"Being a high school dropout, drug addict, a teen runaway.. etc. was all in my decision to make, but the day I voluntarily accepted help is one of the days I am most thankful for in my life. This place truly works miracles. I am now 2 1/2 years sober, living on my own, & sharing my story with hundreds locally."
- Program Graduate
How We Help Young Women Heal
Zion Hills Academy is a non-profit residential treatment center that specializes in treating young women who are struggling with complex trauma and attachment related issues. Our holistic approach to treatment includes specialized individual therapies (talk therapy, EMDR, Neurofeedback, Brainspotting), experiential group therapy, family therapy, accredited education, animal-assisted therapy, and life-skills programming. We work to pair our cutting-edge trauma treatment with creative funding sources to help young women who might not otherwise receive help.
Here's what you need to know
- We work with young women from age 12 to 18
- We specialize in treating early complex trauma and attachment related issues
- We often work with adoptive families
- We offer a multi-faceted approach to treatment utilizing every therapeutic modality and technique that is beneficial to our young women and their families
- We offer accredited education with experiential opportunities
- We are licensed by the Utah Department of Human Services, Division of Licensing
- We are accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations
- We accept Medicaid Insurance, California Adoption Assistance funding, regular medical insurance policies and private pay funding
Research Based Programming
Zion Hills Academy uses evidence-based therapies to deal with complex trauma. We regularly use Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Neurofeedback, Brainspotting, and to some extent Dialectic Behavioral Therapy (DBT); all of which are well researched and proven trauma-specific therapeutic interventions. We often pull information and methodology from leading and pioneering researchers including Dr. Bruce Perry, Dr. Dan Siegel, Dr. Gabor Mate, and Dr. Bessel van Der Kolk to ensure that we stay on the cutting edge of the best practices in our specialty.
Each of our homes has a hedgehog that the girls are in charge of nurturing. Hedgehogs are used in our program to provide real time feedback to the girls related to their emotional regulation. Hedgehogs will not interact properly with an emotionally dysregulated girl. Our girls learn to keep themselves regulated in order to interact with our hedgehogs. In this way our hedgehogs are part of the therapeutic team, teaching our girls to self-soothe and how to be safe.
All of our therapeutic methods, systems and interactions are trauma-informed and carried out with connection, attunement and care. Every treatment plan is specifically and carefully designed to best respond to and treat each young woman’s struggles and address her needs. Every treatment plan is carefully supervised by our Treatment Team--which consists of our Clinical Director, Therapists, Program Director and Academic Director. This Team meets weekly to review each young woman’s progress in the program and the effectiveness of her therapy.
We utilize a multi-therapeutic approach under the supervision of the Treatment Team that includes individual, family, group and recreational therapy on a weekly basis. We believe that “treatment” is an integrated approach combining therapy with academics and life skills designed to promote future success and personal empowerment. The combination of all of Zion Hills Academy’s therapeutic methods has been shown to create positive, long-term results.
THERAPY
Research based therapy including:
- Eye Movement Desensitisation Reprocessing (EDMR)
- Brainspotting
- Dialectic Behavior Therapy (DBT)
- Placement Specific Therapies
- Neurofeedback
- Equine Therapy
- Experiential or Recreation Therapy
- Weekly Individal, Family, and Group Therapy Sessions
EDUCATION
AdvancED accredited school ensures that your daughter's education will continue during treatment. Any credits earned during her stay at Zion Hills Academy will transfer to any U.S. high school or college.
We operate on a 12 student to 1 teacher ratio in order to create an intimate learning environment which allows our teachers to manage students who may be at different grade levels with different learning abilities.
LOCATION
Ideally located in Cedar City, Utah near some of the nation's most beautiful national parks. We constantly use the beautiful surroundings and festivities of Cedar City to help our young women heal.
"Being a high school dropout, drug addict, a teen runaway.. etc. was all in my decision to make, but the day I voluntarily accepted help is one of the days I am most thankful for in my life. This place truly works miracles. I am now 2 1/2 years sober, living on my own, and sharing my story with hundreds locally."
-Program Graduate
How We Help Young Women Heal
Zion Hills Academy is a non-profit residential treatment center that specializes in treating young women who are struggling with complex trauma and attachment related issues. Our holistic approach to treatment includes specialized individual therapies (talk therapy, EMDR, Neurofeedback, Brainspotting), experiential group therapy, family therapy, accredited education, animal-assisted therapy, and life-skills programming. We work to pair our cutting-edge trauma treatment with creative funding sources to help young women who might not otherwise receive help.
Here's what you need to know
- We work with young women from age 12 to 18
- We specialize in treating early complex trauma and attachment related issues
- We often work with adoptive families
- We offer a multi-faceted approach to treatment utilizing every therapeutic modality and technique that is beneficial to our young women and their families
- We offer accredited education with experiential opportunities
- We are licensed by the Utah Department of Human Services, Division of Licensing
- We are accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations
- We accept Medicaid Insurance, California Adoption Assistance funding, regular medical insurance policies and private pay funding
Research Based Programming
Zion Hills Academy uses evidence-based therapies to deal with complex trauma. We regularly use Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Neurofeedback, Brainspotting, and to some extent Dialectic Behavioral Therapy (DBT); all of which are well researched and proven trauma-specific therapeutic interventions. We often pull information and methodology from leading and pioneering researchers including Dr. Bruce Perry, Dr. Dan Siegel, Dr. Gabor Mate, and Dr. Bessel van Der Kolk to ensure that we stay on the cutting edge of the best practices in our specialty.
Each of our homes has a hedgehog that the girls are in charge of nurturing. Hedgehogs are used in our program to provide real time feedback to the girls related to their emotional regulation. Hedgehogs will not interact properly with an emotionally dysregulated girl. Our girls learn to keep themselves regulated in order to interact with our hedgehogs. In this way our hedgehogs are part of the therapeutic team, teaching our girls to self-soothe and how to be safe.
All of our therapeutic methods, systems and interactions are trauma-informed and carried out with connection, attunement and care. Every treatment plan is specifically and carefully designed to best respond to and treat each young woman’s struggles and address her needs. Every treatment plan is carefully supervised by our Treatment Team--which consists of our Clinical Director, Therapists, Program Director and Academic Director. This Team meets weekly to review each young woman’s progress in the program and the effectiveness of her therapy.
We utilize a multi-therapeutic approach under the supervision of the Treatment Team that includes individual, family, group and recreational therapy on a weekly basis. We believe that “treatment” is an integrated approach combining therapy with academics and life skills designed to promote future success and personal empowerment. The combination of all of Zion Hills Academy’s therapeutic methods has been shown to create positive, long-term results.
THERAPY
Research based therapy including:
- Placement Specify Therapy
- Eye Movement Desensitisation Reprocessing (EDMR)
- Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT)
- Dialectic Behavior Therapy (DBT)
- Other therapies as needed
- Group Therapies Including Smart Recovery, DBT, Emotional Resiliency and PPC
EDUCATION
AdvancED accredited school ensures that your daughter's education will continue during treatment. Any credits earned during her stay at Zion Hills Academy will transfer to any U.S. high school or college.
LOCATION
Ideally located in Cedar City, Utah near some of the nation's most beautiful national parks. We constantly use the beautiful surroundings and festivities of Cedar City to help our young women heal.
Chase was very fortunate to start in this industry as a struggling 17 year old kid looking for a mentor and something to be passionate about. Wilderness therapy was Chase’s first stop in this industry and was truly a transcendental experience for him. Chase has an enormous love for this line of work and the power that it has in creating change in everyone involved. Chase’s biggest belief is the power a mentor, strong, healthy relationships, and accountability can have on anyone, especially youth. Taking a very relational approach to his work, Chase has always been very relatable to the students he works with. Being able to understand and relate to a vast variety of the same struggles as a lot of the students he works with has been able to help him continue to grow, learn, and teach. Chase believes that with great rapport and trust, he can use his experience to continue to coach and train new staff, and has the ability to find those staff with the passion for this industry, and help them grow. His love and passion can be felt the moment you talk with Chase about this industry and he passes that on to others he works with. In his spare time you will find Chase cheering for the Eagles, Yankees, and Mavericks, hanging out with his brother, learning more about Eastern Psychology, and continuing to grow and learn.
Eric Allred was born and raised in Rigby, Idaho. He grew up on a family farm where he learned the value of work. He graduated from Rigby High School and attended Rick’s College, now known as BYU-Idaho. He received his bachelor’s degree in journalism from Utah State University, received a master’s degree in organizational behavior and human relations from the University of Phoenix and a second master’s degree in marital and family therapy from Phillips Graduate Institute. Eric has been involved in Rotary and was president of a local Rotary Club. He enjoys being with his family and doing outdoor activities such as fly fishing.
