National Admissions
610.486.2280 ext: 3249
Maryland Program Admissions
410.901.2800 ext: 11
Morning Star Youth Academy
VisionQuest’s Morning Star Youth Academy is a residential program that provides education and treatment services for young men ages 13-18 with behavioral and psycho-social concerns, including substance abuse. The program is designed to address both the current presenting problems of the youth along with the underlying issues that have led to the maladaptive behaviors. The goal is to establish the youth on a more positive, pro-social path that will lead to maturation into successful adulthood.
Throughout their stay in the program, all youth receive education services onsite through a Type I Nonpublic General Education Program. Regular education 9th grade, Pre GED and GED services are provided. The youth’s educational plan beyond placement is a major focus of the school. Each planned course within the VisionQuest academic curriculum is designed to fit the needs of all students, as within a regular school curriculum. Students receive instruction in the following subjects: English, Math, Science, Social Studies, Current Events, and Health and Physical Education. Qualified teachers instruct each class and are assisted with classroom responsibilities by program staff.
Treatment Approach
Morning Star Youth Academy’s approach to treatment is the Seven Challenges model. This treatment approach involves a multi-phase therapeutic process that works first on establishing a foundation of trust, self-knowledge and positive values, and then works specifically on drug and alcohol issues. The programming combines VisionQuest’s innovative adolescent treatment philosophy with current best practices within the substance abuse treatment field.
VisionQuest’s treatment philosophy blends widely-accepted evidence based clinical practices with adventure-based experiential learning and emotional healing ceremonies based on American Indian traditions. This blending of modalities creates a powerful, whole-person approach that reached young people at the level of mind, body and spirit to create deep and lasting change.
Service Delivery
Every youth placed at the Morning Star Youth Academy is provided with a Comprehensive Psycho-Social Assessment within two weeks of admission. The assessment includes a review of the following areas: physical health; employment or financial support; educational status; drug and alcohol use; treatment history; legal situation; family and social status; and mental health. The Problem Oriented Screening Instrument for Teenagers (POSIT) and the Substance Abuse Management Information System (SAMIS) is also administered if not recently done prior to admission. The other assessment tools that are utilized for each youth are MAYSI- Massachusetts Youth Screening Instrument version 2 and CANS Assessment- Child Adolescent Needs & Strength Assessment.
Based on the results of the assessment, an Individualized Treatment Plan is developed. The plan is developed by the program’s multidisciplinary treatment team with the participation of the youth and the youth’s parents. The treatment plan includes the following domains.
- Personal, Emotional, Socialization;
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Aggression Replacement Training (ART);
- Education;
- Family relationships;
- Mental Health Counseling;
- Substance Abuse Assessment/ Treatment;
- Physical health;
- Vocational;
- Legal;
- Discharge & Aftercare;
- Life Skills.