Wolf Creek Academy is a home for youth, but so much more than that. Wolf Creek Academy is a “boarding school,” and the students live on campus year-round. We provide therapy and a safe, nurturing, family-like atmosphere for the students to develop the skills necessary to have positive relationships with adults (authority figures) and peers.
Our youth home follows a “Family Model,” where each person has routines and responsibilities to function successfully. Respect for the home and one another is modeled, helping students appreciate some things that they might have been taking for granted before Wolf Creek Academy. The students live in close quarters with each other and the staff. However, these close quarters serve to provide opportunities to build relationships.
We operate as a home for youth with assigned responsibilities and staff interactions like:
- Teaching life skills
- Providing emotional support as needed
- Facilitating regular family interactions
- Enforcing routines and disciplinary policies
Our home for troubled youth has a therapy team that builds relationships with each student and family. We assess the student and their family’s needs and create an individualized plan to wrap our services around each family. We assess the student’s needs (family) and create an individualized plan to wrap our services around each family.
Wolf Creek Academy establishes an environment of love, utilizing adventure, unique experiences, and fun within a safe and structured environment to help each student build self-confidence and a sense of identity that will help them find success now. For a lifetime! Wolf Creek Academy is where families, who love their child, turn to help their child become the best version of themselves. It is not a place of punishment for bad teens but a restoration place for strong families. It is never easy to look to someone else for help. It takes strength and humility to admit we don’t have all of the answers. However, in those moments, when we are struggling to figure out our next steps, we are never alone. We have friends, family members, and even experts ready to give us sound advice.
Wolf Creek Academy staff builds relationships with the troubled teens in our program by stepping out of our normal routines and interacting with our students in everyday moments. Daily activities like playing gaga ball, kickball, soccer, basketball, football, or frisbee builds and strengthens relationships. We engage the student’s artistic sides through playing, listening to, or writing music with them. We take out crayons, markers, chalk, or paint and draw, craft, or do other projects with them. It is not what we do that matters; we take the time to do things with students that lets them know they are so important to us and care deeply about them.
Although much of what we do at Wolf Creek Academy happens outside due to the weather or the students’ personal preference, we stay inside. However, inside does not mean students lounging around by themselves or hiding in their rooms, avoiding others. We engage the student’s artistic sides through playing, listening to, or writing music with them. We take out crayons, markers, chalk, or paint and draw, craft, or do other projects with them. We “just hang out” and play cards or board games, put together puzzles, or read books. It is not what we do that matters; we take the time to do things with them that lets them know they are important to us and care about them. All of these things are ways we build relationships with our students. Along the way, we build trust and earn the right to speak into their lives, inviting them to change and become the best versions of themselves.
The students at Wolf Creek Academy work in three different facets: Adventure Therapy, Student Life, and Academics. However, the piece that weaves these things together is our CLIMB Program. In each phase of CLIMB (Choosing, Listening, Implementing, Maturing, Believing), the student has goals to meet in each facet. As the students meet their goals, the person responsible for overseeing that area signs their approval that the goal was met. When all phase goals are signed off, the student becomes eligible for promotion to the next phase. The staff members working with the student all have input on whether the student has met or exceeded the goals for the phase and vote whether or not to promote the student to the next phase. Upon completion of phase B, the students have only a few requirements left before graduation, and the process begins for their transition out of Wolf Creek Academy.
The troubled youth at Wolf Creek Academy have multiple opportunities to learn about and grow in their Christian faith every week. Our students attend the Rock Church of Asheville for Sunday morning services and Wednesday evening Youth Service. Wolf Creek Academy has a weekly chapel for our students and staff. Each week chapel is led by staff members or guest speakers and covers biblical topics pertinent to the lives of the students. Students are encouraged to dive into their Bibles throughout the week and continue searching and studying as they build their own personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
The Wolf Creek Academy staff consists of many strong Christians, some of whom studied at seminaries and have even pastored in either volunteer or paid positions. We are always eager to help our students explore their Christian faith.
Wolf Creek is a home for troubled youth and so much more. For over 30 years, our highly trained professional counselors have provided behavioral therapy for troubled teens.
We can help your teenager. Call or email us for more information today!
Call Us Toll Free: (877)477-9653
Email: info@wolfcreekacademy.org
