Howard Center Park Street Program

Tucked away in the quiet Vermont town of Rutland, you'll find the Howard Center Park Street Program. This is a residential program offering therapy and structure for young men between 12 and 17.

The facility is part of the wider Howard Center network, a group well-known across Vermont for their caring and up-to-date ways of dealing with mental health and substance use. What makes Park Street different is its dedicated work with teenagers who've engaged in sexually harmful behavior. They offer these young guys a safe and respectful spot to really start grappling with what happened, begin to heal and grow as individuals.

Healing in the Heart of Rutland

The Park Street Program takes a well-rounded approach to helping young men. They blend your typical mental health and substance use therapies with specialized counseling tailored to their unique situations.

Each teen gets individual attention, group sessions and family therapy plus they see a psychiatrist and have medical folks keeping an eye on their overall health. They use methods that understand past trauma and also cognitive behavioral therapy – that's about understanding thoughts and feelings. Plus, they use something called the Good Lives Model, which focuses on building a good future while steering clear of harmful actions.

They also understand that sometimes these teens are dealing with more than one thing, like mental health issues alongside substance use.

From Structure to Support: What Makes Then Unique

To make sure school doesn't fall by the wayside, there's an on-site school that's approved by the state – the Fay Honey Knopp Memorial School. Kids typically get referred here through state agencies like the Department of Mental Health or the Department for Children and Families, or sometimes through their local schools.

What really makes the Park Street Program stand out is how they look at the whole picture – helping with behavior, encouraging personal growth and getting these young men ready to eventually rejoin their communities. Everything they need – school, therapy, fun activities and learning how to handle everyday life – is right there.

For families in Vermont looking for a place that truly understands and supports their sons, Howard Center’s Park Street Program offers focused care, a lot of compassion and a real sense of direction forward.