Wyoming Behavioral Institute offers residential trauma-informed care for girls ages 10 to 17 affected by emotional trauma and mental health crises. It provides a supportive place for healing in which patients can develop new skills and learn appropriate methods of self-expression. The program is intended for girls who have experienced trauma and face lasting mental and emotional effects from it. Complex trauma exposures include loss, neglect, witnessing, maltreatment and separation. These experiences can lead to post-traumatic stress and other complex clinical symptoms.

The Pathways Program at Wyoming Behavioral Institute provides specialized trauma-informed care for youth aged 10-17, offering a transformative approach tailored to each unique recovery journey.

Pathways serves females aged 10 to 17 who can perform activities of daily living and participate in school and group therapy. Patients who typically do well while receiving treatment face challenges such as:

• Behavioral issues and trauma
• Chemical dependency and depression
• Psychosis, Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD) and Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
• High-functioning autism spectrum disorders

The Pathways program has transitioned from a traditional level system to a phase-based recovery model, allowing residents to progress at their own pace while fostering peer support. This innovative approach promotes individualized care and strengthens interpersonal relationships and community building among residents.

• Individual Therapy
• Family Therapy
• Group Therapy
• Psychiatric Care
• Occupational Therapy
• Recreational Therapy
• Art Therapy
• Music Therapy
• SMART Recovery
• Educational Services

Our program is designed to achieve meaningful improvements in the following areas:

• Enhanced functioning and parent attachment
• Individualized lengths of stay with more successful discharges
• Improved behaviors, leading to fewer setbacks and enhanced resilience
• Advancement in level-of-care status for sustainable outcomes

This program incorporates elements from evidenced based practices that are recognized by the California Evidenced-Based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare and SAMHSA, ensuring the highest quality of care.

To provide a safe environment for a diverse population of adolescents – especially those who have experienced trauma and its accompanying difficulties* – through ethical and evidence-based treatment that focuses on recognizing the value of the individual, educating, providing them skills and empowering them with a positive self-image to prepare them to be successful in life.

*Accompanying difficulties = Depression, abuse (physical, sexual, emotional and neglect), attachment problems, oppositional and defiant behaviors, anxiety and substance abuse.

It is important to have a basic understanding of trauma and to be able to look at the impact it has on those receiving care in a treatment facility. Knowing how a person responds to stress allows us to look at the person, not the behaviors.

It is important for staff of all levels to be informed about sensitive or trauma related issues to help avoid re-traumatization of residents. It is critical to understand the unintentional triggers to help find positive ways to work through treatment related issues. There is a continual emphasis on safety and allowing residents to have respectful and sensitive interactions in treatment. Providing trauma informed services allows residents to feel a sense of control in their lives and their treatment. The trauma informed model provides for development of skills, rather than just managing the behavioral symptoms.

Starting where the resident is and attaching feelings with memories is how trauma focused cognitive behavioral therapy works. We focus on working with Pathways residents to understand the meaning of the abuse they experienced and the automatic negative thoughts that come from those meanings. Observing how thought patterns led to the maladaptive behaviors in their lives results in an ability to make different choices. A heavy focus is placed on how thoughts develop from experiences and traumas in life.

Teaching residents and their families about trauma helps them understand reactions to trauma. Learning the common thought distortions and correcting them allows residents and their families to move forward from past experiences.

Discover how the Pathways Program supports the sustainability of residents and their family systems, empowering long-term recovery and resilience. Explore more about our services or take a virtual tour of our facilities today.

Lida Prypchan, MD

Dr. Lida Prypchan completed her medical education at the University of Carabobo in Venezuela, the Universidad Central de Venezuela and Elmhurst Hospital Center/Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, where she also completed a two-year fellowship in child and adolescent psychiatry. Dr. Prypchan’s experience includes working as a research associate in the fields of schizophrenia, anxiety disorders in children and adolescents and diagnostic classification systems in psychiatry. More than 200 articles authored by Dr. Prypchan have been published. She is a three-time recipient of the National Award of Scientific Journalism in Valencia, Venezuela.

Haylee Maynard, LMFT

Haylee Maynard is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with a passion for helping youth and families create lasting change. Haylee has a master’s in counseling psychology from National University, and a Masters of Science in War and Psychiatry from King’s College London.

She has worked to support children, adolescents and families overcoming challenges relating to trauma, anxiety, depression, with the goal of building stronger, healthier communities. As the Assistant Director for Clinical Services, Youth, she oversees programs designed to address the complex needs of young people in crisis. Her work is driven by a commitment to ensuring that every child and family has access to the tools and support they need to thrive. As a therapist, Haylee uses evidenced based approaches, including DBT, CBT, IFS, tailoring each session to meet the unite needs for youth and their families. She is committed to creating a safe, supportive space where young people can thrive, and families can grow closer together.

For more information or to arrange a confidential assessment at no charge, please call 800-457-9312. We are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

If you are experiencing an emergency, please dial 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.