5250 Pikes Peak Hwy, Cascade, Colorado, 80809
We help teens learn a healthy way to handle the daily challenges of their lives.
Cascade Canyon is a residential treatment center in Colorado designed specifically for teens struggling with substance use and co-occurring mental health issues like anxiety, depression, and trauma. Cascade Canyon Teen Residential Center provides a home-like environment nestled peacefully in the Rocky Mountains adjacent to Pikes Peak Mountain just outside of Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Sandstone Care aims to drive positive lasting change in real people. We understand that you have a life, so we offer a more personal experience than you would find anywhere else.
We provide an intimate clinical environment with smaller group sizes and a maximum census of 22.
Teens typically stay 45-60 days and develop customized after care plans with their therapist, whether that’s entry into other programs or a smooth transition back to home life.
Nestled peacefully next to Pikes Peak Mountain, just outside of Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Family involvement is foundational to our program.
“Their passion for the job and compassion for each patient is wonderful.”
Marijuana has become a way to self medicate for underlying issues and it’s easy to become dependent on its use.
Studies have found that binge drinking & heavy alcohol use are problematic for young people.
Opioid misuse occurs when a person uses heroin or misuses prescription pain relievers like hydrocodone, oxycodone, and morphine.
Commonly abused stimulants include cocaine, methamphetamine, and prescription stimulants, like Ritalin, Adderall, and Concerta.
Our commitment to our clients’ lasting success and recovery helps us continually exceed licensing standards of care throughout the industry.
OUR APPROACH
Just because a teen is struggling with a mental health condition, trauma, and/or substance use doesn’t mean they aren’t so much more.
Our rehab program addresses every aspect of their lives, from their physical and mental health to their relationships and schooling. This holistic approach ensures we create lasting, positive change by treating more than just symptoms.
Our treatment team takes into account a teenager’s growing brain and tailors our treatment to consider each individual’s unique social, physical, and emotional development.
PROGRAM PHILOSOPHY
Our therapy is not the sofa-based, teeth-pulling kind.
At Cascade Canyon, we believe in treating the client as a whole person, not just treating their symptoms. We use experiential therapy, which means we incorporate movement to connect both body and mind. Our therapists turn activities like horseback riding, hiking, or playing music into effective counseling sessions.
In order to make the biggest impact on a teen’s life, we confront issues that all teens face, but some are unable to cope with. In addition to various therapeutic modalities, teens will also engage in the following activities:
Since every teen is unique and responds differently to different therapies and activities, our licensed clinical staff are trained and skilled in using a wide range of treatment approaches and evidence-based practices. This strategy equips and empowers teens and their families with the tools they need to make positive, healthy changes in their lives. Some of the treatments and therapies we use include:
We are available 7 days a week to help answer any questions.
OUR TEAM
Our staff is here to help restore lives and they don’t take that job lightly.
Team members are all fully credentialed, incredibly caring, and always willing to chat. Each resident is assigned a multidisciplinary team, which includes a psychiatrist, individual therapist, family therapist, nurse(s), teacher, and recovery counselor(s) to help them succeed.
Once a parent or family of a teen reaches out to Sandstone Care about teen residential addiction treatment at Cascade Canyon, our devoted team of caring admissions coordinators will take some time to listen to what’s been going on in your teen’s life. This begins the assessment process and is referred to as a “pre-screen” portion of the process.
After pre-screen, the primary therapist, nurse practitioner, and program director at Cascade Canyon will consult with each other to make sure our program is the best fit for your teen and your family.
Being confirmed as a candidate is just the beginning of what our team does to prepare for your teen’s stay with us. We make sure to consult with any clinicians or other treatment programs your teen has been engaged with prior to being admitted to our program so that we can get a full picture of the clinical and medical history.
Sandstone accepts most major insurances and it only takes minutes to verify!
We are fully HIPAA compliant and confidential with your insurance information.
Cascade Canyon, our teen drug rehab center in Cascade, CO places a huge emphasis on the involvement of family members in the program. We believe that when one member of the family unit is struggling, it affects the entire family, which is why we provide support and guidance for the entire family during your teen’s stay with us.
Upon arriving at Cascade Canyon, you will be greeted by our friendly staff and introduced to the program director Amanda Porter. You will also meet your teen’s therapist and a member of our nursing team. We will take some time to talk with you as a family about the program and give you the opportunity to ask any questions you may have.
After meeting as a family, your teen will have complete their initial evaluation with our primary therapist which is a comprehensive bio-psychosocial assessment that reviews mental health history, family dynamics, medications, trauma, and academic status.
Following completion of the assessment, your teen will then settle into their bedroom, meet their peers, and explore the lodge. In total, the intake and assessment time can take up to two (2) hours to complete.
Within the first 24 hours, your teen will meet with one of our psychiatrists to undergo a psychiatric evaluation; this includes completing a comprehensive mental health evaluation and a review of any current and prospective medications which may be helpful in managing their mental health symptoms.
Your teen will also meet with our Family Nurse Practitioner, Savanna Klippel, in order to make sure that they do not have any physical medical concerns that need to be addressed.
We provide comprehensive clinical programming designed to build your teen up and help them come to terms with the things they’re dealing with. The first 24 hours in a new place can be scary and intimidating, but our highly trained clinical staff is there to help guide your teen, and the rest of your family, through this difficult process.
Our schedule was created around the use of evidence-based practices conducted in our peaceful, home-like environment. Evidence-based means that a treatment has been researched both from academic and scientific perspectives, and has been proven effective in the treatment of mental health disorders with substance use.
We offer a full day of group programming while keeping the teen’s specific needs in mind. Each day provides a structured curriculum to ensure a productive healing process. Individual therapy sessions are held multiple times a week, and teens will have the opportunity to check in with staff throughout the day. Weekly experiential activities like ropes courses and community social events allow teens to continue being teens while learning and understanding more about themselves.
Mornings at Cascade Canyon start early, with a wake-up time of 7:00 am. Teens are given adequate time to get ready for the day before they’re asked to come downstairs for breakfast. Once the teens have eaten a nutritious breakfast, they meet as a group to have a morning check-in.
This morning therapeutic group check-in is a time for everyone to share with the house what they’re feeling, briefly discuss their goals for the day, and anything else they feel is important to discuss. The remaining of the morning is spent on academics in the onsite classroom. We know it’s important for teens to stay on top of their academic workload which is why we employ certified and credentialed teachers. These teachers guide teens through assignments, provide one-on-one academic support, and teach important life skills such as organization, decision making, hygiene, vocational aspirations, and money management.
After the teens eat a chef prepared, healthy community style lunch, they engage in an hour of daily fitness. Staying active is an important part of mental and physical wellness, and is sometimes overlooked in substance abuse and mental health treatment programs. Fitness activities vary day to day, but often include walking or hiking, yoga, and Crossfit.
After fitness, teens sit down with one of the therapists for the afternoon process group. The weekly group program curriculim is themed, and covers different topics each day. Teens are asked to share their thoughts, experiences, and emotions about things like self-discovery, relationships, emotional wellness, and living life differently. Art therapy, journaling, traditional talk therapy, music, experiential activities, and dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) are all utilized throughout the week as teens explore themselves and take a closer look at what brought them to this point in their lives.
Dinner is served family style, with staff and clients sitting down to eat together and engaging in positive conversations. After dinner, teens are given time to work on homework, journal, and decompress from their day. Depending on the day, they will participate in yoga, psychoeducation groups, art and music therapy, tai chi, or an evening hike. Before lights out, they have one last group check-in. This gives teens a chance to go over the goals that they set for the day, make any amends they feel are necessary, talk about the positive things that happened during the day, and share with the group any difficult emotions they are feeling.
Sleep is important for everyone, but especially for teens. Experts recommend that the average teen get between 8.5 and 9 hours of sleep each night, so the days end just in time for teens to get a good night of sleep.
Weekends include opportunities for teens to connect with family through a call or teletherapy session, participate in off-site group activities, enjoy time to themselves, or work on homework. Family time, fun time, and time to oneself is an integral part of the weeks’ activities and aids in a balanced healing process. We want to make sure teens are feeling refreshed and recharged going into each new week.
During the “looking inward” weeks, teens focus on self-discovery and look at their true identity. Groups will cover topics like labels, core values, beliefs, how they identify themselves, how others define them, and other topics revolving around who they are as people.
The main focus during weeks three and four is relationships. Teens will take a closer look at the importance of boundaries, types of communication, identifying support systems, dating, and familial relationships.
During weeks five and six, teens focus on cognitive function and emotional wellness. These weeks include topics like brain development, mindfulness, forgiveness, acceptance, healing from trauma, nutrition, emotional regulation, and self-expression.
The final two weeks are about implementing and living life differently. The goal of weeks seven and eight is to support clients as they transition back home from the residential treatment center setting. Some of the topics include “what to do when I’m not in residential treatment”, making and maintaining good decisions, creating a declaration of self-acceptance, understanding mental health, and understanding addiction.
Sandstone Care understands the importance of involving and providing support for the entire family, not just the symptomatic member of the family. Often, the teen is the one who is telling the world, “My family needs help!” by acting out and displaying negative behaviors.
Through an immersive and experiential program, we are able to provide teens and their families a chance to begin the healing process. Family involvement is difficult and sometimes painful work. However, we believe that this work is crucial in order for treatment to be effective.
The Continuum of Care
Access a full range of treatments for mental health and substance use disorders. Whether you need a safe sober living community, inpatient care, or outpatient therapy, we have a program to help.
TEAM
2102 University Park Blvd, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 80918
719-249-35455735 N. Academy Blvd, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 80918
719-621-5732Our goal is to provide the most helpful information.
Please reach out to us if you have any additional questions. We are here to help any way we can.
We treat teens ages 13-18. Our 18 year olds would need to be in high school. If your teen is 18 and in college, we would recommend our Young Adult Extended Residential Care Program.
Cascade Canyon’s residential teen rehab is located in Cascade, Colorado, nestled in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains approximately 20 minutes from Colorado Springs, Colorado. The Cascade Canyon campus is privately situated adjacent to a national forest and includes a main lodge and private cabins.
Yes! Please contact our admissions team to complete a verification of benefits.
Our admissions team can provide you with a comprehensive list of what to bring!
Cascade Canyon provides gender specific sleeping arrangements with each room accommodating 2 to 4 clients with its own bathroom. Our goal is to be a home away from home for the teens.
Each individual’s treatment team consists of six experts who specialize in teen trauma and mental health disorders including our Program Director, Family Therapist, Primary Therapist, Psychiatrist, Teacher, and Medical Director (supported by our Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner)
Cascade Canyon only treats up to 12 adolescents at any one time. This allows our teen clinical team to truly individualize treatment for every client and family we serve.
Cascade Canyon provides academic programming in our residential program for two hours per day, five days a week. Our academic program is lead by a certified teacher who works in collaboration with the client’s home school to obtain current classwork to help keep them current in his or her school work to insure seamless reintegration. Sandstone Care has partnered with LearnWell Academy to provide our comprehensive education services.
Family involvement is a critical component of Cascade Canyon’s teen treatment program. Family participation is required, as healing the broader family system is critical to sustainable healing and long-term outcomes.
While parent involvement is a critical component of our program, Sandstone Care is committed to the health and safety of our clients throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. We are limiting in person visits and utilizing video chats and teletherapy.
The teens at Cascade Canyon are bright and creative spirits who have been impacted by mental health issues. Typically, they are struggling with, or have experienced, anxiety, depression, trauma, and/or substance use. Teens with a history of violence, teens that are actively suicidal or psychotic, teens that have severe and persistent mental illness such as schizophrenia, or teens that exhibit behavioral issues that would disrupt the treatment milieu are not appropriate for Cascade Canyon. Each teen is carefully screened by the admissions team and the Program Director, and if needed, the Executive Clinical Director and Medical Director for appropriateness.
Cascade Canyon works with teens ages 13-18 who are struggling with substance use or co-occurring mental health disorders seeking positive change and recovery.
Common disorders include:
• Teen Depression
• Teen Anxiety
• Teen Substance Abuse
• Teen Addiction
• Teen Anger or Oppositional Defiance
• Self-Harm / Suicidal Thoughts
• Other co-occurring mental health disorders
Yes, Psychological Testing can be provided when deemed clinically necessary for a teen’s success. Dr. Alfonso Cappa is Cascade Canyon’s PhD Psychologist who provides onsite psychological testing and assessments when clinically indicated. Outside of psychological testing, every resident will receive multiple assessments upon admission and complete a comprehensive psychiatric evaluation and medical evaluation during treatment.
Absolutely. Partnership is one of our core values and clinical collaboration is a very important part of what we do.
Absolutely. Every teen’s treatment at Sandstone Care is protected under the Health Insurance and Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA).
While parent involvement is a critical component of our program, Sandstone Care is committed to the health and safety of our clients throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. We are limiting in person visits and utilizing video chats and teletherapy. We also offer free Parent Support Groups (virtually for the time being) which can be a great way to learn more about the program and the work we do.
Yes, in addition to the residential teen treatment services at Cascade Canyon, Sandstone Care also provides a comprehensive continuum of care for both adolescents and young adults with centers located across Colorado, Virginia and Maryland.
The biggest difference between wilderness therapy and residential treatment is the setting and clinical structure of care. Wilderness therapy occurs entirely outdoors in the “field”, typically in the desert, mountains, or forest region. Cascade Canyon infuses wilderness and experiential therapies into our program, but it is not the foundation of our program and residents stay at our lodge facility versus in the wilderness. In addition, Cascade Canyon is a strengths-based program and provides treatment in a home like setting so teens can explore themselves and their behaviors in a supportive and caring environment and make the necessary changes to drive sustainable recovery. We do not enact punitive models of behavior modification. We don’t simply treat the presenting symptoms but instead involve our highly credentialed, multidisciplinary clinical team to also address underlying causes.
Treatment for adolescents requires a very different approach from treating adults. Adolescents have specific mental health and developmental issues which require specialized, age-specific programming to effectively address these issues.
Selecting the appropriate treatment program can feel overwhelming and challenging. Our compassionate admissions team is available for a confidential consultation about what program and level of care would be best for your son or daughter. Contact us to get started.