|
New Perspectives - Jun,
1996 Issue #40
|
TALISMAN SCHOOLS, INC.
Black Mountain, North Carolina
Catherine (Cat) Buie-Jennings
Executive Director
704-669-8639 (FAX 704-669-2521)
The Talisman Schools consists of two programs. One is the Talisman Summer
Camp, which consists of three and six week sessions for boys and girls ages 9-18. The camp has been in operation for 16 years for
special needs children. They seek to address the challenges their campers face everyday in a way that values them, the people around
them, and the world they live in.
Founded in 1991, the Stone Mountain School at Camp Elliott is for boys ages
10-18, and describes themselves as a "school in the wilderness." "Camp Elliott is the residential program of Talisman Schools, Inc.
Building on more than a decade of short-term programming for special needs children, Camp Elliott serves emotionally challenged and
at-risk youth in a long-term, wilderness environment. Our clients are referred to us by various mental health agencies, social services,
and private sources. Through modeling and group therapy we teach the social skills necessary for return to parents, communities, and
public school.
Camp Elliott is a licensed mental health facility with a certified non-public
school. Their male clients attend classes with a certified special education teacher mornings and work on various projects afternoons.
They live in three separate groups, which act as their families. Counselors model methods of Philip Glasser's Reality Therapy, involving
taking responsibility for one's actions and dealing with the consequences. Clients work through a level system which includes requirements
in personal hygiene, social behaviors, and independent living skills. Length of residence varies from six to eighteen months, depending
on the client's willingness to work and progress.
It is accredited by the North Carolina Department of Education as a Certified
Special Education School, and a licensed therapeutic Camp Certified treatment program by the North Carolina Department of Mental Health.
Copyright © 1996, Woodbury Reports, Inc. (This article may be reproduced
without prior approval if the copyright notice and proper publication and author attribution accompanies the copy.)
|