Frequently Asked Questions

We take your child’s security and safety just as seriously as you do. Our team of professionals are experienced in treating teens and adolescents and follow specific protocols to ensure your teen’s safety. When our students participate in physical activities and outdoor recreation, they use proper gear and equipment and are chaperoned and supported by adults who are trained to take action if an accident or injury occurs.

Consistent violence toward others can be a rule out. So can active suicidal ideation. Some significant sexual acting out that would make our community unsafe would also be problematic. If you are worried about any of these issues, a quick phone call will allow us to ask a few questions and tell you if your child will fit in our program.

That is quite normal for all of our students. We are a trauma-specific treatment program. We focus on providing dual diagnosis treatment to help address mental health struggles. Active psychosis may be beyond our ability to help, but most other co-occurring mental health issues are amenable to our treatment.

Yes. For a short time at the beginning of treatment, we do not allow access. However, your student will quite quickly be able to interact with technology via our Healthy Tech Initiative program. This program is meant to improve your student’s relationship with technology and the triggers it can cause.

Yes. If you and the therapist agree on contact from family and friends, we will facilitate that.

As long as your child is medically stable, that is not a problem. Our medical staff will see your child during their stay. All of our students have access to a psychiatrist if psychotropic meds need to be monitored. Medical concerns outside these can be managed by office visits facilitated by our staff. We transport for braces, dermatology visits, and the like.

When packing for their stay, your teen should bring sealed toiletries, prescriptions with their original pharmacy container with labels intact, sunglasses, sunscreen, electric shaver, pictures from home, a list of names and phone numbers of family members and a watch. They are also allowed to bring music devices, art or drawing books, musical instruments and make-up.

Your child should avoid cotton or jean clothing, as it is not recommended for outdoor activities. They should not bring any sharp objects, leggings/tights, tank tops, blow dryers, jewelry, belts or ties.

Here’s a full list of what your child should and should not bring to treatment.

We have teens from 14 to 17 years old, but the average works out to be 16.4 years old.

All rooms are shared with two students per room.

Yes. We believe that part of treatment is being responsible for our community. This includes keeping rooms clean, helping out in the kitchen, vacuuming and other chores. These kinds of opportunities are a helpful part of contributing to the team.

The day for our students begins with breakfast at 7:00 a.m. On weekdays, our students attend school until about 2pm. On weekends, a group and/or community meeting is scheduled in the morning. Students attend specialty groups and family programs, depending on their needs and diagnoses, in the afternoon on weekdays.

Dinner is served around 5:00 p.m., followed by evening lectures, groups, counseling, assignments and twelve-step meetings. Red Mountain Colorado’s rich day of programming usually ends at 9:00 – 9:30 p.m. Also, throughout the day, students attend specific lectures and consult with doctors and specialty therapists, according to their specific needs.

On weekends, our students are active outdoors or at the gym. Sundays have some relaxing downtime with two groups included—one in the morning and one in the afternoon.

We offer a wide range of experiential therapeutic activities and exercises in order to give our students a well-rounded, engaging schedule. These activities include Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Acupuncture, Equine-Assisted Therapy, Challenge Course, Yoga, fitness, and many others.

Your first step is to call our admissions professionals. They will conduct a brief phone assessment to get an initial understanding of what your child is struggling with and the type of treatment they need. Our admissions team will also verify your insurance benefits and discuss finances with you. We’ll then send you an electronic intake document that you will fill out and return to us.

The first two months are the most intensive, as your teen is stabilized and brought up to treatment speed. The good news is that we have a good track record of getting insurance funding for the first part of the stay. Some families pay absolutely nothing for those first two months. Do not let finances keep you from looking into treatment. We have a talented team that can help find insurance, public, and scholarship funds for many families. We encourage all families to consider private pay, that way you don’t have to deal with insurance companies if they try to dictate how long your child can be in treatment.

Red Mountain Colorado does not accept Medicaid for treatment. For Colorado Residents please contact your local crisis center for a referral to resources that accept Medicaid. Find more information at www.ColoradoCrisisServices.org or call +1-844-493-8255. For out of state residents please call the customer service number on your Medicaid card for direction.