The Meadowridge Academy

The Meadowridge Academy is a comprehensive therapeutic boarding school in Swansea, MA, serving adolescent males and females ages 12 to 22. The program is specifically designed for students navigating mental health challenges, behavioral difficulties, and complex trauma histories. Using a strengths-based, trauma-informed approach, the academy supports students with a range of cognitive functioning levels, including those with learning disabilities and medical fragility.

The academy utilizes the ARC model to foster self-regulation, positive relationships, and resiliency. Clinical interventions are highly individualized and include specialized techniques such as Neurofeedback, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Sensory Motor Arousal Regulation Treatment (SMART). Students benefit from a multidisciplinary team providing psychiatric care, 24-hour nursing support, and individual, family, and group therapies to help process trauma and develop essential coping skills.

Academically, the school employs Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles, with small classroom sizes of 4–7 students, each supported by a certified teacher and support staff. The curriculum is supplemented by robust vocational training in areas like horticulture, woodworking, and animal husbandry, alongside a rich therapeutic recreation program. Discharge planning begins at intake, with comprehensive aftercare services available to support students and families during the transition back to their communities.