About The Charles E. Shipman Center – Greenville
The Charles E. Shipman Center is located in Greenville, South Carolina. This Center used to be called the Phoenix Center White Horse Academy but they changed the name to Charles E. Shipman.
Mr Shipman was a member of the Greenville Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse. He also regularly provided Community Support Services through organizations like Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and other outreach services.
The building was renamed after him because of his dedication to helping adults and adolescents in the community lead a sober lifestyle following his own struggles with addiction use.
Charles E. Shipman Center helps provide evidence based treatment and education to children aged 11 to 15. Today, this location operates as a TrailHead Community Farm School that serves neurodivergent children, including children who might have experimented with substance use in the past.
Children who are enrolled here because of substance use struggles must have completed a treatment program and must have not experimented with substances in the past 6 months.
At the Charles E. Shipman Center children are treated with dignity and compassion as they navigate the struggles impacting their lives. I appreciate that in addition to receiving educational support in a non-traditional setting, there are mentors that children can turn to if they need support for other struggles they’re facing.
Some of the routine activities you’ll find here include gardening, hands on learning, animal therapy, life skills development like cooking, and BioFeedback to help teach children how to manage complex emotions.
I also find that children who have received services here say that they found a supportive community of peers where children felt accepted and understood. There is group therapy and community activities like nature adventures that allow children to connect with others in a meaningful way.
Adolescents can still receive supportive care through the Phoenix Center, the organization which the Charles E Shipman Center operated under. Through that center, there are continuum of services including outpatient support for adolescents, teens, and adults.