About me
Elevations RTC in Syracuse, Utah, is a treatment facility for youth ages 13 to 18 that provides individualized, interdisciplinary care. Elevations provide students with a history of trauma, depression, anxiety, mood disorders, suicidal ideation, and self-harm with psychiatric care, specialized and intensive clinical groups, accredited academics, and experiential therapy.
Elevations, which was established in 2014, offers intensive psychiatric treatment, individualized care, and college preparatory academics. Individualized and comprehensive clinical programs incorporate therapist-led interactions, peer groups, staff groups, and recreational therapy. Specialized clinical groups address particular issues. Elevations also provides family support via orientations for new parents, parent seminars, family visits, and weekly family therapy.
Elevations provides assistance for a variety of mental, behavioral, and academic difficulties. Diagnoses can include:
Trauma Background
ADHD and learning disabilities
Anxiety/depression/mood disorders
Impaired performance
Identity disorders
Use of substances
Self-injury
In designated classrooms, certified teachers provide in-person academic instruction. There are between eight and twelve students in the class. An integral member of the treatment team, a team teacher guides students through the academic curriculum. Additionally, an advisor works with students to ensure academic success. In addition, the program includes experiential learning.
The treatment approach at Elevations RTC is distinctive in two distinct ways. The first is that the campus has facilities designed with a therapeutic community in mind. It is intended to feel comforting and nurturing. This helps to normalize the student experience.
Elevations is also distinguished by its acceptance of students of both sexes. This normalizing experience mirrors what young people encounter in the real world and allows them to practice these relationships in a safe, supportive environment with staff who are trained in diversity and inclusion.
Elevations , unlike many other residential treatment facilities for adolescents, does not separate genders in the classroom and during therapeutic sessions. Elevations instead aims to demystify interactions between students of different genders. Students of both genders attend class, eat lunch, and participate in activities together. Elevationsis adamant that building skills across genders in a nurturing environment are a more beneficial strategy than risking students' ability to adapt to the real world when they leave the program.
Westminster College has awarded Jacques a master's in special education. Before transitioning to residential education, she taught in public junior high schools. Since then, she has assumed the position of co-administrator of Elevations RTC.
The roughly fifty-member team consists of seasoned clinicians, medical doctors, psychiatrists, teachers, recreational staff, program specialists, residential staff, and marketing and administrative personnel.
Judi Jacques and Jennifer Wilde share the Executive Leadership position. Wilde is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over twenty-five years of experience working with adolescents. She is certified in dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), a type of talk therapy for individuals with intense emotions. She received her master's in social work from the University of Utah.
Clinical Director Jennifer Maddock and Clinical Director Wilde share the same title. Maddock is a certified DBT therapist and a licensed family and marriage therapist. She specializes in family therapy with adolescents who are struggling. She has prior experience working in public mental health and with foster families and children.
Academic Director Ryan Mortensen serves in this capacity. Mortensen received his bachelor's degree in psychology from Weber State University in Ogden, Utah, and his master's degree in mathematics education from the University of Phoenix. In addition, he has certifications in physics and financial literacy. He has worked at Elevations RTC since its inception and has extensive experience in mental health care.
Medical Director The Medical Director is Dr. Michael Connolly. He holds certification in both general and child/adolescent psychiatry. He attended the University of Oklahoma for medical school, completed his general psychiatry residency at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, and graduated from the University of Utah's Child and Adolescent.
Eric Flores holds the position of Program Director. Capella University in Minneapolis awarded Flores a master's degree in psychology with a concentration in mental skill development and group dynamics. His philosophy promotes success, individuality, and human-to-human connection.
Erica Yaeger holds the position of Recreational Director. Yaeger worked with adults in addiction recovery, adolescents with autism, and crisis management prior to joining Elevations RTC. Yaeger was awarded the Most Outstanding Program award by the Utah Recreation Therapy Association in 2018 for her work at Brighton Recovery Center and published research on positive psychology and substance use disorder. She attended Utah University.
Elevations s a member of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Student and Exchange Visitor Information System. Additionally, it is affiliated with the National Association of Therapeutic Schools and Programs. Elevations has been awarded the Gold Seal of Approval by the Joint Commission and accreditation by Cognia, a non-profit organization that supports elementary and secondary schools.
Elevations, which was established in 2014, offers intensive psychiatric treatment, individualized care, and college preparatory academics. Individualized and comprehensive clinical programs incorporate therapist-led interactions, peer groups, staff groups, and recreational therapy. Specialized clinical groups address particular issues. Elevations also provides family support via orientations for new parents, parent seminars, family visits, and weekly family therapy.
Elevations provides assistance for a variety of mental, behavioral, and academic difficulties. Diagnoses can include:
Trauma Background
ADHD and learning disabilities
Anxiety/depression/mood disorders
Impaired performance
Identity disorders
Use of substances
Self-injury
In designated classrooms, certified teachers provide in-person academic instruction. There are between eight and twelve students in the class. An integral member of the treatment team, a team teacher guides students through the academic curriculum. Additionally, an advisor works with students to ensure academic success. In addition, the program includes experiential learning.
The treatment approach at Elevations RTC is distinctive in two distinct ways. The first is that the campus has facilities designed with a therapeutic community in mind. It is intended to feel comforting and nurturing. This helps to normalize the student experience.
Elevations is also distinguished by its acceptance of students of both sexes. This normalizing experience mirrors what young people encounter in the real world and allows them to practice these relationships in a safe, supportive environment with staff who are trained in diversity and inclusion.
Elevations , unlike many other residential treatment facilities for adolescents, does not separate genders in the classroom and during therapeutic sessions. Elevations instead aims to demystify interactions between students of different genders. Students of both genders attend class, eat lunch, and participate in activities together. Elevationsis adamant that building skills across genders in a nurturing environment are a more beneficial strategy than risking students' ability to adapt to the real world when they leave the program.
Westminster College has awarded Jacques a master's in special education. Before transitioning to residential education, she taught in public junior high schools. Since then, she has assumed the position of co-administrator of Elevations RTC.
The roughly fifty-member team consists of seasoned clinicians, medical doctors, psychiatrists, teachers, recreational staff, program specialists, residential staff, and marketing and administrative personnel.
Judi Jacques and Jennifer Wilde share the Executive Leadership position. Wilde is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over twenty-five years of experience working with adolescents. She is certified in dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), a type of talk therapy for individuals with intense emotions. She received her master's in social work from the University of Utah.
Clinical Director Jennifer Maddock and Clinical Director Wilde share the same title. Maddock is a certified DBT therapist and a licensed family and marriage therapist. She specializes in family therapy with adolescents who are struggling. She has prior experience working in public mental health and with foster families and children.
Academic Director Ryan Mortensen serves in this capacity. Mortensen received his bachelor's degree in psychology from Weber State University in Ogden, Utah, and his master's degree in mathematics education from the University of Phoenix. In addition, he has certifications in physics and financial literacy. He has worked at Elevations RTC since its inception and has extensive experience in mental health care.
Medical Director The Medical Director is Dr. Michael Connolly. He holds certification in both general and child/adolescent psychiatry. He attended the University of Oklahoma for medical school, completed his general psychiatry residency at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, and graduated from the University of Utah's Child and Adolescent.
Eric Flores holds the position of Program Director. Capella University in Minneapolis awarded Flores a master's degree in psychology with a concentration in mental skill development and group dynamics. His philosophy promotes success, individuality, and human-to-human connection.
Erica Yaeger holds the position of Recreational Director. Yaeger worked with adults in addiction recovery, adolescents with autism, and crisis management prior to joining Elevations RTC. Yaeger was awarded the Most Outstanding Program award by the Utah Recreation Therapy Association in 2018 for her work at Brighton Recovery Center and published research on positive psychology and substance use disorder. She attended Utah University.
Elevations s a member of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Student and Exchange Visitor Information System. Additionally, it is affiliated with the National Association of Therapeutic Schools and Programs. Elevations has been awarded the Gold Seal of Approval by the Joint Commission and accreditation by Cognia, a non-profit organization that supports elementary and secondary schools.
