You must fill beds, they say. Days of empty beds equals money lost. Filling a bed with a client that is more risky is better than an empty bed.

Anyone who has worked in the world of behavioral health in an admissions role knows this narrative quite well. They also know what it looks like when this kind of thinking ripples out into the team and community, and the new client and family. The choice was made from day one at ROOTs that this will not be its mindset.  

The health of a program is can be compared to a beautifully intricate spider web. When compromise is made in one area, it is felt throughout the program. The admissions process at ROOTs requires nuance that is not always swift, that is sometimes not clean, yet every time is an offering of respect to both the client and their family as well as the current families and the ROOTs team. This means slowing down to speak with current therapists, to ask hard questions of potential clients and parents while still in the admissions process, and to still sometimes decide that ROOTs is not the path for them. This steady process allows for the program’s nuance to be present from the beginning.

ROOTs Admissions and Outreach Director, Lauren Clark Angerosa said,  “When we opened ROOTs, I knew that we would require a different process on the front end. Our team has fine-tuned this beautiful admissions process to match our vision and allow for us to stay steady in our foundation.”

The admissions process at ROOTs requires trust: trust in the health of the program, and trust in discernment, even when it means that beds stay open.    

About ROOTS Transition

ROOTs Transition is a residential treatment center in Park City, UT working with girls ages 15-18.  ROOTs serves clients with a history of trauma and mental health challenges.  Using a variety of therapeutic approaches ROOTs helps clients and families heal and move forward with clear goals and renewed hope.