At Elk Mountain Academy, girls receive an individual treatment plan aligned with their medical, emotional, and psychological needs. Our multi-disciplinary staff is dedicated to helping each resident embark on a new and more productive path in life. Our clinical staff, both on and off-campus, is made up of psychiatric specialists, primary care physicians, a dentist, an orthodontist, & licensed psychotherapists, as well as teachers, mentors, and residential care staff.
Elk Mountain Academy Is an Accredited School
Girls who are having emotional and behavioral problems often experience academic problems as well. Our school is assisted by a licensed teacher 
and is intentionally computer-based. During their time at Elk Mountain, girls are able to catch up on their schoolwork.
Some of our girls even get ahead of their coursework while they are here. For some students, we also provide tutoring. Regular academic progress reports to parents are available for all young women at Elk Mountain.
Promoting a Healthy Lifestyle (Emotionally, Physically and Spiritually)
Elk Mountain Academy emphasizes a healthy, nutritionally-balanced diet, physical activities, restful sleep and fun times; all designed to teach a healthy lifestyle. Girls participate in outdoor and recreational events throughout the year, including organized team sports. Camping and hiking outings in the rugged, beautiful mountains of the Pacific Northwest are available thanks to our amazing location.
For spiritual support, girls are given encouragement and instruction by our Christian staff and attend non-denominational church services. Attendance is required at church services, youth groups, and Bible study, but girls are not forced to participate in these activities.
For 20 years, Elk Mountain Academy Staff Has Been Helping Girls Overcome Life-Controlling Issues
Younger teenaged girls in our care attend individual, group, and family therapy sessions with our staff of skilled professional counselors. We also provide specialized help for students dealing with addiction and abandonment issues.
Art therapy gives girls another way to release their emotions. Animal and equine therapy is a part of our program featuring dogs and miniature horses. 
Finally, through around the clock interactions with our trained staff, the girls receive constant feedback and assistance in their thinking and actions.
Students participate in weekly individual therapy. The frequency of therapy sessions can vary from student to student. Some of our girls receive individual therapy in one sitting or a course of therapy may occur over multiple short sessions during the week.
At Elk Mountain, we utilize highly effective group therapy twice a week, as well as specialty groups such as adoption and addiction. We go beyond just treating the girls who attend, and provide family therapy as well. Family therapy occurs during family visits and on the phone.
Our staff has over 60 years of combined experience in therapy with adolescents. We specialize in dialectic behavioral therapy, cognitive therapy, EMDR, reality therapy, and trauma therapy.
Equine therapy is a vital part of the work we do here at Elk Mountain. We utilize miniature horses to help the girls learn and build...
- Self-Esteem
- Sensitivity
- Endurance
- Responsibility
- Relationships
We also use art therapy to help our students learn to communicate thoughts and deep emotions without the use of words.
Families are encouraged to come and visit after an appropriate number of family therapy phone calls. When you do visit, one of our therapists will participate in family therapy with you and your daughter. Each visit has a set of behavioral goals your student works on during your time together.
Therapy: The Elk Mountain Academy Therapeutic Program
At Elk Mountain, girls receive an individual treatment plan aligned with their medical, emotional, and psychological needs. Our multi-disciplinary staff team is dedicated to helping all residents find a new, more productive path in life.
Elk Mountain’s clinical staff, both on and off-campus, is made up of psychiatric specialists, primary care physicians, a dentist, an orthodontist, & licensed psychotherapists, as well as teachers, mentors, and residential care staff.
We emphasize a healthy, nutritionally-balanced diet along with physical activities, restful sleep and fun times; all designed to teach a healthy lifestyle. Girls participate in many outdoor and recreational events during the year, as well as organized team sports. Girls in our care also enjoy periodic camping and hiking outings in the beautiful and rugged mountains of the Pacific Northwest. For spiritual support, girls are given encouragement and instruction by our Christian staff and attend non-denominational church services.
Young women in our care attend individual, group, and family therapy sessions with our staff of skilled professional counselors. We also provide specialized help for students dealing with addiction and abandonment issues.
Art therapy gives girls another way to release their emotions. Animal and equine therapy is a part of our program featuring dogs and miniature horses. Finally, through around the clock interactions with our trained staff, the girls receive constant feedback and assistance in their thinking and actions.
Academics:
Academics at Elk Mountain - Education is a crucial component of our program at Elk Mountain, and our academic program is designed to meet the educational needs of our students while encouraging and supporting their emotional growth.
We have an integrated system in which teaching staff works closely with both therapists and program staff to ensure your daughter is getting the education she needs. Our staff works tirelessly to ensure academic goals work hand in hand with addressing the various emotional and behavioral challenges in our student’s lives.
Girls at Elk Mountain create weekly academic goals reviewed by our academic staff. These goals ensure appropriate progress and give the students a sense of accomplishment. Our low staff-to-student ratio enables more individualized instruction for your daughter.
Our Nationally Accredited Academics Allow Students to Work Toward Their High School Diploma
Elk Mountain provides each student with the opportunity to complete middle school or high school level courses. We are a fully accredited private school through AdvancED, the leading accreditation institution in the United States. Our academics can be tailored to fit each individual student.
Our academic program works with students of all levels regardless of whether they are in need of making up ground or if they are ready for highly academic or even advanced placement courses. We work with many different curriculum providers to ensure your daughter receives the best education possible. Each student at Elk Mountain receives a high school graduation plan mapping out the courses required to gain her high school diploma.
Not all girls who come to Elk Mountain graduate from our facility. If you do not think your daughter will be graduating from Elk Mountain, we will stay in communication with your daughter’s school to ensure we are meeting the same requirements that will keep them on track when they return home.
Elk Mountain works closely with our local community school system and in some cases, your daughter may be able to attend school within the community. Attending school in the community allows greater opportunities to play sports and participate in other extra-curricular activities.
Being in the community also provides an opportunity to begin transitioning back to a more routine lifestyle. Attending a local school allows some of our students to access a full spectrum of academic assistance in a structured environment while still gaining the benefit of regular therapeutic support.
Our certified teacher works with the students to ensure they are progressing through the curriculum at a pace comparable to the public school system. A benefit of the tailored academic program at Elk Mountain is that motivated students have the opportunity to earn credits at a quicker rate than in a public school. This is especially useful for students who are behind in their classwork. We can set up a plan for credit recovery to get them back on track.
Available Post-Secondary Options After High School Graduation
Learning doesn’t stop with a high school diploma at Elk Mountain. We offer many post-secondary options for our students beyond high school education. With access to local colleges and distance learning, your daughter will have the opportunity to begin her college career.
We are also proud to offer wonderful access to vocational training. No matter what educational option is right for your daughter, we always ensure it will support her therapeutic goals at Elk Mountain.
Athletics:
At Elk Mountain, We Take Physical Fitness Very Seriously - Physical fitness is an important part of any young person’s life. The physical and mental challenges of sports of all kinds can be important tools in learning how to push beyond self-limiting beliefs.
Throughout the school year, girls at Elk Mountain have opportunities to participate in a number of activities; aerobics, self-defense lessons, dance, river rafting, and rock climbing are just a few. Winter often finds our girls snowboarding on Schweitzer Mountain and snowshoeing or sledding at the lodge.
Summer activities for our students may include horseback riding, biking, hiking, river rafting, rock climbing, fishing, camping and playing team sports.
Our location new the shores of Lake Pend Oreille is a great asset of Elk Mountain. We fully utilized when the weather allows, and the girls may often be seen boating and enjoying the beautiful lake.
A full range of high school team sports is encouraged during the school year. We also encourage a healthy and nutritionally balanced diet. Our staff works hard to provide this integral part of the girls’ physical fitness regimen.
Equine:
Equine Therapy involves activities (such as grooming, feeding, haltering and leading a horse) that are supervised by a mental health professional, often with the support of a horse professional.
Both during the activity and after the EMA student has finished working with the horse, the equine therapist can observe and interact with her in order to identify behavior patterns and †o process thoughts and emotions.
The goal of equine therapy is to help the girl develop needed skills and attributes, such as accountability, responsibility, self-confidence, problem-solving skills, and self-control.
Equine therapy also provides an innovative milieu in which the therapist and the girls can identify and address a range of emotional and behavioral challenges.
What are the Benefits of Equine Therapy?
Studies have indicated that equine therapy has been successful in helping patients show marked improvements in the following areas:
- Assertiveness
- Emotional awareness
- Empathy
- Stress tolerance
- Flexibility
- Impulse control
- Problem-solving skills
- Self-actualization
- Independence
- Self-regard
- Social responsibility
- Interpersonal relationships
Many of the benefits of equine therapy are likely due to the nature of the animals with which the girls and equine therapist are interacting. Horses are typically non-judgmental, have no preconceived expectations or motives, and are highly effective at mirroring attitudes and behaviors of the humans with whom they are working.
While working with horses under the guidance and supervision of an equine therapist, the EMA girls have a unique and effective opportunity to note their tendency to engage in self-defeating and otherwise negative thoughts and actions. These realizations provide excellent bases for discussion and processing both during and after the equine therapy experience.
What Conditions/Disorders Does Equine Therapy Treat?
Equine therapy has been successfully integrated into treatment programs for adults and teens who are being treated for substance abuse, addiction, behavior disorders, mood disorders, eating disorders, learning differences, ADD/ADHD, autism, Asperger’s, grief/loss, trauma, sex addiction, compulsive gambling, bipolar, depression and related conditions.
Mentoring: The Elk Mountain Mentoring Program
Mentoring is a crucial part of the overall program at Elk Mountain. Student participation in our mentoring program is completely voluntary.
Through this valuable program, our girls have a chance to be taught valuable life skills such as:
- Cooking
- House cleaning
- Chores
- Real-life organizational skills
- Money management
- Future planning
- Time management
- Personal grooming
- Health and diet
- Physical fitness
- Relationships
In the Mentoring Program at Elk Mountain, your daughter will learn to balance work, school, dating, leisure time and responsible participation in a household. In essence, mentoring teaches young women how to reduce stress through time management and prioritizing in their decision-making. The Mentoring program works to provide crucial life skills that increase the odds of success for our students after they leave Elk Mountain.
Workshops:
Elk Mountain Academy Parent Workshops - Several times each year the therapists of Elk Mountain provide weekend workshops for the parents of girls in our program. The goal of these weekends is to help parents build a whole, healthy family.
The first two days of the workshop are focused on supporting the parents by teaching tools for self-awareness, communication, and relationship building.
On Sunday, daughters come to the workshop so that each family can practice the skills that have been presented. Families who have attended state these workshops have proven very beneficial.