About Mountain Youth Academy – Mountain City
Mountain Youth Academy is a CARF accredited behavioral health and substance use disorder treatment center in Mountain City, Tennessee. They treat youth ages five to 17 years old. This is a residential treatment center that specializes in treating kids, both boys and girls, using a trauma based approach.
They welcome kids from military parents and they’re TRICARE certified. They also accept private insurance and Medicaid.
The facility has specialized treatment tracks for kids with intellectual disabilities. All kids experience trauma in different ways. The trauma that leaves lasting effects isn’t always a big violent incident, sexual abuse, or a disaster. Kids experience trauma on multiple levels, some of which aren’t always obvious.
The center aims to identify what factors are causing a child to fall into patterns of unpredictable or acting out behavior, self-blame behaviors, or substance use. They use cognitive behavioral therapy that is trauma based to help nurture and develop better social behaviors. They also use group and individual therapy, family therapy, neurofeedback, and sensory modulation. They also have an animal husbandry program where you can learn to raise and handle animals.
The academy uses its own Behavioral Management System, or BMS. BMS is a point system where kids earn points. The points are then used to buy things like clothing, headphones, toys, and more. The kids are in the residential program from six to nine months.
Some former parents of clients felt the program worked well for their children. However, some parents and some former clients had safety concerns and report poor and even potentially dangerous treatment from the staff.
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