To the Max Behavior Therapy of Owensboro continues to grow both in services and programs offered to local clients. Dedicated to serving its participants, To the Max has remained diligent in its efforts to ensure individual client success.
SCL Coordinator Jill Thompson, is hopeful that 2020 will be their best year yet for both current and potential participants.
“Our goal is to allow our clients to shine,” Thompson said. “We hope to help them be successful at home, within the community, within life in general. We want them to see that they have a purpose and that they are valuable.”
SCL which stands for “Supports for Community Living” is a unique and innovative service that is based on the individual needs of clients. Utilizing and identified through an individual plan, Positive Behavior Supports are used when there is a need to develop a strategy that then identifies prevention strategies to reduce significant challenging behaviors that could potentially interfere with activities of daily living, social interaction or work.
Thompson said through new experiences provided within the Social Success program clients are thriving in a variety of areas.
“It’s both humbling and gratifying to see how much these kids have bonded with one another while engaging in this program,” Thompson said. “These are real friendships. These kids are excited to try new things together, we’re truly a family.”
Whether it be attending a ballgame, fishing, or cooking for the first time, the Social Success initiative provided by To the Max helps clients grow and adapt at their own pace. The activities are varied and individualized by participants fitting individual needs and interests.
For parents like Jennifer Lawless, the Social Success program has been life-changing. Both of her children, Alyssa and Bryson Weevie are clients at To the Max Behavior Therapy.
“Typically my kids don’t have a lot of friends,” Lawless said. “This program has allowed my kids to not only go places but to build real relationships. It has been huge for us. I love that they truly get to socialize and have both started to grow.”
Lawless credits the therapy her children receive as monumental and beneficial, sighting both have developed new coping skills and broken language barriers in terms of communication.
“This program has been incredibly helpful and has strengthened a diverse variety of skills for both of my children,” Lawless said. “My son is using full sentences. His speech patterns have drastically changed. My daughter longs for friendships with teens her age, with other kids like her. She is building confidence. The specialists at To the Max focus on different aspects of the spectrum. That’s so crucial. If they can’t help, they will find a way. It means so much.”
A mantra often used by To the Max, each of the staff strives to “focus on the able, and not the label,” in regard to each life they come into contact with through their services.
“Our vision is to reach the most kids, the most families,” Thompson said. “We want the families we serve to know that they are not alone. We care. We will always put them first, always. The best is yet to come at To the Max Behavior Therapy.”
In addition to “Social Success,” the program is now providing Respite Services, CLS, SCL behavior supports, and SCL Day Training. For more information visit their website or call 270-903-5687.
