Eva Carlston Academy is a residential treatment program designed to help teenage girls grow and improve while overcoming the difficulties of emotional and behavioral disorders. Its admissions process is highly selective and structured to guarantee that it’s the right program for every incoming student. Once enrolled, girls can expect to benefit from a close-knit family environment, safe living arrangements, and healthy nutrition. In the article below, Eva Carlston Academy reviews the process in depth.
Although the academy welcomes all who need its support, it carefully screens applicants to guarantee that they meet the program’s requirements. Let’s take a closer look at the admissions process and learn what new students can expect from their first few weeks in the program.
What Potential Students Can Expect During Admissions
Although Eva Carlston Academy is selective in who they admit, its hands-on program directors guide applicants through the entire process to make it as easy as possible. Parents and previous treatment providers of potential students are interviewed, and parents are required to tour the program before a student is accepted. This all ensures that students are a good fit for Eva Carlston and that their needs will be met.
Currently, the academy works with girls between the ages of 12 and 18 with a clinical diagnosis of one of the following disorders:
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Autism and Learning Disabilities
• Oppositional Defiant Disorder
• Emerging personalities disorders
• Eating disorders
• Suicidality and self-harming
• Substance abuse
• Trauma stemming from adoption/attachment issues, sexual, physical, and
emotional abuse
If admitted, applicants can then benefit from a blend of academic learning, art therapy, and group care that meets the full range of their emotional, educational, and personal needs.
Daily Life After Admissions
Eva Carlston Academy aims to make life as realistic and nurturing as possible for its students. Rather than isolating the girls on a rural retreat, the program is intentionally located in the residential heart of Salt Lake City, Utah. Students can enjoy the cultural benefits of the city and gain exposure to new experiences, hopefully developing new passions and hobbies along the way.
Upon admission, girls are provided with a tastefully decorated bedroom where they can relax and feel at ease in their new homes. This is therapeutically shown to improve outcomes and helps students embrace the program. Every home houses between 8 and 16 girls who live together under one roof and share common living spaces, classrooms, therapy spaces, and more.
Eva Carlston Academy reviews that it’s up to the girls to maintain their home, with each student taking on essential responsibilities such as cleaning, budgeting, and food planning. Placing responsibilities on the girls helps them learn the life skills they’ll need after graduating and pursuing individual adult life. Although it can be difficult for new students, directors and existing members help ease the transition and welcome them into the family.
Education and Therapy Become a Part of Daily Life
Eva Carlston Academy’s approach the patient care can be described as a lifestyle therapy. Its members are referred to as students rather than patients and they work together to learn, create, and overcome their personal challenges. This approach blends both academic learning and personal growth training including:
• Education – Eva Carlston Academy is Cognia certified, meaning its academic training is completely transferrable and prepares students for post-secondary education. Students learn reading comprehension, critical thinking, mathematics, and all other academic courses needed to enter a public or private university.
• Skills Training – Family teachers help students learn anger management techniques, problem-solving, emotional regulation, effective communication skills, and other skills needed to navigate the world without friction.
• Nutrition and Exercise – Although students participate in planning their own meals, they receive weekly lessons in nutrition to encourage healthy eating. They are also expected to exercise before class by running, swimming, dancing, doing yoga, Zumba, or even Pilates.
• Art Therapy – Eva Carlston Academy views art as an effective therapy for expressing inner worlds. Girls may choose dance, photography, writing, drama, music, or traditional arts to help heal and explore their feelings.
At the end of every day, the girls come together for a family meeting where they discuss activities, problem solve, and encourage each other to continue growing and prospering.
Final Thoughts
Eva Charlston Academy may be selective in who it admits but by screening its applicants, it guarantees that it can provide the necessary care to help every student. Once enrolled, students learn academic and life skills needed to grow and overcome their troubling pasts. It is a family centered around healthy learning and close-knit connections.
