Independent Living

An important component of our program is helping our clients to develop the life skills necessary to live independently. These skills comprise more than the fundamental executive functioning skills that underlie fulfilling everyday responsibilities. They are the more practical self-care and self-reliance skills that enable oneself to live independently. Teaching young adults practical life skills is essential for their personal growth, independence, and overall success and well-being.

At Cornerstones, the day to day living in each household organically engages our clients to begin to learn and practice the skills of independent living. Our clients handle the cooking, cleaning, laundry, budgeting, activity scheduling, and medication management. In our step-down house, they also manage the grocery shopping. Our Life Skills and Residential staff are available to the clients throughout the day to guide, scaffold, support, and coach their efforts in all of these activities. Our Life Skills staff in particular works to ensure that our clients graduate from Cornerstones with all of these skills in place. 

It is expected that a client will learn to manager their personal area and belongings. They will also learn how to cook and clean for the community, and care for shared spaces together. 

Clients work together to prepare a community meal every weekday evening, accommodating all dietary restrictions. This is a time together to promote conversation and connection. On a rotating schedule, clients are assigned dinner prep or dish duty. They create a weekly menu, request groceries, and prepare meals accordingly. 

Individualized integrative medicine and collaborative psychopharmacology. Our clients have set times daily when Therapeutic Residential Advisors assist them with accessing and taking their medications. Clients work towards picking up their own medications from local pharmacies. 

Each client’s treatment team supports them with budgeting and fiscal responsibility. Clients take part in financial management training so they can live independently after graduating from the Cornerstones program and navigate the costs of housing, food, memberships, and social enrichment. 

Clients are expected to maintain their personal hygiene in the form of consistent showering and bathing, teeth brushing, hair washing, and dressing appropriately. Positive reinforcement and support from our Life Skills and Residential staff help clients develop and sustain these habits.