Cascade Academy is excited to announce a new Academic Director, as well as a new Program Director. Having developed a specialized and unique clinical model and approach to anxiety and OCD that is second to none, Cascade Academy has invested a great deal of thoughtfulness and structure into building an anxiety and OCD-based academic model and programming model that is equally specialized to address the unique needs of their clientele. 

Academics

While treating adolescents with severe anxiety and OCD, a pattern began to emerge with surprising frequency. In addition to anxiety, many students at Cascade Academy were struggling with learning differences.  While many of students had a higher-than-average full-scale IQ, there were often gaps in their scores in the areas of processing speed and functioning memory, in addition to ADHD, dyslexia and dysgraphia.  Students with these differences experience the world differently and have unique learning needs that are coupled with significant anxiety.  Understanding how to approach academics with this in mind is a critical step in developing a successful plan.

Cascade Academy is eager to announce Jacki Burnham as the new Academic Director.  Jacki has over 35 years of experience teaching adolescents with unique educational needs.  After receiving her B.S in Education from Utah State University, Jacki received a Master of Education in Curriculum Design from Southern Utah University and Special Education credentials from Brigham Young University.  She has experience working with a diverse population of students with a myriad of learning challenges as well as those exceptional students who are high achievers and need balance in their lives.  According to Jacki, “Each student is unique and has their own personal academic journey.  It is our role as educators to create a personalized academic plan that will develop a student’s interpersonal skills, collaboration and love of learning.”

Programming

It is impossible to overestimate the value of a therapeutic milieu within a residential treatment center.  Many of the most memorable and valuable therapeutic experiences are unplanned interactions with peers and staff while navigating relationships within the course of everyday life.  Without proper staff training, daily structure, and specialized attention, many of these important moments can be lost or ignored.

Porter Roe recently joined the Cascade Academy Leadership team as the Program Director responsible for student services.  While pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Psychology, Porter began working with Adolescents in the mental health field.  Working side by side with seasoned professionals who have mentored and directed him, Porter has taken his service leadership approach to Cascade Academy where he has had an immediate impact on both students and staff.  When asked about his reasons for joining Cascade Academy Porter responded, “Recognizing the power that comes from authentic relationships is largely what drove me to consider this opportunity.  I am eager to help staff and students learn to be comfortable while being uncomfortable as they confront their fears and limitations.”

Cascade Academy is a 26-bed residential treatment center treating adolescent girls between the ages of 13 to 18 suffering with severe anxiety, OCD and OCD related disorders. Cascade Academy combines the power of traditional therapy and experiential therapy modalities to create a clinically specialized, individualized residential treatment center. The residential treatment program utilizes evidence-based treatment modalities: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Exposure Response Prevention (ERP), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Motivational Interviewing (MI). Individual, family, recreational and group therapy along with individualized sequential exposures are a key component to their treatment.