Lava Heights Academy | Integrating a Residential Treatment Center and Fine Arts Academy for Troubled Teens

Lava Heights Academy (Lava Heights) is an evidence-based residential treatment center for troubled teens, both boys and girls ages 12 to 18, who are struggling with personal identity issues that are causing significant problems in other areas of their lives.  Lava Heights Academy is an adolescent treatment center exclusively designed and built to assist troubled teenagers in a therapeutic journey to self-discovery and complete healing. 

Our vision is to awaken the hearts and minds of troubled teens by recapturing the essence of each individual teen through the spirit of integrated arts.  At Lava Heights Academy "the arts" are more than just an extra-curricular activity; they are integrated into everything we do - academics, therapy, social development, and recreational activities.

Integrated arts are the core of our therapeutic program.  Lava Heights Academy is a place where true commitment and love for the arts is evident in everything we do.  Moreover, at Lava Heights our approach to residential treatment is based on care, concern, and the safety of each individual.  This includes environmental safety, which means every student feels safe because they have the freedom to express themselves in appropriate ways.

Our professional staff are trained in Positive Peer Culture and teach Principle-based Living Skills.  The staff at Lava Heights are positive role models (life coaches), teaching and encouraging pro-social behaviors through integrated arts.  Twenty-four-hour supervision and professional care is provided in all aspects of our program.

Lava Heights Academy Mission Statement

"...Lava Heights Academy is an adolescent treatment center exclusively designed and built to assist students in their therapeutic journey to self-discovery and healing by awakening their hearts and minds and capturing the essence of each individual through the spirit of performing arts...."

Integrated Art Therapy - A Team Approach

Lava Heights provides an environment that lead students to discover their true identity while conquering their fears.  We believe that through the use of nurturing relationships from professional staff, and the expression of the arts, our students discover who they truly are.   More importantly, our students learn the tools of creativity and develop the strength to live up to their potential.

We believe that the expansion of artistic talent can play an integral role in the development of a healthy child.  When a student builds a positive self-concept through his or her artistic talent, it opens the door to the development of many other important components, including a healthy self-identity.

We believe that a positive self-concept is powerful in the natural development of young people and leads to emotional, social, and academic improvements.  Healthy self-concept has been shown to be linked to good choices such as: academic effort and persistence, coursework selection, educational aspirations, attributions for one's own behavior (accountability for substance abuse), academic achievement, completion of high school, and pursuit of a college education.

Self-discovery and Healing through the Spirit of Integrated Arts

At Lava Heights Academy we use Integrated Arts as a therapeutic approach designed to help students learn to discover who they are and experience the potential they possess.  At Lava Heights, therapy is implemented in the classroom and experienced through fine arts (dance, music, art, and theatre).

Therapeutic intervention is delivered based on a thorough comprehensive treatment plan developed for each student, individualized to their specific needs.  We take a unique and sophisticated approach to therapy through a team of licensed clinicians who hold Masters' through Doctorate Degrees.

Overcoming Identity Conflict

Identity Conflict with high risk behavior is a point of uncertainty and instability for troubled teens.  Impulse and high emotions dictate personal choices without the thought of consequences.  Identity conflict is a place of disorientation and role confusion.  The adolescent with an identity conflict projects him or herself in a disingenuous manner in order gain acceptance and avoid rejection.

At Lava Heights one of our main goals is to help troubled teens arrive at a healthy and personally acceptable resolution of their identity.  Moreover, the goal is to help the student to effectively deal with the internal and external conflicts that come with insincere identity projection.  We place an emphasis on helping the troubled teenager become comfortable with their true identity, aligning their projected identity with their core beliefs, thus becoming authentic, genuine, and comfortable with who they really are.  Our purpose is to help struggling teens align their true identity with their principles and values.

As students become comfortable with their true identity we help them to understand the consequences of their choices, both good and bad.  Therapeutic intervention is presented in an effort to help our students avoid the risky behavior that is causing their turmoil and inner conflict.  While the choice of identity is the student's alone, we advise our students to avoid risky behavior that is in conflict with their values, the very same behaviors that are causing their emotional disturbance and inner conflict. 

Our Treatment Objectives

• Healthy and Authentic Identity Development
• Problem Solving and Conflict Resolution
• Healthy Boundaries of Self Expression with Balance
• Improved Self-concept through Self-discipline
• Enhanced Cognitive Abilities - Insight and Reasoning
• Interpersonal Interactions and Awareness of Self and Others
• Healthy Relationships and Activities
• Process Addictions

Positive Peer Culture

Our residential treatment care is based on a Positive Peer Culture (PPC).  Positive Peer Culture is an experiential therapy approach that promotes the belief that troubled teens are resilient and they can grow.  PPC is a "strength-based" community approach to treatment.  In other words we believe that all troubled teens have what it takes to change and grow if they have the right supportive environment. 

PPC students learn to make the right choices on their own, rather than being forced or coerced.  Through PPC we take away the duress found in traditional behavior modification programs.  At Lava Heights Academy our students are encouraged to find strength within themselves to deal with their own issues, and then help others to do the same.  We believe that each student has the ability to develop and exercise:

• Healthy Boundaries and Geniune Self-Identity
• Appropriate Self Expression
• Responsibility and Accountability
• Authentic Care and Concern for Self and Others

Our Facility - A Unique Residential Treatment Center

The Lava Heights campus is inspired by the spirit of Tuscan Artistry.  Students enjoy a spacious environment and nurturing atmosphere.   The campus is built to support and enhance the idea of artistic expression.

Imagine a school where on any given day you might find dancers dancing, musicians playing music, actors practicing for a play, singers signing, and artists painting or scuplting.  Imagine no further.  The dream is a reality at Lava Heights for the Performing Arts.  Lava Heights Academy is dedicated to developing the artist while using his or her love for the fine arts as an effective therapeutic intervention.