The Pre-Transition to Independent Living Programs provide a safe, organized, and clean environment to support the development of teenagers, age 16-21, in obtaining the foundation to seemlessly transition to living independently. Team members work closely with collaterals in an attempt to achieve permanency for the indentified youth. Our focus is to provide useful, practical services that are designed to achieve individual treatment goals Enroll clients into an educational program Provide clients with the skills necessary to obtain employment Connect teens to short term and lifelong community resources Lessen teen’s sense of isolation and despair Empower teens to be self-sufficient The Old Colony Y team will work with clients to become active participants, utilizing the interventions of the program. Clients will be required to participate in an educational component (community high school, alternative education program, or community college) in addition to obtaining employment. Clients will be required to participate in PAYA activities, individual therapy, and group therapy. Clients will enter the progam and work through a series of phases allowing increased responsibilities and independence as they transition on their path to young adulthood Increase and develop social skills, effective communication, and conflict resolution through positive role modeling and group activities Clients will have the ability to participate in age appropriate recreational, afterschool and community activities that support health and wellness Clients will have the ability to schedule medical appointments, family visits, and utilize community time Stacey Paradise, MSW, LCSW Clinical Social Workere-mail