About Our Clinical Services

Mingus Mountain Youth Treatment Center provides individualized treatment with a focus on creating a safe, therapeutic environment. Our clients come to us with a mix of co-occurring, disruptive behaviors, psychiatric symptoms, and complex mental health needs. These conditions are primarily caused from years of exposure to severe and complex trauma. Through the use of trauma-informed and evidence-based practices our Masters-level therapists provide individual, group, and family therapy to each client and are trained in multiple effective therapies for trauma focused treatment, including TF-CBT, DBT, and EMDR, which has shown evidence of speeding recovery from trauma-related diagnoses. A full range of psychological services including testing and assessments are available on campus.

Medical/Psychiatric Services

Mingus Mountain Youth Treatment Center provides 24-hour nursing on site with a Registered Nurse. A Nurse Practitioner is on site and meets with all clients within 24 hours of admission for a complete physical assessment. Psychiatric services are provided by three Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner’s (PMHNP). All medical and psychiatric services are under the oversight of a licensed and board-certified MD. In case of emergency, a local hospital is nearby and appointments for eye and dental care are available.

Mental Health Treatment Services

Sanctuary Model:  The Sanctuary Model serves as the overarching treatment model for all clinical services at MMYTC. Sanctuary is a theory-based, trauma-informed, evidence supported, whole culture approach that promotes trauma responsive organizational change. The Sanctuary Model focuses on developing shared knowledge, shared values, shared language, and shared practice, with a trauma-focused emphasis woven into all programming areas.

Ukeru – Comfort vs. Control: The Ukeru program is a Behavior Management Intervention, focused on trauma-informed principles. For individuals who have experienced traumatic events, the impact of re-experiencing that trauma through the use of physical restraint and/or witnessing restraints can be devastating. When a child or adult experiences adverse treatment methods such as restraint, that current experience is compounded by post trauma. This leads to more aggression and fuels a psychological destructive cycle. Research shows that reducing and preventing restraint practices can enhance quality of treatment and increase satisfaction for those both receiving and providing services.

Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT):  Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) is an evidence-based, research-supported clinical treatment protocol for children and adolescents impacted by trauma and their parents or caregivers. TF-CBT helps our youth successfully resolve a broad array of emotional and behavioral difficulties associated with single, multiple, and complex trauma experiences.

Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing (EMDR):  Eye Movement Desensitization & reprocessing (EMDR) is an evidence- based, research-supported psychotherapy model that helps our youth heal from emotional distress and symptoms from the result of complex trauma.

The Seven Challenges:  The Seven Challenges model is a comprehensive counseling program that focuses on supporting youth on recovering from alcohol use disorders or drug use disorders. The model empowers youth to take ownership and action over their own recovery with support from treatment staff.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT):  Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is an evidence-based treatment model that teaches youth strategies on how to manage their psychiatric symptoms using four core skill sets: Mindfulness, Distress tolerance, Emotion Regulation, and Interpersonal Skill Building.

Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI):  The Crisis Prevention Institute’s non-violent crisis prevention and intervention models provide person-centered de-escalation techniques to support youth who may experience a psychiatric or situational crisis. All treatment staff members are trained in how to effectively support youth experiencing crisis using a trauma-informed approach. i

My Life My Choice:  My Life My Choice provides an in-depth examination into vulnerabilities that our girls have. It helps the youth shift away from the path that leads towards sexual exploitation. This curriculum looks at what trafficking is, unhealthy relationships, substance abuse, and low-self-esteem as imperative risk factors. Sexual and reproductive health education and real stories of trafficking victims are also included.

Ending the Game:  Ending the Game provides a structure and framework to repair the harmful psychological coercion our girls have suffered from through their experience being trafficked. The goal of “Ending the Game” is to unravel the mind control techniques used by traffickers and empower the victims with the skills to recover from the trauma of trafficking.

Equine Therapy

Mingus Mountain Youth Treatment Center offers Equine therapy using Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International (PATH). PATH is a lead supporter of Equine-Assisted Services (EAS). Throughout the world there are thousands of people with special needs that receive powerful healing through equine-assisted services. Equine therapy is highly effective as it does not matter the physical, cognitive, emotional, or mental needs of the individual, as it does not limit their interaction with horses. As clients progress in treatment they will have the opportunity to engage in Equine therapy with our certified Equine team.