Girls Residential Program

At the Newport Academy Girls Residential Program teen girls are provided a safe and nurturing environment to explore sensitive issues such as trauma, guilt, shame, depression, isolation, substance abuse, eating disorders and self-injurious behavior.

The intimate residential program consists of only a maximum of 6 girls at any one time and is completely gender-specific.

Same sex environments allow teen girls to feel comfortable enough to be open and build strong peer support which is essential in the treatment process. Strong peer interaction can help facilitate healthy boundaries, discussion of trauma issues, the development of strong female role models, assertiveness training, and issues related to body image without girls having to feel pressure common in environments where males are present.

Treatment Focused on the Issues of Teen Girls

According to recent studies, the use and abuse rates for adolescent girls are continuing to rise, while the rates for boys have witnessed a small decline.

The issues that face teen girls are very different than those facing teen boys. In many respects, teen girls are at a higher risk for substance abuse, eating disorders and self-injurious behaviors than their male counterparts. Teen girls also have higher rates of binge drinking, are introduced to substance use at an earlier age, and are physically and developmentally affected more by substance use and abuse than boys. In addition, there are a number of other major risk factors that predispose girls to substance use and abuse when compared to boys. These include:

Rates of co-occurring disorders such as depression are higher in girls, and there is a clear correlation between depression and the development of substance use
Trauma, abuse, and sexual related issues are primary factors leading to substance abuse, eating disorders and self-injurious behaviors in girls
Girls tend to use drugs and alcohol to initiate and maintain intimate relationships and alcohol is often a gateway into dating and acceptance
Self-consciousness is prominent with girls and body image issues and eating disorders develop aggressively in adolescence.
Adolescent girls tend to begin using drugs and alcohol as a way to conform to societal norms, while boys often begin use as a way to rebel against societal norms

Newport Academy places strong emphasis on empowering young girls to develop skills and coping mechanisms to increase their self-esteem and independence.

Newport Academy provides the most safe, nurturing, educational, empowering, and effective programs specifically tailored to the individual needs of teen girls.