Sedona Sky Academy

Sedona Sky Academy Rimrock Arizona

Located in central Arizona, Sedona Sky Academy provides residential substance abuse and behavioral health treatment to girls ages 13-17. The rehab offers a unique, therapeutic boarding school experience, combining a strong academic program with top-notch care for anger, anxiety, depression, relationship choices, learning disorders, substance abuse, and poor self-esteem issues. Each girl is given the opportunity to grow and learn in an environment that’s caring, supportive, and focused on her mental, emotional, and physical needs.

ABOUT SEDONA SKY ACADEMY
Sedona Sky Academy is an all-girl’s boarding school and residential treatment center. Directed toward girls ages 13 to 17 dealing with academic, behavioral, and psychological concerns, the center combines an equestrian program with educational opportunities and therapeutic services.

TREATMENT & ASSESSMENT
Programming for adolescent girls ages 13 to 17 includes dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) and counseling sessions that cover topics like self-esteem, anger management, and interpersonal relationships. A typical day includes school, therapy, leisure time, horsemanship, and chores.

Sedona Sky places special emphasis on its equestrian program to develop structure, discipline, trust, respect, and other skills. Recreational therapy, including team sports like soccer, basketball, and softball, hiking and other outdoor pursuits, and weekly exercise activities.

Weekly family sessions, often via telecommunication, are offered, along with family workshops.

Two academic tracks are offered at Sedona Sky: an academic recovery program for students needing standard schooling and college preparation curriculum. The facility boasts a faculty-to-student ratio of 11:1 and a 99 percent college placement rate.

STAFF CREDENTIALS
Sedona Sky staffs a clinical director, master’s-level counselors, a psychiatric nurse practitioner, a clinical director, an admissions coordinator, a program director, and a nutritionist. The center also employs teachers specializing in yoga, music, culinary arts, science, math, and other academic areas.

ACCOMMODATIONS & AMENITIES
Girls attending Sedona Sky can enjoy a scenic campus of 29 acres that showcases hiking trails, open lands, gated pastures for horses, ancient ruins, and rivers. The 80-bed facility includes three dormitories, modern dining, an exercise facility, and “state-of-the-art” classrooms. Girls can enjoy a soccer field, basketball and sand volleyball courts, and an equestrian area.

Sedona Sky also takes clients on camping trips to the Grand Canyon, hiking, art, music, and theater trips, and visit a local planetarium.

WHAT ALUMNI SAY
The four alumni responding to a Best-rehabs.com survey to date gave mixed opinions. A.R. gave a perfect five-star rating for treatment effectiveness. “The family work we did in the workshops was very helpful in healing my relationships with my parents and being able to have a relationship with them again,” they commented. Alum E.R. gave the facility a similar assessment, writing: “The staff is so supporting and loving and they tried their best to cater to the students’ needs.”

However, two alumni commented on feelings of suicide, depression, and anxiety becoming stronger during treatment. Alum M.M. wrote: “I had never felt more depressed and suicidal in my life than when I was there. The academics were a joke.” Alum S. added: “The staff were very untrained and didn’t know how to handle situations and either treat you like a criminal or like you’re 5 years old.”

“Therapy staff are entry level and not equipped to deal with the issues presented by the students,” wrote one-star reviewer C.F. “Staff is cold and uncaring.” The facility responded, writing: “Our program is quite the opposite of punitive and has established a solid reputation for helping young ladies through the struggles of adolescence. Our staff are very adequately trained and educated, meeting or exceeding all state and federal requirements, and are some of the most caring and compassionate individuals you will ever meet.”

WHAT FRIENDS & FAMILY SAY
Most loved ones polled by Best-rehabs.com at this time of writing gave the facility positive reviews. “Unbelievable staff and place! So thankful to everyone at SSA! Because of them we got our daughter back,” wrote Pat, the father of an alumnus. Five-star reviewer Sandra added: “The experience was so good for our daughter. She’s coming out of her shell, and facing the problems she’s trying to overcome with her therapist and her new friends at Sedona.” However, parent J.B. gave one-star ratings to treatment effectiveness and the facility’s exercise and leisure activities. “This school is the worst place to send your daughter,” she wrote.

WHAT STAFF SAY
Seven staff members gave mostly positive feedback to Best-rehabs.com. Five staff members polled by Best-rehabs.com to date gave an average 4.4 out of five stars for its quality of care and gave four- and five-stars for its cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Staff members mentioned quality of treatment as a strength of the facility but some felt that internal communication could be improved.

“Strengths are the multiple modalities, care of the staff, level of support for students and focus on the family,” M. G. wrote. T.J.P added, “The program offers a strong clinical approach to address the co-occurring issues related to substance abuse as well as a strong equine support program.”

FINANCING
Though Sedona Sky’s website doesn’t state a specific price, the facility does offer financial assistance.

Sedona Sky Academy Reviews

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    • this school saved my daughter's life and got her on the right track. Absolutely priceless in my mind. At the time, it seemed scary sending her off to a place i did not know, but it was a godsend. After graduating the program and high school she was accepted into many colleges and has gone on to become a beautiful human being. She never went back to the old friends or bad ways. God bless Rod, her therapist for all the work he put into her. Thank you for giving me my daughter back!
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    I am not going to say this school is torture. As much as I want to, I won’t. As a student at S dona Sky Academy, by the way is named such because you can see the sky over Sedona, I was treated terribly. I was emotionally attacked on multiple occasions by both staff and students. The environment is toxic. The other students are there for only themselves, and when you tell an angst-filled teenager that they need to only focus on them self, things get messy. The most commonly used phrase is “kill yourself”. There are girls from all different situations from heroin abuse to mild depression. This is NOT a place for a depressed girl. My depression got exponentially worse until I hid it from everyone and just sucked it up. That’s not healthy. No one bothered to help me discover a healthier coping skill, no one cared when I was crying for hours in my room. I don’t know everything. What I do know, though, is that families can be ripped apart after this program, lives can be ruined. I was lucky to not have graduated from the high school program. I cannot imagine how tough it would be for a girl to graduate high school with maybe 2 other girls on a good graduation day. I would not recommend this school to any parent looking to send their depressed, anxious, or suicidal teen to a program. Pick another one. This is a program for intense issues. Not for a fragile teenager.
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    • I was a student who went through this program, not a parent. My parents eventually pulled me from the program. This boarding school was corrupt, traumatizing, and more concerned about getting what they can out of parents wallets than what they can do for their daughters. They will accept you for a variety of problems, some more serious like violence and drug use to others like depression, academic underachievement, and even problems as vague as "family dischord". **It is important to realize that you will be placing your daughter in an environment where many of the girls glorify rebellion, being part of a gang, and especially drug use.** I learned more about drugs from the girls here who constantly bragged and glorified their past drug use than I ever would have in the real world. And much like prison (the parallels are astounding), the success rate of reforming your daughter is extremely low. An overwhelming majority of girls I know that "graduated" the program ended up pregnant within one to two years of leaving the program or back to substance abuse (all of which I assume as a parent, you would prefer to prevent). If you want to prepare your daughter for college, this is NOT THE PLACE to send her. The academics, performing arts, and sports that they rave about on their website are all complete jokes. There were some cool teachers whom I have a lot of respect for, however the residential staff on this campus were horrible caretakers. Most of the staff we were exposed to the majority of the time treated us coldly, were untrained, and went on power trips, giving out work hours for the most menial of things. (A work hour is a punishment used in the program, involving an hours worth of floor scrubbing, leaf raking, an hour of labor). You can get a work hour for interrupting, putting too much food on your tray, not putting enough food on your tray, laughing, walking out of line, etc. I am not opposed to the concept of a "work hour", but rather the staff's arbitrary misuse of them. Your daughter will be put in a house of about 20-30 girls, share a room with between 3 to 8 girls, some of which have severe psychological/drug/behavior problems. She will wake up every morning and have a daily job/chore to do. We also had major clean days on the weekends where we cleaned excessively for several hours, followed by mandatory quiet time which they called "spiritual time". A typical day includes waking up around 6am, excessive cleaning, getting in many orderly lines throughout the day, going to class, coming back to the house for the rest of the day after class, working on homework, crocheting, a 5 minute shower, going to sleep, where you are checked on by a staff with a flashlight every 15 minutes to make sure none of the girls are escaping or engaging in inappropriate behavior. We were not allowed to directly send our own emails to parents, and we have seen staff read our emails, certain emails of ours to our parents that were deemed "manipulative" were not sent to our parents. Most girls saw their parents probably once every other month. Many of these visits will consist of your daughter begging to go home, because it was all that could occupy our minds. On my first day the other girls told me much of this. They told me about the strict rules, restrictions, corruption etc and I thought they were all liars, they were trying to scare me. Of course, my parents thought the same when I told them this as well. You obviously love your child if you are contemplating such a difficult decision. You daughter deserves to be loved and cared for properly; this is not the place. This was a cold and unloving environment where I constantly felt scared and on the verge of being punished. My parents pulled me from the program after 9 months, and though I have a better relationship with them as the years have passed, I still resent them for ignoring 9 months of pleas to bring me home. I truly hope that the program can read my review and learn to take current students' grievances seriously and make effective changes to better their living situations. As the student council president, I met with the former Director PT several times and described many of our grievances, but nothing I said was taken seriously and no actions were ever taken to remedy serious issues. I learned that the position existed to make us feel like we had influence. It existed so we could feel that we were "winning" trivial freedoms like darker shades of pink nail polish and Burts Bees chapstick - ridiculous. I hope that your program can accept the genuine feedback of your current students to prevent negative reviews from students like me in the future.
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    • I was employed for this school for years. I wouldn't recommend this school to anyone if you care for your daughter please seek out another treatment center. The kiddos are very restricted and "fun time" consists of the kiddos being cooped up in the dorm crouching and watching TV. The administration staff don't spend any time with the enrolled youth however this is who you mainly speak to when you tour the organization. The girls are treated poorly by staff and in turn is the staff by the owners, executive director as well as the residential director. Its ironic how on the website how there's photos of horses however due to lack of enrollment the academy no longer has an equine program. IN the past two years there has been a significant staff turn over due to the way the Academy is ran. At the time of my employment tuition was 10,000 per month which is steep considering the bed bug issues, lice as well as run down equipment such as washers and dryers. The mattresses that will be provided to your daughter has not been replaced most likely since the school was first opened over ten years ago... if I myself had children I would look into in home services so you at least know your child is safe and not subjected to this type of treatment. The children are given a monthly allowance however this also is restricted and many activities that the kids want to engage in isn't allowed due to costs. Therapy and some classes are in modular homes behind the dormitory really if your paying 10,000 a month is this the type of schooling and therapy setting for your daughter. Weekends are relaxed and non productive with again the kids copped up in the house and "deep cleaning" the dormitory for hours. Although this is teaching skills the kiddo again at 10,000 monthly would you expect a house keeper.
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    • We researched therapeutic schools for our daughter for some time as we knew she needed help we couldn't provide at home. We contacted several schools a year or so ago to start the research, but we weren't sure what was the right decision since we couldn't afford to visit each school and none were really speaking to us. Later that year things went down hill with our daughter rapidly and we were about to make a choice when my sister found one that she said was so beautiful, and so peaceful To our surprise it was one that we had looked at before but didn't contact because the website made it seem small and out in the middle of the desert. When we went back to the website it had changed to where we could really visualize what it would be like there for our daughter, the photos, and the video interviews of the therapists really spoke to us, so we scheduled a tour of Sedona and another two in Utah. Long story short, we made the visit and everything was so familiar and like we saw and expected in contrast to the other schools which were nice, but disappointing. The experience was so good for our daughter. She's coming out of her shell, and facing the problems she's trying to overcome with her therapist and her new friends at Sedona. We are so happy we found such a place!
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    • Unbelievable staff and place! So thankful to everyone at SSA! Because of them we got our daughter back.
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    • I was employed by Sedona Sky Academy from early 2012 till 2015 before moving on to finish up a PhD in Phoenix. I can say that the program is well thought out and designed specifically for girls who are struggling with issues that require a higher level of therapy and a more structured environment than is available at home. I have been privileged to see many young women who came to Sedona Sky struggling with various difficulties in their lives make positive change in their lives and relationships with their families. Unfortunately licensing of my profession doesn't allow me to make contact with previous clients, but I am aware and notified by the school when previous students send letters and updates of their lives and progress which is always a joy. Sedona Sky is a relatively small program, but I believe that is one of its strengths. Each young lady receives individual attention and treatment plans include each of her teachers, residential staff, and equine staff in addition to her therapist thereby allowing the creation of or daily adjustment of her treatment plan according to her individual needs and activities outside the formal therapy sessions. The campus is serene and therapeutic, conducive to quite reflection and distraction free though in comparison to the often chaotic school and peer environment the girls often come from. As a professional in the industry and a previously employed professional of other behavioral health facilities for the past 11 years, I would highly recommend parents considering treatment for their child to contact the Arizona state licensing division for an accurate assessment of the schools history since it was opened in 2011. Sedona Sky was a good employer and relied on us as professionals to achieve the level of treatment they promise to each parent. I highly recommend parents visit the program for a tour if they are truly considering treatment for their daughter. Respectfully.
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    • Hello, my review on Sedona Sky Academy. Overall the treatment techniques using horses was eye opening. Not being around horses before I didn't realize they are emotional animals like people which make them such useful reflections of our own actions and reactions. My initial thoughts were just to find a place to get my daughter away from her peers and destructive behavior at home & school. Truthfully, I chose Sedna because it was (far) away from the city and it felt clean and comfortable when we visited. I downplayed the need for "therapy" thinking just getting her away would be enough and time would fix things. I am happy to say I was wrong. After seeing what she has learned and how much more confident she is having had the chance to work through her fears with her therapist (which were the root of her behaviour, not feeling accepted and willing to do anything to prove her value) she has blossomed. I just wanted her to be ok, and not caught up in the things that were hurting her. I didnt imagine that she would become better than ok. She is a different person, I am a different person, and we have her therapist and the people of Sedona to thank for it. I too recommend taking a tour and have them show you a session with the horses. If you are looking, this should be on your short list.
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    • They were recommended by our family therapist who had experience with them with other clients. Their faclities are nice estate style homes which are comfortable and clean. The therapy component was much more effective than our weekly visits at home and our therapist was able to connect with our daughter and us as well, we made a lot of progress ourselves at home. Overall we are very happy with the outcome.
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    • This place is awful. I was sent here for many reasons, one of which was depression. I had never felt more depressed and suicidal in my life than when i was there. The academics were a joke. My parents pulled me after 12 months after realizing all this place was after was our money.
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    • this place is the worst place I've ever been. The equine therapy is crud. Literally. Half my time there was spend scooping horse poop in the 113 degree heat. The staff were very untrained and didn't know how to handle situations and either treat you like a criminal or like you're 5 years old. My anxiety and depression got very bad while I was a student there but I couldn't tell anyone how I was really feeling for fear I would be put on something called one to one for my "own safety" where a staff member has to be an arms length away from me at all times. Please don't send your child here. This program used to be good but over the years it's gone really downhill and currently many girls are getting pulled from this program because of how bad it is now
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    • I was in the program from 2011 till 2012. All that was one of the most hardest parts of my life it was such a gift and it made me the person I am today. The staff is so supporting and loving and they tried their best to cater to the students needs. I met some great people and made even more amazing friends. The relationships that you form last a lifetime. I've been out of the program for a few years and I am doing great. Without the help from the people at the Sedona Sky I will not be as happy, successful, fun person I am today. I cannot think the staff, girls, and my therapist enough!
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    • Sedona Sky is very proud of it's nationally recognized model of clinical excellence and it's intensive family work. We have achieved 100% college placement for graduating Seniors. We have also worked very closely with another organization to ensure the training of all clinical staff in "Shame Resiliency." The Horsemanship Program is really second to none. This program is a leader nationally in working with adolescent girls. We invite anyone to come and visit and meet our faculty and students.
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    • This school is the worst place to send your daughter. She gained over 98 pounds in 8 months and her resentment toward me grew. While she was there several incidents occurred where she didn't feel safe. OI was never notified that my daughter was in these conditions until she came home and told me. I don't recommend this. There are plenty of other schools.
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    • This facility is very punitive. Students are not treated therapeutically even though this is supposed to be a therapeutic boarding school. Therapy staff are entry level and not equipped to deal with the issues presented by the students. Staff is cold and uncaring. Horrified by how the children — and they are children — are treated by the staff. High turn over rate as well.
    High quality of clinical care, strong academic program and transitional planning.
    The program offers a strong clinical approach to address the co-occuring issues related to substance abuse as well as a strong equine support program. We build strong relationships between the clients and staff to motivate change and commitment to sobriety.
    Strengths are the multiple modalities, care of the staff, level of support for students and focus on the family. However, there is poor internal communication among all departments.
    Our facility effectively treats both substance use disorders along with a multitude of co-occurring mental health issues such as depression, anxiety family discord, oppositional defiance and more. I would recommend this as the students would have knowledge of the process and likely be reconnected with her previous therapist. I feel this program provides it's students with all the tools they need to be successful.
    Downfalls include: not enough trained staff, dismissing qualified staff, salary. However, it was a strength that they have horses at the facility.
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    • The family work we did in the workshops was very helpful in healing my relationships with my parents and being able to have a relationship with them again.