Mission Mountain School was a

therapeutic boarding school A therapeutic boarding school is a residential school offering therapy for students with emotional or behavioral issues. Description The National Association of Therapeutic Schools and Programs listed 140 schools and programs as of 2005. Therapeut ...

for girls located in Condon,

Missoula County Missoula County is located in the State of Montana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 117,922, making it Montana's third-most populous county. Its county seat and largest city is Missoula. The county was founded in 1860. Missoula Coun ...

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbi ...

. It operated from October 1, 1990, to August 16, 2008.Letter from Mission Mountain school to Alumni and Supporters announcing closure of the school and the sabbatical for its staff
/ref> On that date, the school graduated its last class and ceased operation, announcing that its founders would be on

sabbatical A sabbatical (from the Hebrew: (i.e., Sabbath); in Latin ; Greek: ) is a rest or break from work. The concept of the sabbatical is based on the Biblical practice of ''shmita'' (sabbatical year), which is related to agriculture. According to ...

Program description

The school enrolled girls ages 13 to 18, offering therapy, college preparatory education, and recreation for girls of above average intelligence who were "in crisis." It operated year-round and the average length of enrollment was 18 to 22 months. The

curriculum In education, a curriculum (; : curricula or curriculums) is broadly defined as the totality of student experiences that occur in the educational process. The term often refers specifically to a planned sequence of instruction, or to a view ...

was divided into four program components: daily life skills,

outdoor recreation Outdoor recreation or outdoor activity refers to recreation done outside, most commonly in natural settings. The activities that encompass outdoor recreation vary depending on the physical environment they are being carried out in. These activitie ...

, emotional growth and academics. An equine-guided education program was offered. Residential Programs and Boarding Schools Links
, Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association website, accessed January 4, 2009 A graduate of the program stated that the school used

behavior modification Behavior modification is an early approach that used respondent and operant conditioning to change behavior. Based on methodological behaviorism, overt behavior was modified with consequences, including positive and negative reinforcement continge ...

to give students structure and provided psychoanalytic counseling to help students understand the sources of their negative behaviors.

Controversy

The appropriateness of practices at the school have been disputed. One alumnus testified before Congress regarding abusive practices, exploitative interventions, educational neglect and the lack of mental health training of staff.Kathryn Whitehead - Text of Congressional Testimony from Alumnus of Mission Mountain School on"Child Abuse and Deceptive Marketing by Residential Programs for Teens April 24, 2008"
Kathryn Whitehead - Video of Congressional Testimony from Alumnus of Mission Mountain School on"Child Abuse and Deceptive Marketing by Residential Programs for Teens April 24, 2008"
/ref> Letter submitted by Mission Mountain School to Congressman George Miller, Chairman, Committee on Education and Labor, to be included in the public record for testimony on HR 5876.
/ref> One psychiatrist who also testified before Congress noted his own horror at the accounts of 'blatant abuse in the name of treatment and therapy' at the school and other poorly regulated therapeutic boarding schools. - Dr. Christopher Bellonci, Congressional Testimony - "Child Abuse and Deceptive Marketing by Residential Programs for Teens" April 24, 2008
/ref> Yet another former participant has said that the program induced students into "self-obliterating submission" by instilling fear.

Accreditation and affiliations

Mission Mountain School operated as an

accredited Accreditation is the independent, third-party evaluation of a conformity assessment body (such as certification body, inspection body or laboratory) against recognised standards, conveying formal demonstration of its impartiality and competence to ...

member of the

Pacific Northwest Association of Independent Schools The Northwest Association of Independent Schools (NWAIS) is a nonprofit membership association that provides accreditation, professional development and support services to over 110 elementary, middle, and secondary independent schools in Alaska, ...

(PNAIS) and the

Northwest Association of Accredited Schools The Northwest Accreditation Commission (NWAC), formerly named the Northwest Association of Accredited Schools, is a non-governmental organization that provides accreditation to educational institutions in the Northwestern United States. The Co ...

(NAAS),Frequently Asked Questions
Mission Mountain School website, accessed June 2, 2010 and was a full member of the

National Association of Therapeutic Schools and Programs The National Association of Therapeutic Schools and Programs (NATSAP) is a United States trade organization of therapeutic boarding school, therapeutic schools, residential treatment center, residential treatment programs, Wilderness therapy, wild ...

(NATSAP).NATSAP Program Directory listing for Mission Mountain School
archived October 12, 2007 It was also affiliated with the Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association (EAGALA).

References

External links

cafety.org - Community Alliance for the Ethical Treatment of YouthMission Mountain School official site
*U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Education and Labor
"Child Abuse and Deceptive Marketing by Residential Programs for Teens"
Full Committee Hearing on HR 5876, April 24, 2008. {{coord, 47, 30, 22, N, 113, 42, 30, W, type:edu_region:US-MT, display=title Behavior modification Special schools in the United States Educational institutions established in 1990 Educational institutions disestablished in 2008 Defunct schools in Montana Schools in Missoula County, Montana Boarding schools in Montana 1990 establishments in Montana Therapeutic boarding schools in the United States