Mansion at Focus Point

OUR MISSION

Koba’s Mansion at Focus Point (MFP) provides residential care for adolescents in a community-based, family-like atmosphere, where they learn personal responsibility and self-sufficiency. The atmosphere is evident in the sharing of household chores, resolution of conflicts that affect every member of the household, and the development of caring relationships. This atmosphere is coupled with strong therapeutic milieu components, facilitated by community meetings, therapeutic recreation, and a behavior management program.

Our whole approach is directed toward helping each resident achieve his or her individual treatment goals. Each Mansion resident participates with program staff, family, and significant others to craft an individual service plan (ISP). The resident’s goals are incorporated into the ISP, along with incentives to encourage him or her toward achieving them. The Mansion utilizes an interdisciplinary team approach to help our residents succeed, offering them a wide range of services based on their individual needs.

For example, residents receive clinical therapies and substance abuse services designed to meet their needs for guidance, learning, and personal development. Many residents also receive remedial and tutorial education services through the Mansion’s Accelerated Achievement Academy (AAA), AAAextensions of which are located at each group home. The Mansion transports residents to a central AAA site each week for testing and presentation of incentive awards

The ultimate goal of the Mansion is to prepare our residents for successful transition to less restrictive family or community settings. We are dedicated to providing an environment in which a resident can develop the skills needed to sustain them as they re-integrate into the community, reunite with family, and/or transition to an alternative living program.

OUR LOCATIONS

The Mansion program currently operates out of four (4) group homes located in Clinton, Fort Washington, Oxon Hill, Upper Marlboro and Silver Spring, Maryland.  All homes are in well-appointed residential neighborhoods close to public transportation recreation facilities and opportunities for part-time work.

The special characteristics of each home provide both variety and flexibility in developing individual treatment and service plans.  All homes offer ready access to Tennis Courtnearby facilities, with basketball, baseball, tennis courts, and at one location, a 15-acre lake, a sports complex with an ice rink, and various other recreational facilities. 

The locations of our residential facilities also boast a host of cultural and historical sites to which the residents have access.  For example, Oxon Hill, MD is home to churches over 100 years old and the historical Oxon Hill Manor. Clinton, MD is located four miles outside of the Capital Beltway and is close to Andrews Air force Base, the home of Air Force One.

The Silver Spring group home is an eight-bed home that exclusively  serves adolescent girls ages 13-20.  The multi-level house is equipped with all amenities and is located in a lovely and peaceful, residential neighborhood in Montgomery County, MD.  Within these pleasing and safe environments, residents can begin to focus on their specially tailored service plans and personal healing.

For a complete listing of our group home locations, see our locations page. You can also view a virtual tour of our facilities by clicking here.

RESIDENT PROFILE

The Mansion program is primarily targeted to meet the needs of male and female multi-cultural adolescents aged 13 to 21 who are experiencing emotional or other problems that have hindered their developmental pathways.  The Mansion serves hospital transition clients, including difficult cases returning from out-of-state and adolescents needing interim placements or as an alternative to RTC or unsuccessful foster home placement.  

Many adolescents come to the Mansion with a high rate of recidivism. Some may have secondary problems with substance abuse and/or learning disabilities. We embrace teenagers who face these difficulties, and we find that many of our residents benefit by relocating away from their home communities Bed Room1and away from significant negative peer influences. At the Mansion, we recognize that “place matters,” and so we strive to provide a supportive, family-like atmosphere for these relocated adolescents.

In addition, many adolescents come to the Mansion speaking different languages and needing English development support.  The extensive links and educational placement services provided by our Accelerated Achievement Academy closes the gap in reading and math and English language skills to help residents improve school performance or obtain a High School Diploma. Because our homes are community-centered, however, we cannot consider adolescents with overly specialized therapeutic needs, such as those with IQs under 55, active homosexuals, violent sex offenders, and those whose physical disabilities require the use of a wheelchair. We will, however, consider youths with wide-ranging emotional and behavioral problems whose needs match our program’s particular strengths. For a detailed list of who we will and will not consider for placement in MFP group homes, please click here

 

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PROGRAM RESULTS

Advanced Self-Evaluation System
All group homes undergo a rigorous self-evaluation every three weeks. A team consisting of a social worker, a nurse and a representative from Koba’s administrative staff rates the program on over 150 specific items within the following categories:

  • Child Care Services
  • General Health Services
  • Documentation (grievance reports, staff training, medical log, etc.)
  • Personnel
  • Administration
  • Physical upkeep and sanitation

If any problems are identified in any category, steps are immediately taken to rectify the situation. As a final check, the residents are also periodically encouraged to offer their feedback on various aspects of the program.

Achieving Success
Once a teenager has completed the MFP program and achieved the goals outlined in his or her ISP to the satisfaction of the staff and the case manager, there are a number of possible success outcomes. Residents can be reunited Dining Roomwith their families, make the transition into a less restrictive home environment, live independently, and/or pursue further educational opportunities. Whatever outcome is chosen, our residents can take the lessons they have learned while in the program and apply them successfully in a larger, more complex world.

COUNSELING AND EDUCATIONAL SERVICES

Our purpose is to use goal-setting and positive reinforcement to improve the mental, educational, physical, residential, and social well-being of our residents’ lives. We provide an extensive array of treatment services in order to help out residents reach their goals.

Individual Service Plan
The Individual Service Plan (ISP) is the Mansion’s unique method of identifying the emotional and therapeutic needs of each resident. It focuses on setting specific treatment goals in five fundamental areas (mental, educational, physical, residential, social) and then tailoring the program to help the resident achieve those goals. The ISP is designed to keep both the counselors and the resident focused on an attainable goal, as well as to provide a yardstick with which to measure progress. In accordance with his or her ISP, each resident receives treatment through a combination of in-house clinicians and out-patient clinics. Koba utilizes several different clinics, based on both youths’ needs and authorizations provided by their caseworkers and placing agencies

A meeting is held every three months to evaluate the ISP and, if necessary, to make adjustments. This is a cooperative effort involving the resident and his or her parents, caseworker, teachers, and therapist.

Individual and Group Counseling
Individual counseling generally occurs once a week (or more often if necessary, depending on the ISP) with a certified psychologist, psychiatrist, or counselor. Group counseling is held with a social worker twice each week.

During these counseling sessions, residents are encouraged to discuss their personal problems and receive advice from their peers. This builds a sense of community and also helps to resolve any inter-personal difficulties that may exist.

Other Counseling and Educational Services
MFP provides substance abuse education and/or counseling, along with transportation to and from local narcotics anonymous and alcoholics anonymous meetings, to any resident who needs it.

A special aspect of our service offerings is our life skills program. We spend two sessions each week equipping residents with the information and emotional support that they will need to successfully transition out of the group home environment. These life skills classes cover such topics as sound decision making, money management, personal hygiene, time management, personal safety, dating, marriage and family planning. Residents also have access to our academic programs through our Accelerated Achievement Academy and to recreation therapy. With this unique and practical aspect of our therapeutic program, our residents are being prepared for life in the “real world.”

SPORTS FOR RESIDENTS

Competition with other organizations or residential programs can greatly improve the morale and sense of community within a group home. Fostering ties by participation in group home basketball, softball, and other sports is a major objective of the MFP program.

BallfieldSports are intended to provide an avenue for activities that are wholesome and provide excellent athletic opportunities. In instances where a group home is too small to field a team, group homes can combine resources to form a team to play against the other group homes.

 

 

 

 

 

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