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The Residential Program

As our young adults pack up and come to "college" at Chapel Haven West, they will be moving, not into dormitories, but into apartments near the University campus. It is our proven belief that the only way to teach independence is in a setting that imitates life. So, all roommates in an apartment are taught the day to day living skills that will be necessary for independent living when they graduate from the two year Residential Program and become members of our Supported Living Program, living in their own apartments in Tucson.

The life skills counselors carefully follow a life skills curriculum that has been developed to work in concert with our functional academic curriculum. Life skills instruction is consistent and constant throughout the days and evenings of residential living. From the morning preparation for the day's program, to lunch preparation and on to banking, grocery shopping, menu planning, cooking and apartment maintenance, our counselors are teaching and coaching, watching for any areas that may need extra support, along with any areas where a resident is particularly skilled. Since Chapel Haven West is an individualized program, each resident can progress at his or her own speed, and as benchmarks toward graduation are achieved, they progress to the next skill set necessary for independent living. The Social Communicative Competence component helps students to exhibit the correct social behavior in an apartment setting and to learn to take social cues necessary for living with roommates.

An important part of the Residential Program, consistent throughout all the anchor programs, is healthy living. The Chapel Haven West staff are well prepared and trained to handle emergencies, facilitate doctor’s appointments, and to recognize when individual care is needed. Learning to embrace a healthy life style is a major part of the healthy living component and all life skills decisions and teaching revolve around good nutrition, exercise, adequate rest, and the opportunity to access support groups and counseling if needed.