About Natchez Trace Youth Academy – Waverly
Natchez Trace Youth Academy closed its doors permanently in October 2024. When open, this center located in Waverly, Tennessee worked with troubled male youth aged 12-17 and 18-21. The center was accredited by CARF and was a residential treatment center for youth with behavioral health needs.
Natchez Trace Youth Academy offered programming that was predominantly grounded in Native American cultures such as drumming circles, sweat lodge, medicine wheel and talking circle. This programming was available to all students.
Natchez Trace Youth Academy was a residential facility with 90 beds for young men. They worked with adolescents who were court-ordered, aggressive, or not successful in previous residential programs. Their structured program included education and vocational training as well as behavioral health therapies and community service opportunities.
This facility was located in the central hills between two rivers. The wilderness setting allowed students to enjoy adventure and outdoor therapies to ground them in stabilizing behavior. They ran camping and hiking trips, and pet and equine therapy. Alpine and rappelling towers were part of their high-adventure programming
I like that they were also involved in community functions like the state fair, water parks and sporting events in nearby towns.
The Natchez Trace Youth Academy’s young adult transitional program was for young men between 18 and 21. This program focused on teaching job skills through a therapeutic and patient-centered approach This program was for those who had a history of truancy, substance abuse, conduct disorder and/or defiant disorder.
I like that they accommodated students who had little success in education in the past. Their students could achieve G.E.D.s as well as several vocational training opportunities.
