Residential Programs for Troubled Girls in Utah

La Europa Academy, Salt Lake City:
Located in Murray, in the suburbs of Salt Lake City, Utah, La Europa Academy provides individualized residential treatment for girls ages 13-17. Through a solid integration of therapeutic, academic, and environmental interventions, we help adolescent girls and their families to find their greatness again.

Individualized Residential Treatment Programs for Girls Ages 13-17:

Individual & Family Therapy:
Individual therapy is provided by the primary therapist, and generally consists of 90-120 minutes of therapy per week, which may take place in one session or be split into two sessions. The therapist works together with the student and her parents to determine the goals and objectives for the therapeutic experience, and individual therapy focuses largely on working toward those goals.

One key that we have found to enrich this experience is a strong therapeutic relationship between the therapist and the student as well as with the parents. Our therapists spend time outside of therapy within our community, getting to know the students and building relationships that allow for deeper, more powerful work in therapy.

Family therapy is also provided by the primary therapist, and generally consists of one 60-90 minute session per week. This therapy generally takes place over the phone or through video conferencing, with live sessions at least every 8 weeks during our on-campus Parent Days.

Like individual sessions, family therapy is focused specifically on working toward the goals that each family has for their relationships with each other and their progress together as a family unit.

Group Therapy:
Specialty groups are conducted by the therapists Monday through Thursday for 60 minutes per group. There are 3 or 4 groups each day for our 32 students, which allow us to keep the group sizes relatively small. In addition, with her therapist’s input, we do our best to place each student in the groups that fit most closely with her treatment goals and concerns.

Below is a listing of groups that are generally offered at La Europa. Other groups may be integrated as necessary. Please click on any group title for a description of the group.The La Europa student body is divided into two separate communities. Girls from both communities are participants in all of the specialty groups. On Fridays, they have an opportunity to participate in a Community Issues group with the 16 girls from their individual community.

Specialty groups
* Sexual Reactivity
* Emotional Intelligence
* Addictions/Recovery
* Eating Disorders
* Trauma
* Relationships
* Self Esteem
* Anxiety
* Student Life
* DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy)
* Accountability
* Anger
* Adoption
* Therapeutic Integration

Sexual Reactivity:
This group explores the issues surrounding sexual, romantic, and/or intimate relationships. Common topics include abusive or unhealthy relationships, sexual abuse, and patterns within relationships. 

Emotional Intelligence:
Many of the girls who come to La Europa struggle with managing and understanding their emotions. This can manifest itself through depression, anxiety, bipolar symptoms, anger, and other mood-related issues.

Arbinger Workshop:
Through a partnership with The Arbinger Institute, La Europa offers relationship training for students, parents, and employees. The Arbinger training is an integral part of the families' experience at La Europa.

Sand Tray Therapy:
Another modality of therapy utilized at La Europa is called 'Sand Tray Therapy.' This form of therapy complements La Europa's Philosophy very well as it is very client driven and incorporates symbolic learning and integrates the subconscious into everyday life. Initially, Sand Tray was used for young children who have difficulty expressing themselves verbally due to age.

Recreational Therapy:
Recreational Therapy is a powerful form of hands-on therapy that covers many areas; sand tray therapy, art, life skills, leisure education, leisure activities, and experiential therapy are a few that could be experienced during a Recreation Therapy group.

Psychiatry:
Many of our students have psychiatric needs including management of medications. At La Europa, we recognize the importance of the biological and chemical components to healing. Our psychiatric care is comprised of two components, our full-time nursing staff and our outsourced Psychiatrist.

Academics:
When a student enters La Europa Academy, her academic progress and goals are evaluated. Transcripts are requested and reviewed from previous schools. Deficient credit make up is given top priority followed by each student’s individualized plan for graduation.

Students at La Europa Academy attend classes Monday – Friday on a modified-block schedule with English, Social Studies, Math and Science courses meeting 1 ½ hours twice per week and an additional 45 minute period on Fridays. Spanish, other academic electives, Special Education Resource, and Physical Education classes meet for 45-minute periods every day. Students also choose one of our three Fine Arts classes (Art, Photography, and Dance) that meet for 4½ hours per week.

The curriculum offered to the students is based on the Utah Office of Education’s Core Curriculum and is designed to be preparation for collegiate study. Brigham Young University and the University of Utah provide a rich resource for independent study classes which the student may enroll in if scholastically appropriate.

Since students attend classes on a traditional school calendar with 5 nine week grading terms, parents should be aware that the student is responsible for making up all missed work while on home visits. Students will be provided the assignments from each class they miss while at home and are expected to complete these assignments prior to returning to La Europa.

We ask that families plan to set aside homework time while your student is home – it is a requirement of a successful therapeutic pass. Classroom instruction with a teacher is virtually impossible to fully make up so parents are highly encouraged to consult the school calendar when planning home visits and extend already planned school holidays when possible.

College Prep:
Most of the students at La Europa Academy are college-bound and need help working toward those goals. It is a priority of the Education Director to develop an education plan for each student that will help her earn the credits necessary to apply and be admitted into college.

For some students, this will mean repeating or completing certain courses to catch up on their schoolwork. For others, this will mean remaining on their current track. Students are given opportunities to take high school courses year-round, so they have the chance to improve their GPA as well as to take elective courses as they desire.

11th graders are encouraged to take the SAT/ACT and have the opportunity for a prep course and/or individual study time with a teacher in order to prepare for the test. As a part of the 12th grade English curriculum, students have the chance to write college essay, complete a college resume, and practice filling out applications. They work together with the Education Director and their parents to determine the most appropriate college choices and then prepare and submit applications.

Art Group:
Art is a powerful medium of therapy used by many as a tool for healing and understanding of the self. At La Europa, the girls have an art group in addition to their art classes at school; here they are given the opportunity to participate in creating many different kinds of art.

Creating art by itself can be beneficial, but in art group, the girls are encouraged to process their pieces and talk about how they relate to themselves and their treatment process. Some students struggle to express this initially, but as they encounter more experiences with art they become more and more comfortable to express themselves in this way.

Dance Group:
Art groups at La EuropaDance Therapy is a type of psychotherapy that uses movement to further the social, cognitive, emotional, and physical development of the individual. In our dance groups, we help our students to develop communication skills, a positive self-image, and emotional stability.

Yoga:
La Europa integrates a strong yoga piece into our programming. Jay and Pam Shepard introduced the idea of a fully integrated yoga program into LEA in November 2007. With the help of Jennifer Prugh, Angela Gavin and key La Europa staff they have built and are now supporting its integration into the school's curriculum over the next 12-24 months.