Hilo, HI
Announced 10/7/2026: not accepting new clients
I’m writing to share some very difficult news. The owners of Spruce Mountain Inn have made the decision to close the program, and we have begun the process of bringing Spruce’s many years of service to a close.
Our immediate focus is on the residents currently in our care. We are working individually with each resident, their family, treatment team, and other involved professionals to develop thoughtful and appropriate transition plans. Spruce will continue providing care and support as we work through that process.
Effective immediately, we are no longer accepting new admissions.
This is an incredibly difficult moment for a program that has been part of the behavioral health community for decades. Spruce has been shaped by generations of residents and families, dedicated staff members, and professionals across the country who have trusted us, challenged us, collaborated with us, and believed in this work.
To those of you who have referred a young adult to Spruce, collaborated with our team, visited our campus, shared your expertise with us, or simply picked up the phone to think through a difficult case together: thank you. Those relationships have meant a great deal to Spruce, and to me personally.
Our attention right now remains with our residents, families, and staff as we navigate the transition ahead. We will share additional information as appropriate.
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A different kind of residential treatment.
Spruce Mountain Inn is designed for young adults who need meaningful therapeutic support - and a path back into everyday life. We combine relationship-based residential treatment with increasing independence, helping residents build stability, confidence, and the skills to navigate life beyond treatment.
Support changes as you grow.
Spruce Mountain Inn offers a continuum of residential treatment and transitional support designed to help young adults move from greater structure toward increasing independence.
The progression is intentional: more support when it is needed, more independence as it is earned, and continued connection while residents practice making adult life their own.
Residential Treatment
Most residents begin in our primary residential program at the Inn, where they receive the highest level of structure, clinical involvement, and day-to-day support Spruce provides. Residents participate in approximately 30 hours of structured programming each week, including individual and group psychotherapy, family work, psychiatric and nursing support, case management, independent living skills, career and educational support, recreation, and experiential programming.
Early treatment focuses on stabilization, engagement, understanding the factors that have interfered with functioning, and establishing the routines and skills necessary for greater independence.
Transitional Living
As residents make progress, expectations increasingly shift from staff-supported structure toward self-direction. Treatment moves beyond symptom management to practicing skills in real life: managing schedules and appointments, navigating relationships, pursuing work or education, managing medications and health needs, participating in the broader community, and taking greater responsibility for everyday decisions.
Progression is individualized rather than based on a fixed timeline. Movement forward reflects clinical readiness, functional gains, safety, and the resident’s ability to manage increasing responsibility.
Independent Living
For young adults ready for greater autonomy but who continue to benefit from therapeutic and practical support, Spruce offers an Independent Living Program, which provides a bridge between residential treatment and fully independent community living.
Residents live offsite, often in the neighboring town of Montpelier. They have substantially greater responsibility for their daily lives while maintaining an individualized support plan. Core services include ongoing individual therapy and regular in-person support, with additional services available based on need, including case management, family therapy, psychiatric care, medication oversight, skills support, recreation, meals, and connection to the Spruce community.
Transition and Aftercare
From the beginning, treatment is oriented toward what comes next. Our goal is not simply for residents to function successfully within a treatment environment, but to build skills, confidence, relationships, and community connections that can transfer to life beyond Spruce.
Our Approach
Treatment is individualized and integrates psychotherapy with the real-world work of becoming an adult. Residents participate in individual, group, and family therapy alongside psychiatric care, medication support, case management, expressive and experiential programming, career and educational support, independent living skills, recreation, and community-based experiences.
Our clinical team draws from evidence-informed approaches including CBT, DBT, IFS, EMDR, CPT, exposure-based interventions, and attachment-based and SPACE-informed family therapy. Rather than treating clinical symptoms and independent living as separate goals, we help residents practice new skills in the context of everyday life.
Spruce is intentionally small. This allows our team to know residents well, respond to their individual strengths and challenges, and create a community where young adults can practice relationships, self-advocacy, accountability, flexibility, and increasing independence.
Located in Plainfield, Vermont, Spruce offers a setting that is intentionally different from an institutional treatment environment. Residents experience the pace, community, outdoor access, creativity, and culture of Central Vermont while doing meaningful clinical work and preparing for what comes next.
Ready to learn more?
Whether you are a young adult, family member, clinician, or referring professional, we welcome a conversation about what is getting in the way, what has already been tried, and whether Spruce Mountain Inn may be an appropriate next step. Contact our admissions team to start a conversation or schedule a visit.
