Relational Therapy
CASA Framework

CASA therapy starts with the understanding that our relationships make us who we are. Our interpersonal experiences with significant people in our lives form our sense of self and influence our healthy development. Something “off” in this foundational aspect can affect every aspect of a child’s growth and development.

Lake House Academy caregivers work to identify strengths in the caregiving relationship as well as opportunities for growth. When a child experiences a disruption in their relationships, they are addressed by the entire caregiving system. Sustainable long-term change for children includes the family unit, and for this and many other reasons, the student’s family is integral in clinical treatment.

Acceptance means recognizing that past experiences and feelings of attachment drive a child’s behavior—not attitude, laziness, or willfulness.

Rather than focusing on getting our students to try harder, CASA teaches us that we must guide them in learning to trust others and, ultimately, themselves. Our students succeed when they see that they are always doing their best at that moment in time.

At Lake House Academy, we define security not as merely being physically safe but rather a child’s experience of feeling safe. Having experiences of safety in relationships is required for a child’s neurobiology to be regulated.

One way to understand the concept of feeling safe in relationships is to think of a car without any brakes. Students who experience relationship issues or emotional dysregulation often feel like they are going 100 miles an hour without any way to apply the brakes. In this state, they react to any stimuli as a perceived threat and respond with one of three primal reactions: fight, flight, or freeze. Their nervous systems are in constant overdrive.

By establishing both physical and emotional safety, we help ‘pump the breaks’ for our Lake House Academy students. We do this through predictability and stability, setting limits and healthy boundaries, and providing proximity and unconditional acceptance in our caregiving. These strategies help our students feel and experience safety, which allows their nervous systems to calm down.

Attunement simply means our caregivers recognize, respond to, and regulate a child's emotional experiences using the care the child receives. To effectively do this, the caregiver must see, hear, and sense a child’s internal and non-verbal communication. Attunement allows a child to feel deeply seen and understood—not just reacted to.