Cumberland Spotlight: January 2006
Richard Ahlfield, RTC Program Coordinator
Like many local FAPT members, Richard Ahlfield was aware of Cumberland Hospital and its specialized programs for children and teens. In fact, in his dual roles as Director of Special Ed Services and Chairman of the Middlesex FAPT for 12 years, he was very familiar with the hospital’s treatment services through the placement of two children from that community: one with diabetes and one with Marfan’s Syndrome. "I was impressed by the excellent care and treatment that these children received at Cumberland", recounts Ahlfield, "so I was very excited by the prospect of working there."
Last August, Ahlfield assumed his new responsibilities as Program Coordinator for the Residential Treatment Center (RTC) located on the Cumberland Hospital campus in New Kent, VA. "I was looking for a career change that would involve more hands-on involvement with kids in a therapeutic environment” he explains. "This program is a great fit for me.” In addition to holding an M.A. from William & Mary with a concentration in school psychology, Mr. Ahlfield brings 30 years of experience working with special needs children in school, juvenile court, and residential mental health programs. “All of those experiences have prepared me for this job since there are elements of all these disciplines in managing an RTC, he explains."
Ahlfield points out that the Cumberland RTC program is a 16 bed, co-ed program licensed by the state mental health agency (DMHMRSAS) serving adolescents with a primary mental health diagnosis and a secondary medical condition. “It’s a unique program in Virginia since we provide round-the-clock nursing in addition to behavioral counselors on the unit. It’s not uncommon to have residents with severe asthma or diabetes, but we’ve also admitted children requiring medical attention for Spina Bifida, Tracheotomy, Seizure Disorder, head trauma recovery and even kidney failure with the associated daily dialysis treatments”. "In fact", he adds, "that patient received a kidney transplant and returned to the RTC for post-surgery recovery and is now living back in the home community."
Preparing RTC residents for their return to community is the central focus of Ahlfield’s day. "Everything we do here is focused on preparing our residents for their return. Based on my experience with these kids, they would not, if given a choice, freely choose the behaviors they exhibit. They are victims of circumstance, sometime environmental and sometimes biological. So you can’t get mad at them for behaving the way they sometimes do. Getting mad at them never works. We have to focus on helping them develop the ability to understand and control their own behavior."
Ahlfield explains that while the RTC unit is secure to control entry and exit, residents have daily supervised access to facilities and activities on campus including, education (5.5 hours per day at Cumberland Academy), meals, recreation, and (with sufficient points) the social room. "We utilize a 4 step level system of increasing benefits and rewards," he explains. "We set individual goals on a daily basis and behavior is documented across program activities throughout the day. The layout of the unit allows us to either separate our residents for gender-specific and therapeutic activities or conduct community meetings where everyone participates in discussing individual and group living dynamics. It is a cognitive-behavioral program so applicants must demonstrate capabilities equivalent to an IQ of 55 or higher." As a VA Medicaid approved program, the RTC structure incorporates all the associated units of therapeutic activity.
For the future, Ahlfield wants to further enhance the emphasis on social skills training and the development of a stronger sense of identity. "Typically, these kids come from pretty tough backgrounds and have had limited structured opportunities to talk about or explore who they are, who or what they truly care about, and what value they bring to their world. Every one of these kids has the potential to add value to the world. It’s our job to help them realize and exercise that potential in pro-social ways."