Mission

Willowglen Academy, SC is committed to providing a caring community for mentally challenged children and young adults experiencing emotional and behavioral difficulties. Our Mission is to provide an array of services designed to enable young persons to return to society as productive members of their community.

Philosophy

Willowglen Academy, SC emphasizes a positive, individualized therapeutic approach that reinforces the client's strengths and desired behavioral changes. The primary focus of all services provided by Willowglen Academy, SC is not just to "manage" the behavior of clients during treatment, but also to prepare the client for existence in society by evoking long-term changes in their behavior.

Willowglen Academy, SC considers every interaction with a client to be an opportunity for that individual to learn. Structure, consistency, respect for the rights of the patient and family members, close supervision, continuous evaluation, recognition of individual needs, and positive reinforcement are paramount to the treatment philosophy of Willowglen Academy, SC and the success of clients.

Willowglen Academy, SC does not adhere to a standard of prolonged treatment in a residential setting, but prefers to increase the client's ability to transition back to a more normalized setting in the shortest amount of time possible. The goal of any Willowglen Academy, SC program is to alleviate immediate and/or prolonged emotional problems or symptomology; diagnose, evaluate, and design treatment to address the individual needs of the child or adolescent.

The ultimate goal is not just for the client to successfully transition to a less restrictive or lower level of care, but to maintain in that level of care. With this in mind, Willowglen Academy, SC attempts to "normalize" the therapeutic environment as much as possible, and emphasizes community-based services. This is accomplished through "active" and intensive treatment and ongoing assessment, from the point of admission to the time of discharge. A full array of services and clinical interventions are utilized to assist the client in maximizing full therapeutic benefit from their treatment. These interventions include individual, group, and family therapy, as well as rehabilitative psychosocial therapies, restorative independent living skills, community activities and service, medical services, and psychiatric medication monitoring.

Willowglen Academy, SC strongly emphasizes a "team" approach, with the client being the primary participant in their "team", and included in every aspect of treatment planning. Willowglen views the relationship with the client, family, and placing agency as a partnership. A client's success during placement and after discharge is usually contingent upon the ability of the Willowglen staff, family, and agency to form a unified approach to helping the client achieve and maintain independence and a successful outcome.

Each staff member at Willowglen Academy, SC is considered a valuable contributor to the treatment process. Willowglen recognizes the importance of providing a safe environment for clients and staff, as well as respect for the individual rights and needs of both clients and staff. Training for all staff, regardless of position, is a high priority at Willowglen Academy, SC and is considered imperative in order for staff to effectively perform their duties.

Executive Director

Dr. Melinda G. Drake earned her Masters of Social Work Degree from the University of South Carolina in 1997, her Doctorate of Business Adminstration from the University of Sarasota in 2000, and her Masters of Arts Degree in Computer Resources and Information Systems at Webster University in 2002.  She has published her dissertation entitled, "IT Implementation: A Social Worker's Perspective" in 2000, and an article through Allied Academies entitled, "The Use of Computer Resources in the Mitigation of Mental Illness" in April 2002.  She has been employed at Willowglen Academy since July 1, 1996, and is currently the Clinical Day Program / Management of Information Systems Director.  Some of her projects at WGA and Phoenix Care Systems include the development of a clinical management system for WGA-SC, the PCS website and most recently working to develop the Client Management System with PCS.  Dr. Drake is currently a full-time faculty member at Limestone College where she teaches Social Work, Computer Science and Business.