Mapletree

Group Home for Boys

Contents

What's Mapletree?

What Kinds of Kids are at Mapletree?

How do Kids Get Placed at Mapletree?

Program Highlights

Transitional Services

About the Staff

College Internship

Job Opportunities

                    Adolescent Counselor

Openings for New Residents

To Contact Mapletree or Make a Referral

 

 This Website Updated on 3-20-08

Most of the boys at Mapletree have had problems living at home and have not been very successful in school.  Many have had difficulty with drugs, and some have been through treatment.  Most have also been in out-of-home placements including foster care, shelter programs, residential treatment centers, or correctional facilities.  Often Mapletree is either the last opportunity for boys to stay out of a more secure correctional placement, or their first opportunity to re-enter the community after successfully completing a correctional placement or treatment program.

Typically, kids at Mapletree are unable to return to live with a parent, and because of their offense history or other issues are not good candidates for foster care.  At 16 and 17, most of our boys are not looking for a traditional ma-n-pa foster family to live with.  Usually they just want support to finish their education, build some job skills, save some money, prepare for independent living, and finish growing up.

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Mapletree can accept kids from counties throughout Minnesota, and from outside Minnesota through the Interstate Compact. Funding for placement of kids at Mapletree is contracted with the placing county, on a fee-for-service (per diem) basis.

Because of the highly individual differences between residents, and individualized treatment plan, length of placement for boys at Mapletree has varied considerably, from a minimum of three months - extending to two years. Typical length of placement is between five and 15 months. Most of the kids placed at Mapletree meet their goals of placement, and graduate from the program successfully. Many of the boys that have lived at Mapletree over the last several years continue to keep in touch with the staff.
 
 

Individual Treatment Plans: After residents are accepted and evaluated, placement team members (the resident, parents, and professionals) work together to complete screening, develop a treatment plan to address the individual needs of each resident, and establish goals of placement.  Mapletree does psycho-social and vocational testing/assessments to help identify strengths and areas for growth.  Goals of placement are reviewed at least quarterly in formal staffings with the placement team.

Therapeutic Growth:  Mapletree staff maintain a "therapeutic milieu" in which issues are addressed as they come up.  The residents receive a daily flow of feedback to improve social skills, problem solving, and conflict resolution.  Each resident participates in weekly reviews with the staff to discuss progress on both short-term and long-term placement goals.  Every Sunday evening, the kids participate in a discussion group to strengthen social awareness and social skills. On Thursday evenings the boys participate in traditional group therapy under the supervision of a licensed mental health professional.  Topics around sexuality and chemical abuse are also addressed in weekly groups.  Some residents attend family therapy outside of Mapletree or participate in programs to address specific issues (e.g. sexuality, anger, gangs, chemical abuse, etc.)
 

Social-Emotional Growth: The boys are supervised throughout the day, with staff on duty 24-7. There are many opportunities for one-to-one time and the ability to confront and discuss issues as they arise. Some of the boys attend AA meetings weekly, more or less as they need support for sobriety. Helping kids to discover hobbies, sports, and positive leisure time activities is an important part of adolescent development.  We encourage social growth through recreational opportunities, and exposure to new experiences.  Toward those goals, Mapletree maintains a year-around wilderness retreat center on the Kettle River near Moose Lake.  Every summer we make an annual trek to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area.

The Mapletree staff are active role models, and in the past have taken the boys on many adventures including skiing, tubing, kayaking, canoeing, fishing, camping, snowmobiling, white-water rafting, flying, scuba diving, and horseback riding, to name a few.   To encourage athletic participation, Mapletree maintains a membership at the Maplewood Community Center. Nearby community resources include a regional shopping center, tennis courts, soccer fields, parks, a county library, and a variety of health care facilities.  In years past the boys have saved money for a spring-break train trip to Big Mountain, Montana, or more locally to Lutsen or Spirit Mountain.

Educational Growth:  Many of the boys at Mapletree have not had much academic or behavioral success at school.  Mapletree makes an extra effort to instill an appreciation for learning.  An annual event at Mapletree is a ten-day camping/road trip to Gettysburg and Washington D.C. to provide an experiential opportunity to learn about geography, the Civil War, American history, civics and government.  

All of the kids at Mapletree are expected to participate in an educational program.  Some attend high school at North High School in North St. Paul, while others attend nearby ALC programs, adult education, GED preparatory programs, or perhaps even Century College in nearby White Bear Lake.  North High School has an excellent special education department and guidance staff that has been very supportive of the special education needs of our boys.  The Mapletree staff works closely with each resident to help them succeed in their educational goals.  A licensed special education teacher, on staff as a consultant,  helps to coordinate education for the boys, and monitors homework with the boys every week.
 

Independent Living Skills: With all the boys at Mapletree rapidly approaching adulthood, ILS is a daily focus at Mapletree. The boys are expected to get themselves up in the morning, prepare their own breakfast and lunch (supper is family style), do their own laundry, keep their rooms clean, participate in yard care, and generally keep the house clean.  On Tuesday evenings the boys participate in an ILS group with a broad range of topics including budgeting, checking account management, finding apartments, understanding leases, setting up utilities, living with roommates, grocery shopping, buying a car, sewing, doing taxes, maintaining a job, obtaining health care, understanding insurance, and many more.  Some Mapletree graduates have access to a small two-bedroom apartment adjacent to the group home that can facilitate the transition to independent living.

Job Skills: Mapletree encourages employment, supports the development of job skills, and supervises money management. Most residents find employment near the Maplewood Mall and work 10-15 hours per week, while going to school.  During the summer or for those that are working on a GED or ALC program, the boys are usually able to maintain full time employment. Residents that have court-ordered restitution are usually able to completely pay-off restitution and community service obligations during their placement. The boys are required to save most of their earnings, toward moving out on their own.  It is not unusual for residents to graduate from Mapletree with more than $1,500 to start independent living.
 
 

Mapletree's success is due to great staff, both past and present.  The Mapletree staff currently includes the Executive Director, and Counseling Staff: Brian Hurt, Kelly Healey, Tony Mayer, Jody Holloway, Amanda Abrizenski, Mitch Hofer, Todd Simon, Jordan Hofer; Office Manager Carol Woulfe; Staff Psychologist Paul Sterlacci; Nursing Consultant Monique Lange; Black Lab, Cody; Kitty, Rico; and a large extended family!   Mapletree is accepting resumes.  See Job Opportunities.

Mapletree is a member of the Minnesota Council of Child Caring Agencies.
 
 
 

 
 

College Internship

Mapletree has been approved as a field placement in the past for social work internships at the University of Minnesota, Augsburg, and St. Thomas.  There is the possibility of both undergraduate and graduate (MSW) internships being approved at Mapletree for students at other Twin City area colleges and universities. There is also the possibility of a stipend and/or paid work hours in combination with field hours. For information contact the Executive Director, Jon Brandt, MSW at Mapletree.
 
  

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Mapletree has been working successfully with at-risk teenage boys, and building a good reputation in the professional community of juvenile corrections and social services since 1991.  Mapletree can provided an excellent vantage point in which to learn about juvenile corrections, social services, child welfare, mental health, and the treatment of a wide range of maladjustments of adolescence.  Most former Mapletree staff have found their experience at Mapletree to be excellent preparation for career advancement.  No one gets rich working in the social services, but the experience and job satisfaction can be very  rewarding.  It's a chance to make a difference with kids that need a chance.

Mapletree is currently accepting resumes for the position of 

   Adolescent Counselor   

Position could be part time or full time - Let us know what you're looking for! 

Mapletree can offer a very rewarding experience to the right individuals

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