Our Program

Mountain Springs' program is guided by three important principles that together inform how we work with students. They are listed below:

Practice

Mountain Springs Preparatory Academy provides students the opportunity to practice the skills they have learned in a less restrictive environment that more closely resembles "real life". This includes:

• A Co-ed milieu which allows students to practice healthy boundaries and relationships with the opposite sex
• Opportunities for jobs in the community and to be off-campus in unsupervised capacities as students
  show they are trustworthy and responsible
• A mentoring program that focuses on learning from mistakes rather than being punished for them. A fundamental belief of Mountain Springs' program is that mistakes are opportunities for growth and learning

Flexibility

Mountain Springs prides itself in being flexible to the needs of the students and their families. One of the phrases staff are accustomed to at Mountain Springs is "there's an exception for every rule". This core principle of flexibility is fundamental because every student is different and they each need different things. What works for one person, may not for another. Below is a list of some of the ways we strive to live this value on a day to day basis:

• A rolling admission makes it possible for students to admit at any time during the year
• The length of stay can be as little as 6 months or as long as several years
• We allow frequent home visits to provide opportunities to reintegrate back into family/home life and assess what needs to still be worked on there
• We encourage students to advocate for their needs and negotiate privileges and opportunities based on their needs and trust

Personalized Care

Mountain Springs recognizes that each student has unique needs and that families choose a step-down option for different reasons. MSPA seeks to meet these needs by individualizing the program for each student through the use of the MAPP
(Master Academic and Personal Progress) plan. The MAPP plan is a set of goals and objectives created by the student,
parents, the school and therapist. These goals encompass four areas of emphasis: Academic, Personal Progress, Family Life and Future Planning. The MAPP plan gives the students specific goals that they are to achieve while at MSPA in order to graduate the program. This means that all students that graduate from MSPA will have met different "individualized" requirements. To learn more about the MAPP plan, click here.