The Stillwater Program for Struggling Teens
Every parent wants to see their child healthy, safe, and thriving. When your teenager is making choices that put their future, well-being, or even their life at risk, the fear and uncertainty can feel overwhelming. Few experiences are more difficult than watching someone you love struggle while wondering how to help them find a healthier, more hopeful path forward.
That’s Why We Created Stillwater’s Highly Specialized Therapy and School
Stillwater is a Residential Treatment Center that is Also
Designed to Be a Home Away from Home
Here at Stillwater, we are a dedicated, fun, caring team of therapists, doctors, parents, and mentors. We are here because we want to help teens figure out how to become their best selves; because we know that given the right environment, tools, support, and enough time that your teen can figure out how to live a happy successful life. Our home away from home housing option has become very meaningful to our students, their parents, and to referring professionals across the country.
The change we’re talking about is not a superficial one, or simply helping your teen learn to say/do the right things. We believe that in order for real-lasting change to occur, it has to come from the heart. We want your teen to learn to make good choices, because they want to do it for themselves.
There absolutely is reason to hope! Hundreds of teens have shown us over and over again that given time and the right tools, each one of them can overcome and move beyond these challenges to truly succeed.
Over 30 years ago, families like yours inspired us to create Stillwater Academy. We believe in you and have developed a safe, relationship-based, and family-oriented treatment program to foster the growth, change, and success you seek, regardless of the challenges you face.
Today’s teens face a rough, fast-paced digital world that has made it harder than ever to succeed as a teenager. Our specialized focus in this area for the last 3 decades has given us a unique front-row seat to all of these developments. As well as lots of experience helping teens navigate and overcome its inevitable pitfalls.
So Many Kids Don’t Understand How Awesome They Really Are
In this video Lee Caldwell talks about the amazing transformations he sees in teens here at Stillwater.
Couldn’t Be In a Better Place
Situated in some of the most breathtaking scenery in the country, Stillwater Academy was founded in 1988 in the heart of the Rocky Mountains. About 15 miles south of Salt Lake City, Utah.
Students benefit from this great environment through outdoor adventure, hikes, regular outdoor therapy at Stillwater Academy’s nearby Clementine Farms Ranch, additionally offering various other recreational activities.
Have 30 seconds? Take a Free online assessment to help find out if Stillwater Academy is right for your teen
At Least 1000 Words Worth of Pictures
Send a Text Or Give Us a Call at (385) 352-3371
If our philosophy lines up with what you are seeking for teen, please call or text 385-352-3371. We’d like to understand your unique situation and let you know if we can help.
Stillwater Academy Facebook Posts
Addressing behavioral or emotional issues early yields better outcomes than waiting for a situation to reach a crisis level. Intervening early allows parents to engage with more energy, addresses problems before negative patterns become firmly ingrained, and prevents further behavioral escalation.
Seeking support early is an proactive step that demonstrates care and prioritizes long-term well-being.
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A common concern for parents considering residential treatment is that their teenager will adopt negative behaviors from peers. However, most struggling teens are already exposed to these influences through social media, online platforms, and peer networks.
Effective residential treatment programs provide a structured, safe environment guided by professionals where peer interactions are managed constructively, helping teens learn accountability and healthy living rather than unguided choices.
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Residential treatment is not a service where a teenager is simply sent away to be "fixed" by professionals. Without family involvement and systemic changes at home, old behaviors often return once the child comes back.
Instead, treatment should be viewed as a long-term investment in safety and relationship preservation, creating a secure environment where the teenager can heal while the whole family engages in the recovery process.
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Stillwater Academy Program Information
General
Program Name: Stillwater Academy
Program Details: Long term residential treatment center and private school combine, offering immersive, structured, family-style care. It focuses on healing teens who’ve experienced trauma, family disruption, or academic and behavioral challenges by combining therapy, education, housing, equine programs, and wrap-around support.
Founder: Lee Caldwell and Scott Jones
Founding Date: 1996
Contact Information
Location: 11175 S Redwood Rd, South Jordan, UT 84095
Website: https://stillwateracademy.org
Telephone: 385‑352‑3371 (Call/Text)
Email: admissions@stillwateracademy.org
Organization Information
Licensed: RTC, and Outpatient through the state of Utah, School fully Accredited through Cognia.
Accreditations: Recognized by the National Association of Special Education Teachers as a School of Excellence
Strengths:
– Immersive, non-religious therapeutic Program and Private School
– Equine-assisted therapy integrated into treatment
– Academics delivered by licensed teachers with GPA improvements (~1.5 grade points on average)
– Family-style housing with trained staff to practice therapeutic skills in real-time
Religious Affiliation: No (specifically non-religious)
Target Population
Ages: Teens ages 13 – 18
Gender(s): Boys and girls (inclusive, including LGBTQ+)
Ideal For: Teens struggling with trauma, adoption-related issues, executive functioning challenges, ADHD/ADD, ODD, depression, anxiety, defiance, school failure, learning disabilities, PTSD, or family conflict
Program Structure
Outpatient Counseling / Residential Care: Residential program.. Full immersion with housing, education, therapy, equine activities, and student life all integrated.
Dual Diagnosis Treatment: Offers individualized therapy, family systems therapy, and addiction support (implied by behavioral and emotional challenges listed).
Teens separated by gender in home-like housing with staff.
Faith Integration: None–explicitly non-religious.
Therapeutic Approaches: Family systems approach, individual/group/family therapy, equine-assisted therapy, and other licensed therapeutic modalities like DBT, CBT, EMDR, experiential therapy, play therapy, reality therapy, strength-based approaches
Clinical Expertise
Therapy delivered via licensed professionals using an evidence-based, family systems model enriched with equine-assisted therapy, group/family sessions, and tailored modalities for trauma, behavioral, and emotional issues.
Program Design
Personalized Treatment Plans: Tailored to each student’s therapeutic, emotional, and academic needs.
Supportive Environment: Family‑style housing, licensed educators, structured routine, safe and nurturing community, mentorship from housing staff and peers.
Specialized Focus
Offers specialized focus in areas including trauma recovery, adoption-related emotional healing, executive functioning improvement, and behavioral regulation.
Trauma-Specific Tools: EMDR, experiential and play therapy
Trauma-Informed Care?: Yes–approach is rooted in healing from root causes via structure and therapy.
Community Focus: Family integration and strengthening familial relationships through therapy and aftercare.
Life Skills Training: Provided through family-style housing routines, mentorship from trained housing staff, and daily living support.
Cost
Estimated Cost: Depends on insurance coverage.
Financial Assistance: None available in house, short term loans encouraged
Insurance: Medicaid, Tricare, and state insurance not accepted; We DO accept all major private insurance companies using out of network benefits, including but not limited to Blue Cross Blue Shield, Aetna, Cigna, United Healthcare.
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