responsive behavior results in an average of nine failed placements before referral to Ryther. Washington State is responsible for their treatment, yet State funding covers less than 70% of the actual cost of care. Ryther considers this population to be central to its core mission and is seeking donations to compensate for this deficit, so that we can continue to provide the level of care necessary for these children to heal, including psychiatry, psychology and experiential therapies.