Solstice Academy is accredited by the State of Utah and the Northwest Association of Accredited Schools (NAAS). All of our teachers are certified through the State of Utah to teach at the Secondary Level and specialize in the subject that he or she teaches.

 

Our academic program operates year-round, offering 5 nine-week terms in which students can earn a full quarter-credit in each class. These shorter terms and flexible scheduling can help students to catch up academically. In addition, independent study courses are available for students interested in taking classes we don’t typically offer.

 

Class sizes are purposefully kept small with no more than 10 girls per class to allow more individual attention and hands-on learning. In addition, girls who complete high school at Solstice Academy are awarded high school diplomas from the State of Utah.

 

Furthermore, at Solstice we have put great effort into developing an academic program that is fully integrated with our clinical program. Our experience has shown us that teens who start to succeed academically experience a great boost in their motivation in other areas of their lives. They begin to feel good about themselves again, experience an increase in self-confidence and self-efficacy, which in turn has a very positive impact on their clinical progress and family relationships. For these reasons, academic progress and success is a major focus at Solstice RTC. We use the following components of our program to assist in keeping academic and therapeutic progress fully integrated:

 

a.    A therapeutic phase program based on the archetypal “Hero’s Journey”.  This epic journey includes universal themes found in literature, theatre and film—throughout ancient and modern societies.  The hero advances through phases of self-discovery, along the way facing their personal dragons in the form of fears, doubts and insecurities. As they advance victoriously through these challenges they grow towards becoming “at-one” with their true self. This phase system integrates an educational curriculum and literature that further ties the girls academics into their phase advancement.

 

b.   Weekly multi-disciplinary treatment team meetings which include the therapists, psychiatrist, fitness director, equine therapist, supervisors, academic director, and teaching staff, to integrate the discussion of therapeutic and academic progress.

 

c.    Master treatment plans including academic problems and goals.

 

d.   The presence of the academic director & teachers in group therapy sessions.

 

e.   Experiential learning opportunities which include field trips, outings, camping trips, and other hands-on learning experiences that focus on a combination of education, recreation, community involvement and therapeutic process.