Aftercare | Spring Lake Ranch

Rutland Aftercare Program

After a stay in the relatively secluded and safe setting on the Hill or other therapeutic community, the Rutland Aftercare Program (RAP) offers a supported, gradual introduction to greater independence through our transitional living program in the town of Rutland, Vermont.

We recognize that individuals grow and progress at different rates. Our program allows clients to move at their own pace through a continuum of care that offers a spectrum of options. Whether at our Royce Street transition house, in an individual apartment in our Washington Street Townhouse, or in an independent apartment in the town of Rutland, residents who transition into RAP can flex their wings in an open but supported environment.

Work

The Work Program at Spring Lake Ranch helps residents prepare to accept greater responsibility; RAP helps them leverage that experience to create work opportunities. When a resident moves from the Hill into Rutland, he or she may already have established a volunteer job, an internship or sheltered job, or perhaps be enrolled in a class at an area college. Those routines are built upon or expanded as the resident is ready. Often, people begin by coming back to the daily Work Program at the Ranch until their new activities are better established. Others are ready to look for full or part-time employment. Staff help clients connect to area resources as appropriate, assisting in creating résumés, exploring opportunities, and scheduling job interviews.

In all our efforts, we keep the individual in mind. We meet people where they are, and keep the challenges tailored to each person’s needs.

Community Involvement

Royce Street functions as a ready-made working community, but for clients to make the leap to greater independence, their focus must broaden to include the larger context of Rutland.

Volunteer opportunities provide not only the means for clients to give back to their communities, but also to make connections with new people with wide interests.

Other opportunities to get involved present themselves with frequent events in Rutland: the weekly farmers market is a popular gathering place, as are the many parks in the city, and street festivals bring out the best of Rutland’s accessible downtown.

Illness Management

Clients begin a relationship with a case manager from Rutland Aftercare Program while they are still on the Hill. RAP case managers help work through the difficulties that come along with transition of any kind. They also help clients adjust to the increased pace and responsibility of living in town. Assistance in medication management, addressing addiction, budgeting, cleaning, cooking, and managing free time are typical services, though the skilled staff is available for more individualized needs as well.

Clients also continue to see our psychiatrist throughout their stay in the Spring Lake Ranch Therapeutic Community programs. In most cases, they begin a relationship with a local general practice doctor and a therapist in Rutland while they are still on the Hill, providing established connections when they transition into town.

In case further support is needed, Rutland Regional Medical Center is located right in town and includes a psychiatric unit in addition to top-notch medical facilities. Other area hospitals include UVM Medical Center,Dartmouth-Hitchcock, and the Brattleboro Retreat.

Recreation

Rutland, though large by Vermont standards, is a small city with access to theatre and the arts, local sports and recreation, plentiful restaurants, and unique shops. Most points of interest are within walking distance of Royce Street and the Townhouse, and the bus conveniently links people to many places in Rutland County.

Often, the clients in RAP will choose to come back to the Ranch to visit friends, have a meal, and enjoy the facilities, including our private dock on Spring Lake. Others prefer to immerse themselves in their lives in town, creating their own community of peers in their new home.

The Royce transition house is a comfortable and inviting Victorian home within easy walking distance to all the amenities of Rutland. In addition to the six spacious private bedrooms, the house also features a well-appointed living room and newly remodeled spacious community kitchen, as well as offices and living space for the Royce house staff.

One night each week, a client will team with a staff person to cook dinner. Budgeting, shopping preparing meals, and eating with peers are experiences that help residents practice responsibility for themselves. Clients at Royce Transitional House are expected to have a full schedule of activities each day. Although the structure for any particular person may look quite different from another, typical activities include work or volunteer placement, time spent on the Hill, therapy and recovery groups, and a recreation and free-time plan.

Royce Transition House is staffed 24 hours a day to lend a helping hand with chores, meals, medications, and all manner of life skills education and practice.

The Washington Street Townhouse, the center of our Rutland Aftercare Program, is located in the historic district of Rutland. The Townhouse is a large, stately home that has been converted into seven apartments as well as office space. These apartments offer frequent contact with caring staff and other participants while still enabling residents to live outside of an institutional setting.

The Townhouse dates back to the 1840s and includes many beautiful original features, as well as key updates. Each of the seven apartments has its own unique charm. Amenities like off-street parking and trash service are available, and Rutland’s quaint and convenient downtown, with its restaurants, cafes, services, and stores, is just a short walk down Washington Street.

For Townhouse clients, access to the staff is a simple matter of visiting the case manager offices located in the building. Group sessions and get-togethers are held in the adjacent carriage house, and the wide, inviting porches are an excellent place to hang out with friends. Some of the apartments are used for short-term stays, while others house people who have been part of this program for many years.

The Townhouse offers clients the comforts of their own private space while maintaining important ties to the supports they have already established through the entire Spring Lake program.

Many people in the Spring Lake Ranch Therapeutic Community program choose to continue in independently-rented apartments in Rutland. They manage their own finances, medication, and routines with input from staff, family, and peers.

Ranch services for those in apartments include addiction relapse prevention, money management, cooking and apartment upkeep, work, volunteer, or study options, staying healthy and fit, and a variety of other opportunities. Just as with those in other stages of the program, clients in apartments have staff advisors that assist them in creating personal routines and support programs that meet their needs, and challenge them to continue moving toward their goals.

Many clients choose to rent apartments close to the Royce Street House and the Townhouse, providing frequent opportunities to interact with other clients and staff as they seek to establish their lives in Rutland.