About the Community
Brandon is a holistic treatment community where resilient boys achieve. A venerable nonprofit, human service organization, and private special education school in Natick, MA, Brandon has provided exceptional services for boys since 1966. Brandon is a national leader in the treatment and assessment of risk behaviors in boys and offers stabilization, assessment, educational, residential, and treatment services to over 200 boys and their families every year. Brandon’s individualized approach to assessment, treatment, and academic planning helps boys to understand their feelings, build on their strengths, and develop new competencies to experience success.
Family Focus
Family-centered care is paramount and Brandon promotes family inclusion in all aspects of the program. Brandon works collaboratively with parents on behavioral supports, coping strategies, life skills, and safety plans that are important to their family and effective with their child.
Journey toward Self-efficacy
Treatment helps youth to believe they can achieve and experience success through competence-centered activities. The therapeutic group helps youth take greater responsibility for their lives and relationships, approach challenges with confidence, and understand their own symptoms and how to best manage them.
Opportunities to grow &
practice skills
Programming consists of daily, developmentally-appropriate, goal-oriented activities in the community and on-campus including: sports teams and camps; after-school clubs and activities; skills and processing groups; individual enrichment choices; career, college and future preparation coaching; and PAYA (preparing adolescents for young adulthood) curriculum.
Relationship-building
Youth build, restore, fortify, and access positive relationships with peers and adults during their time at Brandon. Individual and family treatment, group activities, milieu life, behavior support, and individual time with trusted adults develop and reinforce skills to build and maintain healthy relationships throughout life.
Positive Behavior Support
Behavior support at Brandon focuses on teaching youth how to make good choices through reinforcing positive behaviors. Support is individualized based on each youth’s interests and strengths, encourages seamless contact and visits with family members and support resources, and hinges on motivators like privileges, school store tickets, and community activities that foster growth, exploration, and achievement.
Accessibility
We are in this together. Families are welcomed into this community as partners; Brandon facilitates and supports time at home, arranges evening and weekend family therapy sessions, offers Skype Video Conferencing, Spanish-speaking therapists, and more.
Brandon is a CARE agency; CARE (Children And Residential Experiences) is a research-based, principle-driven foundation developed by Cornell University which creates a positive organizational culture with exceptional experiences for youth and families at the core.
