At Cheever we provide many opportunities for our residents to learn new skills that will support them in making better decisions.

Balanced and Restorative Justice Group (BARJ)

Purpose: BARJ is a group focused on our residents taking accountability for their choices that have caused harm to others. The residents complete a series of assignments which they present in a group setting to their peers and staff facilitators. The assignments develop an understanding of who and how they have harmed others and themselves, demonstrating empathy, developing new skills for the future, and what and how to live successfully in their community.

Focus Group

Purpose: Focus Group utilizes Choice Theory, which provides residents with a simple way to understand how choices are made. The youth learns how to take control of their lives through controlling themselves while at the same time keeping from attempting to control others. Through maintaining effective control of themselves, they begin to strengthen relationships in their lives. This typically leads to a more satisfied life.

Family Meetings

Purpose: Family Meetings provide an opportunity for residents to teach what they are learning to their family. Families then have the opportunity to use this information to create healthy habits/environment, which can assist residents in their transition home and into the community.

Substance Abuse Group

Purpose: Is an educational group which provides information on the destructive nature of substance use, triggers, warning signs, coping skills, and alternatives to using substances, Residents evaluate how substance use has negatively impacted their life. Residents complete assignments weekly and a relapse prevention plan during their time in the group.

Criminal Sexual Conduct Group

This group is provided by the court system to male youth from Allegan County that have been identified through their offenses to be in requirement of this treatment. The group is led by a contracted therapist specializing in this type of instruction. The participants of this group meet weekly completing assignments to present in group.

Cheever provides the residents with many opportunities to discover more about themselves, their families and how to apply this information to their lives.

Individual Therapy

Cheever has an on-staff psychologist that works with our residents on a regular basis. Every resident brings with them unique struggles that are addressed during therapy. The frequency and length of the therapy sessions is determined by our psychologist and the resident.

Family Therapy

Residents and their families are provided the opportunity to have time together in a therapeutic setting. In this setting they can bring to the table the struggles causing difficulties at home. Promoting healthier relationships within the family, providing a key piece to a successful reunification home.

Milieu Therapy

We use our daily routine as an opportunity to reinforce new ways of seeing their world and demonstrating new skills.

Our residents have many opportunities to demonstrate their new skills.

Leadership Academy

Leadership Academy provides many opportunities for our residents to learn and demonstrate their new skills:

• Physical exercise
  • Weight lifting
  • Running
  • Circuit training
  • Swimming
  • Zumba
  • Walking
• Backpacking
  • Summer backpacking trips
• Culinary training
• Art classes
• Personal Development Groups
  • Learning leadership traits
  • Researching a leader creating a presentation, learning to present, then presenting the paper
• Field Trips
  • Visiting museums and places of learning

The opportunities listed above provide the resident the chance to step out of their comfort zones, experience something new, and learn about themselves as they develop new skills.