Spring Ridge Academy, is a behavioral health residential facility for female adolescents 13-17 years old. In 2023, Spring Ridge Academy announced on their website they had permanently closed.

Background

The campus was originally a house with a barn attached and only had one student. It is now capable of housing up to 76 girls with a facility that includes classrooms, medical areas, labs, and athletic fields and courts. Spring Ridge Academy is currently operated by Suzanne Courtney (Executive Director).

Programming

Spring Ridge Academy describes itself as a "clinical therapeutic program with a college preparatory academic curriculum". The program includes four phases that each student is expected to complete at their own pace. The program's average length of stay is 14 to 18 months. Parents or guardians who have their child admitted to Spring Ridge pay tuition and fees. Medical insurance may cover part of the costs.

Extracurricular activities

* Life skills * Self-defense * Digital photography * Horseback riding * Choral and instrumental music * Cooking * Ceramics * Jewelry making * Skiing * Hiking * Indoor rock climbing * Kayaking and paddleboarding * Swimming * Tennis * Mountain biking

Controversy

In 2021, the parent of a former resident filed a lawsuit against Spring Ridge Academy, alleging causes of action for negligence and fraud, amongst other things. The mother claims that the troubled teen program used non-evidence-based treatment practices on her daughter and misrepresented the tactics the program used before she enrolled her child there. In a

large group awareness training The term large-group awareness training (LGAT) refers to activities - usually offered by groups with links to the human potential movement - which claim to increase self-awareness and to bring about desirable transformations in individuals' Persona ...

workshop, for example, girls at Spring Ridge Academy were allegedly instructed to beat their chairs with rolled-up towels containing their anger while other students screamed at them. Other former students have claimed that the workshops at the center of the lawsuit are "abusive" and "shame-based." Former students say they had to participate in

attack therapy Attack therapy was one of several pseudo-therapeutic methods described in the book ''Crazy Therapies''. It involves highly confrontational interaction between the patient and a therapist, or between the patient and fellow patients during group the ...

as well. Spring Ridge Academy has also been accused of using

conversion therapy Conversion therapy is the pseudoscientific practice of attempting to change an individual's sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression to align with heterosexual and cisgender norms. In contrast to evidence-based medicine and cli ...

. Other alumni have come forward alleging abuse as part of the Breaking Code Silence movement, describing the academy as a

cult In modern English, ''cult'' is usually a pejorative term for a social group that is defined by its unusual religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs and rituals, or its common interest in a particular personality, object, or goal. This ...

and as being exploitative of families. One Spring Ridge Academy alumnus was also featured in a Lifetime movie special Beyond the Headlines: Cruel Instruction, talking about the allegations of abuse in the troubled teen industry and the PTSD and anxiety that many survivors continue to live with. Spring Ridge Academy issued several in response to the lifeline movie.

References

External links

* (Spring Ridge Academy)
Official website
(New Day Rising)
NCES website
{{authority control Schools in Yavapai County, Arizona Boarding schools in Arizona Girls' schools in Arizona Alternative schools in the United States 1997 establishments in Arizona Private high schools in Arizona Residential treatment centers Therapeutic boarding schools in the United States Troubled teen programs