The Capstone Method was described well by one of our graduates when he said, “Capstone is like a crock pot; you put us in, turn it on low, and cook us real slow.” What he meant by his insightful metaphor is that Capstone approaches the problem with a multi-faceted strategy in a 24/7 sustained plan that looks more like a tortoise on a triathlon than a rabbit on a one hundred yard dash. We surround our residents 24/7 with solid Christian people who want to have a positive impact on their lives. This is true for the 20 full time employees and the dozen plus part-time employees who serve as night staff. The 8:00 am through 9:00 pm staff provides consistent experiences in individual therapy, family therapy, canine therapy, adventure therapy (ropes-challenge course, wilderness trek, rock climbing, and fishing – see Program Phases and Daily – Weekly Schedule), group therapy, life-issues discussions, and more (see The Capstone Value). The night staff provides supervision with a purpose from 9:00 pm until 8:00 am the next morning. So our method is deep-rooted in having real relationships with the residents as we work toward the goals that will help them turn their lives around to walk on the road to the Promise Land of Dreams.

A family systems approach is used in all Capstone therapy. This approach looks at the adolescent’s world from their physical bodies and intelligence to their family and social contexts. Many treatment programs consider a resident’s genetic predisposition to be a much stronger component than Capstone does. We look at what’s gone on in the adolescent’s life that explains how he got to this point. Genetics play only one part in the choreography of reasons, but there are many other parts.

The Capstone treatment model looks at the Big Picture, which includes the alcohol and drugs, the drug culture, and the systemic issues that created a vulnerability within the individual. While chemical dependency is one obviously significant part of the problem, there are other spiritual, moral, and character challenges that must be overcome in order to have lasting success.