My daughter has been at Alpine for 6 months, and is preparing to come home next month. So it's interesting to read these reviews - or god forbid you go down the Reddit rabbit hole. Let's acknowledge a few things up front - If you've found this yelp page - it's not going well. Your child has reached a place where you're desperate for help. In that desperation - realize that can open you up to manipulation. Just have your guard up. First, it's interesting to me that parents on here give Alpine 5 stars / and kids give it 1 star. I think this is a matter of perspective. I also think, that perhaps without Alpine - maybe those kids wouldn't even be in a place to leave a review at all. Don't know. Second, gloves off - this is a business. Forget all the non-profit nonsense. This is an industry - it's called the Troubled Teen Industry. Like any industry - you need to educate yourself. Learn the terminology. Feel your way through was feels like sales - and what feels therapeutic. Which is really hard- because it's such an emotional time. Couple of things I wished I knew before this program. 1. The most important decision you're going to make is who your kids therapist is. Spend a lot of time here. 2. The program is in Erda, UT. Staffing is an issue in every business today. Think how hard this is in Erda fucking Utah. The house staff varies widely in experience. And turns over a lot. Expect inconsistency. 3. You're gonna learn a lot of new terms - "getting signatures" "priv pauses" "redos". They are scary at first - but it's how they keep they keep the frame work of order in the house. It's a little petty - but it's not terrible. 4. If you're sending your kid to alpine because you're pissed at them it's the wrong choice. While this sucks - it's about finding the best therapeutic fit. See a lot of programs first. 5. During the interview here we had a lot of conversations over "fit". We found this to be a bit of nonsense. They said that they don't admit violent kids - news flash - they do. What they should say is - if our beds are full we have high standards. If we have space - we are more flexible. That's right. Your kids gonna see some shit go down. It ain't great. But it's reality. Remember it's a business. 6. It's expensive as shit. And your insurance isn't going to cover much or any of it. Don't fall for the "we ran a precheck". It's $615 a day. People are doing all kinds of things to pay for it - second mortgages. Loans. Emptying college funds. 7. The school part is the gold star here. Real schooling. 8. Be an advocate. If you want to call your kid. Call them. They are your kid at the end of the day. Don't forget that. 9. This is just my opinion. Don't stay too long. There are kids that have been their over 16 months. Imagine that fucking bill. Get your therapeutic needs met. And get out. The longer you stay. The longer that scene feels normal. And it ain't. That's it. Good luck in your journey. It totally sucks. read more

I researched very diligently and toured many places. Alpine was by far the best of all. I am very happy with my decision to have my child attend Alpine. They have exceeded all expectations. I highly recommend this school as a mother and as an educator with almost 40 years of experience teaching. read more

Their academics are Top notch Comparable to any neurotypical private school. Teachers are passionate about the kids. Therapists really care and are involved and well trained (little turnover) you will not find a more trained residential staff. Medical/psychiatrist again top notch and psychiatrist takes a less is best approach. Administration again proactive and responsive. They give parent support and testing from day one with continued training after kiddo goes home. They have an 80 % success rate for a reason. read more

I have the privilege of filming their program graduations, and it's amazing to hear these kids stories. It's expected that these kids would become close to their therapists, but I'm always blown away at how close they become with the teachers and other staff that take care of them. I also love hearing the testimonies of the kids and parents. Being a parent myself, I easily get emotional hearing the parents talk about how Alpine Academy saved their family. It's once thing to hear from the staff of Alpine Academy, it's another to hear from the parents and kids themselves. Just very impressed with them. I also got to take pictures of the new school they just opened. I'll attach a photo. Beautiful campus. read more

Alpine Academy - The new school during sunset. - Specialty Schools Near Me - Erda, Utah

I have nothing but positive things to say about Alpine Academy. It's never easy when it comes to making a decision to seek residential therapy/education, but it was one of the best decisions we ever made. I would say that if you are considering a therapeutic boarding school you should definitely consider Alpine, and reach out to current/former parents for real insight into what this environment offers your child.....thank you Alpine. read more

Alpine Academy - On campus horse corral - Specialty Schools Near Me - Erda, Utah

See all

I hope you guys understand you almost ruined my life. I was severely depressed and mentally unstable when I started my Utah journey but my family teachers when I moved to alpine desided it was in my best interest to pretend I wasn't trans and that they wanted to literally lie to my parents about how I was doing and there was literally a solid month where I wasn't allowed to talk to anyone BUT MY teachers. They literally told me I wasn't trans and so one of my personal skills was "PERSONAL HYGIENE AND GROOMING" which meant that if my family teachers thought my clothes were too baggy, I wasn't allowed to talk to anyone. And that wasn't something I put together until I came out again. Honestly, alpine academy is/was a program that 10000% abused minors and it literally took me aging out and being FORCED to sign myself back in as an adult to realize that what they were doing to me was as bad as the physical abuse I grew up with.... Btw they don't tell you that they 1000000000% will have 2 LARGE males "handle you with care" if you don't behave. By that I mean, I, at 5'6 literally had 2 men over 6 feet and well over twice my weight forcefully shove my face in the ground because I was "acting out" (which the first two times it happened literally did not do much more than "contradict" a statement and then gave up with alpine)... What saved my life was going "AWOL" and "getting kicked out". I can understand and accept now that alpine was an incredibly abusive and disgusting place and while I do in fact have many more BEYOND negative experiences from ALPINE ACADEMY IN ERDA UTAH that I know firsthand are nowhere near as bad as some of the abuse some of my peers were put through. I don't know how things are now. But I was there from like 2014ish (earlier) to 2015 (almost the new year.... I figured out how to get myself kicked out so my parents would understand that I honestly wouldn't have lived through Alpine had I not left) There were some newer staff that seemed understanding when I was there, but honestly the new staff never lasted long and the ones that ended up becoming associate teachers usually ended up being the worse abusers... My family teachers also literally made it so that I can't talk to anyone I went to treatment with because my housemates started sending me messaged about and I quote "how absolutely disgusting it was" that I went AWOL because my family teachers told them all some really gross lies... I was pleasantly surprised to find out about Breaking Code Silence because places like these and people that abuse and take advantage of struggling youth are honestly disgusting... Because of alpine I almost wouldn't be here... and that's not adding on my own personal issues before them. Feel free to delete my review because I know that you will, but. I hope that you see how badly you screwed so many good kids up and for so long... I'm moving on and moving past, but they have reconditioned me to the point where I'm not sure I'll ever get her voice telling me that "I wasn't doing good enough", when trying to look girly and feminine, and then being told I couldn't talk to my parents or ANYONE because of that.. I think what I'm trying to say is that as an adult, I know that I would rather be locked up in prison or dead than EVER go to a place like Alpine because they are beyond disgusting. read more

I graduated from Alpine Academy in 2019. It breaks my heart writing this review. In my family's opinion and even my psychiatrist, Alpine was proved to be unbeneficial for me. And I agree with this. I was misdiagnosed and I am more traumatized than healed. I have the correct diagnosis and treatment now, but healing from the trauma has been incredibly hard on me and my family. I will probably never completely heal from my experience at Alpine but I did have a good support system when I was there- that being the girls I lived with, and the (few) kind staff members. I am still close with many of the girls, and I still speak with a few of the associates who worked in my house. Because of one associate, I was able to make my privileges on days I struggled. And because of another associate, I was always spoken to with kindness and patience and most importantly, without backlash. I was usually just being evaluated in everything I did and said, so this meant everything to me. Sometimes kids just need to vent. Because of my math teacher, I could read the newspaper and understand what was happening in the world. Because of my theatre teacher, I coulf be alone when I got stressed before a show, and I could have my panic attacks in private. They are what saved me and made the experience bearable. I can't say the same good things for my family teachers, my therapy team, or other staff members, but I will not speak graphically in this review. I'm grateful for the people who bonded with me and helped me get through the program at Alpine Academy. Cheers to alpine for hiring those people, they are incredible and deserve the world. I don't know what has changed in the past 5 years- but I am not an advocate for Alpine Academy or any residential treatment centers. If you're a parent considering Alpine Academy- Please consider placing your child in outpatient treatment and working WITH them not against them. You can only help someone who wants to help themselves. Breakingcodesilence.net is an amazing organization with loads of good resources. read more

This campus is stunningly beautiful and the people are all incredibly kind. I was skeptical of any kind of residential facility but after touring the grounds and meeting with the staff, I feel completely different. read more

A place where emotionally abusive (at least) parents send their already traumatized children from their inability to communicate and teach their children to process emotions healthily and then blame it on the kids' behavior. This place is NOT trauma informed and will only traumatize the child in one form or another. Will strip away a child's psychological well being and identity to be obedient in abusive settings deeming them "ready" as they have been completely torn down and are completely dissociated by then, that is the only goal. Do not put children through this type of treatment, it is willingly causing your child pain whether they are non-dissociated/educated enough to be aware of it or not. read more

Great residential treatment center. Their wholistic approach to each student has over twenty years of proven success.

I would encourage you to use an educational consultant to find the right school for your child/you. My child had a positive experience and felt a lot of love while on her journey. The administration and staff were very responsive to me, my questions and requests. My daughter felt safe, loved and built very close relationships with the staff. read more

Having worked in the mental health field for nearly 10 years you start to see programs that cut corners and become more self interested. Alpine has been nothing like that, consistently I see and hear people that are creatively problem solving to address the needs of each individual child. There's thorough communication, creative problem solving, and a deep rooted desire to do what is in the best interest of the kids that live there. read more

Alpine Academy saved my life. At the age of 14 I was struggling with so much and my relationship with my amazing family was suffering. I was sent to Alpine and graduated within 9 months. I had to do so much work on myself in order to get to the place that I needed to be and Alpine truly guided me along the way. I was provided unconditional support by my houseparents, Ben & Jordan, my therapist Jackie, and the associates (Debbie, Erica, Chassidy). I still keep in touch with several of them to this day, as well as several individuals on the admin team, as they made the largest impact on my life. Don't get me wrong-Alpine was extremely tough in the sense that it took me out of my comfort zone by living with 10 girls and living off of a behavioral system. I needed to be taken out of my environment and pushed to get to where I am today. I am eternally grateful and have been working in the mental health field for 11 years now due to wanting to give back. I highly recommend Alpine Academy for any young girl struggling to find herself. read more

Alpine Academy, its staff and the support they have provided to our daughter and our family has been indispensable. They provided a stable and consistent healing and learning environment for our daughter. The support for parents and extra effort that was put forth by the staff helped our family make significant improvements. Thank you Alpine! read more

Alpine Academy was exactly what my daughter and family needed at a critical time. In a span of two and a quarter years my daughter blossomed from a troubled, rebellious, danger seeking, school failing, youth to an honor roll student, club cheerleader and will be working this summer. She now is a polite, kind, balanced, trustworthy, stable, wonderful young woman with dreams and goals. Many, many members of the Alpine staff worked together with us & her to create a tailored program to meet her needs and to challenge her at every level. Those relationships are still intact today and have fostered a successful transition for her return home. I will always be forever grateful for the love, compassion, dedication that Alpine Academy gave to our family. They had the experience, determination and faith to heal & grow my daughter, at times when even I had none. Our entire world changed for the better because of Alpine Academy! read more