Adult Day Treatment Program (DTA)

Our DTA is a program funded through the Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD) for adults with disabilities age 18 and over.

INDIVIDUALIZED GOALS

At L.I.F.E. we strive for the very best in day treatment programming. We use an

          established assessment tool, Assessment of Functional Living Skills to inform the creation of individualized consumer goals.

  • Money Skills
  • Time Skills
  • Phone Skills
  • Health and Safety and First Aide Skills
  • Basic Communication
  • Social Awareness and Manners
  • Cooking Skills: Kitchen/Lunch Room
  • Meals at Home
  • Dishes
  • Kitchen Skills
  • Self-Management Skills
  • Leisure
  • Clothing and Laundry
  • Community Knowledge
  • Shopping
  • Eating in Public
  • Basic Mobility

  • Regular reports on goal progress to families.
  • We do our best to attend planning meetings that are held every 90 days by a consumer’s DDD support coordinator.

MULTIPLE ENGAGING TREATMENT AREAS

Unlike many other programs in the valley, we have multiple treatment areas for our adult day treatment program.  In fact, we have 13 distinct treatment areas! Support is provided as needed by Direct Support Professionals (DSP).

A space for activities that focus on cognitive skills.

  • Money skills
  • Time skills
  • Phone skills
  • Basic communication
  • Social awareness and manners
  • Self-management skills
  • And more …

A space for activities such as board games.

  • Social interactions
  • Coping skills
  • Turn taking
  • Social awareness and manners
  • Self-management skills
  • And more …

A space for activities focused on developing skills for the workforce.

  • Job-related skills
  • Social awareness and manners
  • Self-management skills
  • And more …

A kitchen with multiple fridges, cooking appliances/utensils, and seating for 20.

  • Food prep skills
  • Eating skills
  • Social awareness and manners
  • Self-management skills
  • And more …

A space for consumers to participate in leisure activities such as watching television and playing the Wii.

  • Leisure skills
  • Social awareness and manners
  • Social interaction skills
  • Self-management skills
  • And more …

A space set up as a bedroom.

  • Independent living skills
  • and more …

A space for varied activities such as mindful movement, and art sessions.

  • Gross motor skills
  • Art skills
  • And more …

A working laundry room with washer and dryer.

  • Laundry skills
  • Vocational skills
  • And more …

Am outdoor space with raised garden beds and benches.

  • Leisure skills
  • Vocational skills
  • And more …

An outdoor area with multiple sports courts, specialty bicycles, and equipment.

  • Leisure and health skills
  • Gross motor skills
  • Social awareness and manners
  • And more …

A large outdoor shaded pool.

  • Leisure and health skills
  • Gross motor skills
  • Social awareness and manners
  • Self-management skills
  • And more …

A dedicated space for teens and young adults including multiple game systems, fooseball, and air hockey.

  • Leisure skills
  • Social interaction skills
  • and more …

A specialty room with equipment aimed at addressing sensory systems.

  • Self-management with sensory regulation activities
  • Leisure skills
  • and more…

ENHANCEMENTS

Our DTA consumers also have the opportunity to participant in program enhancements like:

  • Weekly group Music Therapy sessions

  • Mindful Movement classes

  • Bi-monthly art lessons

  • Gardening in our in-ground gardens and garden boxes and harvesting produce to make new recipes

COMMUNITY OUTINGS

Our consumers research and vote on where they would like to go each month. Examples of past outings:

  • Movies theater

  • Bowling

  • Grocery shopping

  • Zoo

  • Library

  • Museums

  • Goodwill

ADULT DAY TREATMENT (DTA) LEADERSHIP

ASHLEY WATZKE
ASHLEY WATZKEManager of Day Treatment and Employment- DTA, DTT, DTS, TTE, GSE

Role:
  • As the Manager of Day Treatment and Employment, my job is to ensure we are providing the best service we can while ensuring we are always following the guidelines set forth by the Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD). I create and follow through with any policies and procedures we need for our programs. I work with consumers, their families, and DDD Support Coordinators to create functional and meaningful goals for our consumers. I train and assist staff in all programs so they can support our consumers in these goals to the best of their ability. I am also part of L.I.F.E.’s Leadership Team. This team meets regularly to discuss ways to continue to improve our services. We work collaboratively in this effort in our unique transdisciplinary approach.
Career History:
  • I have been lucky to work in different settings since August of 2008, serving children and adults with developmental disabilities. I have been with L.I.F.E. since July 2013 where I started as a habilitation provider in the community and then later in the adult program on campus. I quickly fell in love with the values and support L.I.F.E. offered to not only the clients but also to staff and I felt privileged to become and serve as a teacher in the academy, later growing into Student Services Supervisor. I have recently moved into this new role as DTA/DTT/DTS manager. I’m very excited for this adventure and will strive to serve all to the best of my ability.
Personal Teaching Philosophy:
  • “Love what you do and never work a day in your life” - Unknown
Personal:
  • I have been married to my best friend for almost 4 years now and when we are not at work, you can find us chasing around our crazy wild daughters. In 2015, while I was teaching pre- school within the L.I.F.E. Academy, I had a student that at the time was in search of her forever home. Little did I know this little girl would become a huge part of my husband and my life. We adopted her in 2017 and she is now our daughter! As a family we enjoy weekends at home hanging out with our family and going camping when we can! We absolutely live for football season and the Arizona Cardinals; we won’t miss a game.
RENEE VALENCIA
RENEE VALENCIALead Adult Day Treatment Direct Support Professional

Career History:
  • I started at L.I.F.E. 5 years ago and had been working with consumers with disabilities 4 years prior to L.I.F.E. I have always worked in the adult program and enjoy serving these amazing people every day.
Personal Teaching Philosophy:
  • I believe everyone has the right to live a wonderful and fulfilled life and if I can contribute to that process, I’m proud to do so.
Personal:
  • I love crocheting and enjoy scrapbooking in my spare time.
HARLEY NOGA
HARLEY NOGALead Adult Day Treatment Direct Support Professional

Role:
  • My main role is to give 100% quality care to our consumers and to help improve their daily task and life skill goals. I ensure that staffing with consumers are current for both A week and B week. I also assist with any updates on ISP goals to ensure that the monthly goals are current. Another task I am in charge of is setting up outings and collecting any information on outings that may include extra funds (i.e. Phoenix Zoo, science center, movie theater, etc.).
Career History:
  • I have worked at Lauren’s Institute For Education for a total of six years and counting. I began working at L.I.F.E working in the L.I.F.E. Academy with the pre-kindergarten kiddos for 2 years. After that 2-year mark I transitioned into the Adult Program to further my experience and I have been with the Adult Program ever since. I love the family bond that has been created with staff and clients throughout the years and I am grateful.
Personal:
  • I have a beautiful little girl who is an exact replica of me! She is wild, goofy and just the sweetest little girl ever. I have such an amazing family to stand with me and support the work I do. My beautiful sister, Amanda, is older than me, she is deaf and is fluent in sign language. She has some developmental disabilities but that does not limit her for all the wonderful things she has done. She graduated from a life skills program at Highland High School, she is now at a wonderful DTA where she has learned the value of money, washing clothes, and other great skills. She has saved up an abundance for money that she was able to go to Disneyland 2 times within a year period. She has also independently chosen to go to the gym with her group home provider and complete 15 min on the treadmill, stretches after and will even participate in yoga sometimes at home with her provider. She has formed me into the person I am today and she is the reason why I work where I do. I am so proud of her and I love the bond she has with my daughter; she is always signing to her even on the day she was born she would sign to her saying “you’re so beautiful”. I am so proud of my little mini me because at only a year she is already learning sign and has learned to sign ‘more’ this made my sister so excited. I love my job, life and can’t wait to see what the future has in store for me.
Other Day Treatment and Employment Programs

Contact Us for More Information About L.I.F.E.

call us at 480-621-8361 EXT 127 or complete this form

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