Vive! Frequently Asked Questions

Question Categories

Diagnoses, Conditions and Triggers

Drug Abuse and Criminal Activity

Vive!, the Vive! Program and Vive! Staff

Diagnoses, Conditions and Triggers

Q: Can Vive! help my family if my daughter has been diagnosed with a severe psychiatric or psychological condition such as bi-polar disorder?

A: Sometimes, of course, psychiatric and psychological disorders require periods of intensive in-patient treatment. While Vive! is not a substitute for residential treatment in extreme situations, the Vive! program is an excellent complement to this kind of treatment, and can be invaluable in facilitating your child's successful transition home from the inpatient program.

Q: My teen was diagnosed with AD/HD three years ago. Can Vive! help him?

A: Attention issues such as AD/HD not only affect performance at school, but behavior at home, at play, and in a child's relationships. The frustration that this causes often leads to low self esteem and behavioral problems as well as academic under-performance.

Vive! mentors work with adolescents and young adults to demystify the causes and symptoms of ADD and AD/HD, and to develop strategies for addressing these symptoms. With the help of our mentors, young people with attention issues can learn not only to manage this learning difference, but to capitalize on the strengths that can accompany it. Many people with AD/HD learn to engage their heightened capacity for such things as multi-tasking and hyper-focusing.

Vive! also works with the family to help address the emotional impact that this difference can have on the family system, and to offer practical solutions to support the adolescent's efforts to better manage his or her life-both at home and at school.

Q: What if my son is on psychotropic medication? Do you integrate your work with clinical professionals such as psychologists and psychiatrists?

A: Vive! is committed to active collaboration with other involved mental health professionals to ensure that our program complements and is complemented by other forms of therapy as appropriate. A collaborative relationship between Vive! therapists and other practitioners can streamline the healing process.

Your Vive! Mentor works with your son in the context of his real-world, day-to-day environment. The Vive! Mentor-who is a trained, professional therapist-is thus in an ideal position to observe your son and provide critical feedback to help his physician make well-informed medication decisions.

Q: Do you work with teens where a history of abuse or other trauma is suspected of triggering the problems?

A: Yes. Vive! Mentors and Parent Coaches understand the delicate nature of these cases and work with sensitivity to the situation. Regardless of triggering factors, the goals of Vive! therapists remain consistent:

• To rebuild the trust and confidence in the teen that will promote responsible choices and the development of healthy relationships

• To help the family create a home environment that is physically and emotionally safe, supportive, and appropriately structured in order to optimize the teen's healing process

• To work in collaboration with other healing professionals as appropriate to provide the most potent, seamless healing solution possible.

Drug Abuse and Criminal Activity

Q: What if my child is engaging in behaviors that are against the law? What if the situation involves law enforcement and the courts?

A: Criminal behavior is common in teens who don't have the confidence and skills to make healthy choices. Unfortunately (though understandably) it is also common for parents to quickly bail their child out of these situations, sometimes literally.

A crucial component of the Vive! program involves coaching parents to help teens face the real consequences of their actions; brushes with the law and the justice system often serve as a wake-up call to teens, and almost always have the effect of making the teen more receptive to the guidance provided by his Vive! Mentor. In short, Vive! can help turn a very difficult situation into an opportunity to accelerate positive change in the teen's behavior.

Q: Does Vive! work with teens who are abusing drugs?

A: Yes. Many of the teens we've helped were involved in drugs and/or other substance abuse. Lacking the confidence to take healthier risks that are part of becoming an adult, many teens turn to drugs and the drug culture because it provides them, on both psychological and social levels, with an artificial sense of confidence or escape.

Vive! Parent Coaches help parents remove the factors that enable the teen's drug abuse; removing these factors creates a type of discomfort that often compels the teen to turn to his or her Vive! Mentor for help. With the Mentor 's guidance, the teen begins to build confidence to make better, healthier choices.

In cases of serious drug abuse, we might first work with your family psychologist or educational consultant to help your child enter a rehabilitation program. From there we can help your child gain the confidence to pursue healthy, productive activities in their real-world environment, such as finding a job, pursuing a passion, or re-engaging school.

Q: What is the nature of Vive!'s relationships to other programs such as wilderness programs and therapeutic boarding schools?

A: Therapeutic boarding schools or wilderness programs are in some cases a very important step in the healing process for teens or young adults and their families. Vive! can serve as an important complement to these programs, helping teens make a successful transition from the intensive structure of a residential program back home.

These transitions are difficult and are often marked by regression, relapse, and recidivism. We help teens integrate what they've learned in treatment and apply their new skills in the real world; we help parents optimize the home environment to support these changes.

We also work with students who do not yet need a residential program. While our work on this end is preventative, we can also help identify when behaviors escalate to the point of requiring residential treatment. In these cases, we work collaboratively with your family's psychologist, psychiatrist, and educational consultant to identify and support an appropriate intervention

Vive!, the Vive! Program and Vive! Staff

Q: How much of a time commitment will be required of me as a parent?

A: The Vive! program requires commitment and real involvement from the parent or parents. Our Parent Coaches work directly with parents, normally from 1-2 hours a week, but are also available on an as-needed basis, as are our Mentors.

The time commitment, however, is less significant to some parents than the fact that the program sometimes encourages a shift in perspective on parenting style. Vive! Parent Coaches work with parents to optimize the home environment for the healing of their child and, by extension, their family. Sometimes this optimization requires new approaches to communication, firmer or clearer boundaries and consequences, and the forging of new family habits and customs. Even for parents who see clearly the need to change, these shifts can require significant effort.

Q: How much time does the Vive! Mentor typically spend with the teen?

A: In most cases the mentor spends between 1 and 3 hours a week in direct contact with your child (for a total of eight hours per month). Mentors can be available, however, on an as-needed basis in order to offer extra support in high-stress or crisis situations. If a high-risk situation is identified, arrangements can be made for a Vive! therapist to be on call for the parents, the teen, or both for a period of time on a 24-hour basis.

Q: What kinds of certification, education, training and experience do Vive! staff have? What are the criteria they must fulfill before they can work with my family?

A: Mentors: Vive! hires Mentors who possess at least a master's degree in counseling, social work, or a related mental health field, and have demonstrated success working with adolescents in mental health and/or educational settings. Before entering the field with us, they receive extensive training in the unique methods of the Vive! program.

Parent Coaches: Vive! hires Parent Coaches who are licensed therapists with at least a master's degree in counseling, social work, or a related mental health field. Our Parent Coaches have demonstrated success in working with families and adolescents in mental health and/or educational settings. All of our Parent Coaches have experience counseling and coaching parents, and are or were, themselves, parents of adolescents.

Clinical Team Leaders: Vive! hires Clinical Team Leaders who are licensed therapists with at least master's degree or PhD in counseling, social work, or a related mental health field. Clinical Team Leaders have experience supervising other therapists and running a team. They are responsible for tying together the efforts of the Mentor and Parent Coach, to ensure alignment around clearly identified therapeutic objectives. They are also available to Mentors and Parent Coaches for consultation on individual cases to ensure a high level of professional collaboration and therapeutic safety.

Vive! Management: Vive! believes that it is critical to support our Practitioner Teams with executives and managers who are, themselves, experienced clinicians, life coaches, and/or educators. To see the credentials of our company leadership, click the following link: Our Staff .

Q: How long will it take before I start to see positive results with my child in your program?

A: Families and family situations are wonderfully varied. The time it takes to see positive results, therefore, varies significantly from family to family. Most parents, however, begin to see significant results within 2 - 4 months. Families who have worked with Vive! continuously for 12 - 14 months have achieved the highest levels of success and sustained health.