The Academy at Swift River is a boarding school geared toward troubled teens. It is located amid 630 acres of wilderness at the base of the Berkshire Mountains in Cummington, Massachusetts. Adolescents attending Swift River receive a combination of college preparatory classes, counseling, wilderness therapy and transitional assistance. The program also examines family dynamics, involving parents and other guardians in the therapy process. Students typically attend Swift River for 12 to 20 months, and family visits begin four to six weeks after enrollment.
Starr Commonwealth, which facilitates programs for troubled youth in Michigan and Ohio, offers private therapeutic boarding schools as well as four specialized residential treatment programs. The Montcalm School in Albion, Michigan is divided into a school for boys, which accepts students aged 12 to 18, and a school for girls aged 12 to 21. Montcalm encourages family visitation and specializes in problems such as ADHD, depression and anxiety, and adoption issues. Starr Commonwealth's Juvenile Justice Youth residential program helps adolescent boys develop cooperation and problem-solving skills. The Sexually Reactive Youth residential program focuses on young men who have committed sexual offenses, while the Abuse/Neglect Youth program provides care for traumatized boys. Residential treatment for substance abuse is also available, and is geared toward delinquent or court-sanctioned youth.
The Midwest Center for Youth and Families, located in rural Indiana, offers three residential programs: a male adolescent program, a children's program, and a female adolescent program that specializes in dialectical behavioral therapy. The center serves youth aged 6 to 18 and employs a variety of psychological and psychosocial therapy techniques, including substance abuse counseling and art therapy. It has 59 beds and an on-grounds school. Attendees typically stay for an average of 120 to 180 days, depending on progress and insurance benefits.
The Brevard Day School conglomerate provides three alternative schools for troubled youth in Florida: Riverdale Country School in Palm Bay, Horace Mann Academy in Rockledge, and Fieldston Preparatory School in Titusville. These schools offer programs that integrate individualized academic study plans with counseling, behavioral intervention, community activities, psychiatric evaluation, character education and medication management. Brevard's philosophy sees educational engagement as the primary solution to negative behavior, but also recognizes the need for structured behavioral management. The goal of the schools is to eventually facilitate students' transition back into a traditional education system.