Treatment for troubled teens with depression, anxiety, and screen dependence
staffed Residential Program for Teens 13-18 800.682.0670Tour our Campusstaffed Residential care for teens
What is reSTART Leadership Academy?
The reSTART Leadership Academy offers educational mentoring for teens in residential care who meet enrollment criteria. We seek to re-engage distracted learners and keep them on track with their peers while learning to manage their digital media use. will get the help needed to succeed while building confidence and competence in their academic abilities.
We have dedicated staff ready to support learning goals.
We understand that your child may have been struggling with school as tech use became unbalanced. At reSTART Leadership Academy, we provide a compassionate, positive learning environment so partipants can learn and advance. Our dedicated staff use Love & Logic® and Gottman’s emotional coaching techniques which fosters kindness and respect while learning new skills. Our program design reflects the diverse needs of participants, too. One person may be pedaling on a stationary bike while reading a novel; another will be receiving individualized tutoring with a staff member. Look around the room, and you’ll see individuals working at their own pace on individualized goals. Frequent coaching is the norm, not the exception. Healthy snacks and meals are a part of our program, too.
We are tech-limited, teaching responsible tech use.
At reSTART, our staff work with your child’s school to determine individual requirements, with options for a slow transition to incorporate online coursework as your student progresses in ability to connect with tech in a healthier way. This works well for many families whose child return home prior to all reSTART classes being completed; students can catch up to their peers and return to school on schedule.
We encourage participants to stay connected to their academic pursuits.
While enrolled in our treatment program, participants have the opportunity to earn credit through nationally-recognized Alta Independent, an AdvancEd-certified school curriculum organization which is recognized by school districts and colleges across the United States. Alta Independent is committed to fostering a culture of learning, independence, and success. Together, reSTART Leadership Academy and Alta Independent encourage all our students to commit themselves to academic achievement and personal excellence. Alta Independent was established to provide an offline and online alternative to traditional education. Alta provides an educational experience that allows students to advance at their own pace. This is done with the intent to prepare students to successfully transition to higher education, career readiness, or the competitive workforce. Alta’s accessible and cost-effective online platform allows families to continue with Alta after leaving reSTART or to transition back into a student’s home school district.
Alta will evaluate your student’s transcript to determine the best courses to meet graduation and college requirements, as well as adjust the course content to reflect progress already made in partially-completed classes and accommodate for Individual Education Plans (IEPs). A student transcript with the Alta name also protects your child’s confidentiality.
We examine readiness thoughtfully, with success in mind.
While our focus is primarily on holistic healing, we strive to support your student’s academic progress. Additional academic credit through Alta Independent is offered for some of our therapeutic programs, as well, which means students often stay on track for graduation.
Should you choose for your student to remain on their home school district curriculum, we ask that you approve this prior to arrival and then coordinate with your student’s home school district counselor or registrar to have all assignments and teaching materials from core (typically Math, English & History) sent to reSTART. ReSTART Leadership Academy staff will make every effort to help your student understand the concepts and complete the assignments and send completed assignments back to the home school. Please know that as this is time-intensive for our staff, an additional fee may be incurred.
Our evidence-based residential program helps teens get back on track with what matters most – life.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is your education philosophy?
We believe that the foundation of education rests on a well-rounded, experientially rich, nature infused, hands-on experience with the world at large. We see digital technology as a tool, not as a replacement for an excellent education.
We believe that the primary responsibility for education and character development lies with the family. We provide emotional support and guidance to families striving to help their children reach their full potential.
We believe in each person’s ability to learn and grow. We believe in preparing every person to achieve his personal goals and to impact the world for good.
Our well-qualified team nurtures each person in our care. They seek to enhance the development of each person intellectually, emotionally, socially and physically. Team members live their lives as full-time role models to individuals and those who love them.
What makes reSTART Leadership Academy different?
outsidLearners are nurtured.
Many kids are lost in traditional classrooms with a 30+ students. At reSTART we focus on the underlying issues that lead to academic difficulties. Pareticipants struggling in academic subject matter gain confidence and competence with daily tutoring. We make accommodations for special needs, health concerns and Individualized Education Plans (IEPs). Our program staff works to create a dynamic, holistic treatment plan that addresses the whole child.
It’s unplugged.
Although you will find very little digital electronics at reSTART Leadership Academy, you won’t find uninformed learners. Participants are taught the importance of digital media restraint. We help participants comprehend and analyze information and to not rely on technology. In fact, we find some participants have never learned how to compute fractions or to understand trigonometry, relying too heavily on electronics. Typically, students’ first several months at reSTART will be spent with little to no digital influence, allowing their brains to calm and their spirits to heal. We slowly integrate sustainable digital media and technology in ways that support academics without impairing learning.
Life is fostered here.
Life is meant to be experienced, not just watched, read about, or engaged with passively through a video game or on social media. Each reSTART student is provided with multiple opportunities to connect with life in meaningful ways. Whether it’s playing basketball with new friends outside during a morning break, learning horticulture in our greenhouse farm-to-table program, or hiking down to our very own island in the Sultan River, our 38-acre Serenity Mountain campus nestled in the Cascade Mountains foothills is a distinctive setting where young people engage to battle the problems associated with tech overuse alongside the compassionate guidance of our therapeutic staff.
Do you offer summer school options?
We offer optiions that help you find a best-fit solution for your student.
Our summer program has great flexibility, designed to help meet individual needs. Some parents prefer to focus on healing during the summer program. That said, rest assured that there is a full slate of supervised activities for these teens during our summer program. Some teens concentrate on SAT/ACT prep in an offline, one-on-one format with our trained, certificated staff. Other students arrive with a packet of schoolwork from their home districts to complete and mail back to their school of origin, allowing them to finish their semester and take care of incomplete grades (please arrange this in advance with your district and our staff). Some students may be finishing off academic classes which they took during spring semester through Alta Independent. We look forward to seeing how we can accommodate your child. Summer school tutoring is offered three hours a day, three days a week, so all teens still have lots of time to join in all the fun and therapeutic activities at Serenity Mountain.
Want a little extra credit for your student to get a “leg up” at school?
All summer participants have the opportunity to pick up three extra credits, just for participating in our regular Fitness, Sustainable Horticulture, and Life Balance programs.
What services do you offer for Teens?
supreSTART offers a family focused outcome-based therapeutic Residential Program for teens which provides:
- Safe home-like environment on a beautiful park-like campus
- Comprehensive assessments upon arrival
- Academic tutoring
- Daily groups, covering a broad range of relevant topics related to screen use
- Weekly individual sessions, with daily check-ins
- Weekly family focused phone calls
- Weekly parent updates
- Campus filled with amenities such as fitness center, music room, art center, yoga studio, horticulture center
- Connection with the outdoors on our 32-acre campus and conservation land properties
- Service and volunteer opportunities
Who is your program appropriate for?
reSTART is appropriate for teens 13-18 years of age (18 if they are still enrolled in school). We have capacity for 16 teens, with rolling admissions who may be dealing with any of the following problems:
- Unmanageable screen use
- Family problems
- Anxiety
- Attention Deficit (ADHD)
- Depression
- Isolation and lack of friendships
- De-conditioned, lack of exercise
- Poor diet, unhealthy eating
- Strained family relationships
- Unhealthy sleeping habits (up at night online)
- Decline in academic performance
- Low motivation
- School refusal
- Trauma related issues
- High-functioning autism spectrum (possible virtual autism)
In order to create a strong, safe & supportive community, we are unsuited for teens with aggression, eloping behaviors, those who are actively suicidal, and lower funcitioning ASD teens. We are happy to provide referrals to help your child get the appropriate care needed if we are not the best fit.
What is the average length of stay?
Each person is takes their own path to greatness. Some teens come in 8 semesters behind in school, some only 2. Others enroll to learn how to deal with feelings of depression or anxiety. Others just want to get back on track through credit recovery. Most leave doing significantly better in key areas than when they arrived. We offer year round support and credit recovery. Enrollment is based on indivual needs.
Our summer intensive runs about 8-12 weeks but fills up quickly, so apply early to ensure there will be a space available.
How do I enroll? Is there a waitlist?
As part of the enrollment process, you’ll have a conversation by phone to discuss your specialized care needs.
Length of stay is customized to accomodate treatment needs and family budgetary constraints. Most teens stay three to nine months.
Openings are on a first come first served basis, and openings occur only as people transition. Some months we carry a waitlist, in other months we do not (when we have several transition all in the same week).
Due to our small campus size, we suggest you get on the wait list as soon as possible. We’ve seen the entire campus fill up in 7 days in the past.
What do other parents have to say?
College acceptances are rolling in. Our son was admitted to 6 out of 10 schools to which he applied and offered significant scholarships to some. He continues to do well in school, achieving high honor roll (above 4.33 GPA) every quarter since he returned from reStart. Last quarter he had a 5.26 GPA! He still goes to the gym, and will now be picking up a job as other extracurricular activities are winding down for seniors. He continues to engage in other activities, like doing track days with dad. He’s got a nice group of friends.
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