Youth Homes

The Dennis Radtke Home for Boys 

Program Definition
The Dennis Radtke Home for Boys is a six-bed intensive level therapeutic group home serving adolescent boys in a residential neighborhood in the Missoula community.

Beliefs
Relationship, consistency and a trained and caring staff, who provide an environment where young men can learn life skills, gain insight and empathy, participate in community programs, and make positive changes in their lives.

Location
The Dennis Radtke Home for Boys is located in the Linda Vista neighborhood off Highway 93 as it leaves Missoula toward Lolo and Ravalli County. The neighborhood is comprised of single family residences and has small parks situated within it. While a good distance from downtown Missoula it is still close to town with many services accessible easily by Brooks and Reserve Streets. The home is located close to Sentinel and Big Sky High Schools. The home sits on about 1/3 acre with a large lawn on one side that allows outdoor play.

Target Population
The Dennis Radtke Home for Boys specializes in the treatment and supervision of boys challenged by serious emotional issues and lacking adequate moral development.

Criteria for Admission
The Dennis Radtke Home for Boys is designed to serve and treat:
1. adolescent boys, ages 12 to 18
2. boys diagnosed as “seriously emotionally disturbed” under Montana Law and within current Medicaid rules
3. boys who are “emotionally disturbed” by evaluation of a licensed clinical psychologist and a payer is willing to place and pay for the youth’s care and treatment
4. boys who have the potential to comprehend a program of treatment that requires abstract thinking (we look for youth with a full scale I.Q. of 85 on a WISC instrument)
5. boys who have little potential for success at a lower level of care and treatment
6. Boys appropriate to placement at this home by virtue of:

a. their behavior
b. presenting emotional issues
c. determination of acceptability by the admissions committee as appointed by the Youth Homes

7. This program is specifically aimed at serving but not exclusively reserved for boys who are:

a. in our state’s public systems of care
b. from Western Montana
c. diagnosed with disorders of conduct (though Medicaid will require additional diagnosis)
d. needing moral development

8. Youngsters may be deemed inappropriate to care in and treatment by the Dennis Radtke Home for Boys if:

a. being diagnosed as suffering from a psychotic illness
b. being too emotionally detached or withdrawn such that an inability to form meaningful and trusting relationships with caretakers compromises the effectiveness of supervision and guidance offered by staff
c. presenting immediate physical threats to others
d. presenting a more compelling need for supervision than treatment
e. being too disruptive in style to be able to live within a group living arrangement/setting

Application
People interested in placing a boy at our Dennis Radtke Home for Boys are encouraged to call our contact persons first to discuss the appropriateness of and details involved in any placement. We do require a written application and social history and those application forms can be downloaded here. The completed application can be delivered, mailed or emailed. The application will be reviewed and submitted to our Admissions Committee, comprised of staff of the Youth Home as well as other community agency and referring agency staff with input from staff of the Tom Roy Youth Guidance Home, within 2 weeks in most all cases. We may need additional information to make any final determination. Our staff will contact the referring person or persons within 24-hours of a decision.

Staffing Design
The program therapist is a licensable master’s level therapist who provides direct individual and group therapies to the residents and their families. This person also serves as the program director, whose responsibilities include developing treatment plans for each resident, coordinating the efforts of diverse treatment team members and directing therapeutic efforts of all other staff in the program.

The staff positions at Dennis Radtke Home for Boys include:

• 1 full time home manager manages the day-to-day functioning of the environment to assure that the Dennis Radtke Home for Boys is as family-like as possible and appropriate.
• 4 full time youth care workers supervise the bulk of the awake and daily routine and are critical to the therapeutic milieu of the home and program. These workers are required to have a college degree and some experience working with adolescents.
• 2 overnight youth care workers provide late night activities, supervise sleeping times and assist in morning routine.
• Relief youth care workers are part time and fill in for line staff when they need to be absent for training or leave time as well as used to enhance the staff to child ratio when needed.

Program Structure
At the Dennis Radtke Home for Boys, the young men receive:

• A safe, stable and creative environment from a staff including an on-site therapist, highly trained youth care workers and a Home Manager.
• Group therapy three times per week with individual sessions twice per week focused on developing healthy coping, problem-solving skills, and moral development.
• An individualized treatment plan that includes the development and practice of mindfulness based coping strategies to enhance distress tolerance, emotional regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness.
• Individualized family therapy when appropriate that utilizes a family systems perspective.
• A highly structured point and level system, using graduated privileges, that teaches social skills and encourages positive behavior using cognitive behavior techniques.
• A physical fitness program that improves cardiovascular health and general fitness and encourages the lifelong pursuit of physical health and well being through challenging fitness activities that are also positive experiences.
• Supportive supervision to increase and enhance socialization opportunities beyond what might otherwise be advised.
• Access to community resources, including local Missoula schools, recreational and cultural activities and involvement in community service projects.
• focus on cultural identity development. Each youth is given a multi-ethnic identity assessment and individual goals are added to their treatment plans.

“For youth with behavioral or family issues, there is no better place to thrive and succeed than the Youth Homes.” – Youth Court Officer

Contacts:
Chuck Wayland, Program Director
Radtke Home for Boys
3218 Helena Dr.
Missoula, MT 59803
Phone: (406)251-8498
Fax: (406) 721-0034
cwayland@youthhomes.com

Sally Stansberry, Director of Operations
Youth Homes Inc.
PO Box 7616
Missoula, MT 59807-7616
Phone: 406-721-2704 ext.105
Fax: (406) 721-0034
sstansberry@youthhomes.com