Iowa Therapeutic Boarding School for Girls

We are a therapeutic boarding school for girls in Iowa. It’s difficult finding the right place for your daughter in times of turmoil. The Evangelhouse therapeutic boarding school was established in 1995 to serve Christian families with a quality residential treatment option for troubled teen girls.

We are a therapeutic boarding school for Iowa girls. Located in the southeast to create separation from current struggles, we serve girls from Iowa and across the US.

At Evangelhouse, we get so many girls from Iowa we created this page for Iowa families looking for a Christian all-girls boarding school. Girls in large cities like Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, Davenport, and Sioux City face unique mental health challenges.

Ideal Setting for Iowa Teen Girls

Evangelhouse therapeutic boarding school for girls in Iowa has developed communities within communities, with residential, clinical, and academic personnel leading comparable-aged girls on similar topics. These communities aim to be more like a family, with more warmth and uniqueness. We limit our therapeutic boarding school to girls-only, with 20 residents or fewer, in a Christian setting. For many, this is the ideal setting for change to happen.

Evangelhouse students learn by doing throughout their time here. Along with outstanding academics, Evangelhouse fosters a friendly social environment. Working with staff and colleagues builds confidence and teamwork. The therapeutic boarding school curriculum emphasizes community service. Girls learn to be responsible and respectful while giving back to their communities.

Our school is a therapeutic program for Iowa girls structured around Christian values. The profile Evangelhouse student has come from a successful Christian home but may have recently struggled in her spiritual relationship with God. Most students have a history of demonstrating great potential. Most have been involved in church, youth group, and may have even gone on mission trips or other outreaches. Their history of success is usually overshadowed by current choices and behavior problems

Evangelhouse Classroom

At Evangelhouse therapeutic boarding school for girls in Iowa, we believe that academics and community involvement are the cornerstones of student progress. Students can expect comparable-age smaller, traditional classroom settings for instruction that aim to provide good academic support within a close niche community. Additionally, college prep classes further promote student achievement.

Oftentimes, parents first recognize the influence of their troubled teen’s behavior reflected on their declining report card grades. Behaviors such as skipping classes, disorganization, reprehensible conduct at school, and inappropriate social media usage are just some behaviors that tend to negatively affect academic performance. A variety of emotional issues may be present in a teenage girl that can lead to lower achievement in school, and the staff at Evangelhouse specializes in helping girls overcome these situations. 

When a troubled teen experiences a serious academic setback, it is important to redirect their behavior. At Evangelhouse, our program enables students to re-establish academic goals, and engage in a plan of action that accelerates learning to make up missed credits and graduation requirements. Most importantly, each student will receive individualized instruction that is tailor-made for their academic needs. The notable difference at Evangelhouse when compared to traditional school settings is that students with learning problems such as dyslexia or ADHD/ADD among others will receive individualized instruction that addresses their needs.  In this setting, it is possible to adjust the pace of instruction and instructors build strong working relationships with their students.

Why Choose a Therapeutic Boarding School for Iowa Girls

Many families that enroll their daughters at Evangelhouse have already sought outpatient therapy. However, outpatient therapy is limited in scope. A therapist has to be 100% reliant on what a child says in therapy to be an accurate portrayal of what is going on in real life. At Evangelhouse, therapists and students alike interact eating meals together and attending activities. We can see how your daughter is interacting with peers and coping with her frustrations in real-time. 

So what makes therapy at Evangelhouse unique? While general therapy can help, our therapeutic boarding school focuses on the most effective methods to help troubled girls. These therapies can include equine therapy, CBT, DBT, group sessions, individual sessions, and family sessions. 

Further, we can help our students try out new coping skills in the moment. This “in the moment” therapy has many advantages over outpatient therapy. The best time to practice a coping skill is when you really need to cope, not hours or even days later in a therapist’s office when emotions have returned to normal. 

There are several reasons why people choose therapeutic boarding schools like Evangelhouse over other options. A positive peer group and a support structure usually help troubled girls make greater progress than a peer group that has a history of negative or harmful behaviors. With staff present 24/7, you can rest assured that your daughter will be supervised and will receive multiple positive, therapeutic interactions every day. 

Evangelhouse therapeutic boarding school for girls has been assisting families just like yours for many years. You will take an active role in your family’s recovery. Well-trained professionals and loving therapists of Evangelhouse will be there for you and your family. While it can be painful for parents to think about missing their child, keeping a teen girl in their existing circle of friends and influences can be more painful.

Mental Health and Academics

Additional mental health issues that weigh into your daughter’s academic performance may include and not be limited to the following: energy levels, attentiveness, reliability, mental capacity, and optimism. There exists substantial research to support the fact that depression contributes to declining grade point averages and anxiety. Studies have also connected an increase in depression among the teenage population to an increase in dropout rates among high school students. 

In conclusion, when your daughter attends Evangelhouse, symptoms of depression are alleviated. As symptoms of depression decrease, your daughter’s academic performance will improve. Our program at Evangelhouse is supported by studies that have shown a direct correlation between emotional issues and academic performance. With highly specialized staff, your daughter will receive the help she needs to resolve emotional issues. 

Complete our free, no-obligation admission assessment to see if Evangelhouse is a fit for your daughter through your personal and private consultation. After creating your account, please complete the assessment as thoroughly as possible to get the best result. We will provide you with a research-based assessment to see if Evangelhouse is a fit based on your reports of symptoms, diagnosis, acuity, psychosocial factors, and prognosis.

Click here to start.

Admissions questions? Call us at (800) 924-4012 or complete the contact form below.

Teens and Stress

Teenagers in the modern era face difficulties that their grandparents could have never imagined. Electronic media had compounded many of the “typical teen” conflicts that parents and teens normally encounter. Other issues, like issues with authority and control, are as old as time.

At Evangelhouse Christian Academy, we approach treatment knowing that teens’ interactions with their classmates and romantic interests have changed. Many of the issues we see from anxiety to acting out are rooted in screens or as a result of the widespread use of digital communication. 

During treatment, we seek to address a student’s potential lack of crucial interpersonal communication skills such as the ability to recognize social cues. Social skill is a common topic in our therapeutic environment. A lot of the anxiety and stress our students face over socialization can be traced back to excessive use of technology. 

At Evangelhouse Christian Academy, girls learn how to interact without the use of screens. We teach our girls how to manage their social media and texting habits. In insight-oriented therapy, they learn how they consume media, and how media can influence how they communicate, date, learn, sleep, and more.

Our girls focus on the present because they don’t have constant access to the internet. With an absence of digital distractions, girls at Evangelhouse Christian Academy face the issues that led them to our therapeutic community. 

To help combat these stressors, our therapists use:

— Group therapy sessions to develop insight into what is causing stress and to teach techniques to reduce stress. Group therapy sessions are led by a qualified treatment professional. 

— CBT- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. CBT sessions are led by a licensed therapist.

— DBT- Dialectical Behavior Therapy. DBT sessions are led by a licensed therapist.

— Homework assignments to support therapy outside of sessions

— Family therapy to prepare the student for a successful transition back to the home environment.

Modern Help for Today’s Teen Girl

At Evangelhouse Christian Academy we have seen many issues over the years plague young girls in grades 6-12. Today’s issues are more profound than ever. It used to be that just picking a career, or finding a marital partner was the most a girl had to worry about. 

Today’s modern fast-paced world is much different. Girls go online to socialize and connect. They are in social competitions for likes on social media, and they are pressured to take photos showing their best sides in the public for followers. Online bullying and other cyber pressures are unique to this generation of girls. 

Below are 5 issues that are different today for girls:

“Fitting in”

From buying the right clothes to hanging out with the right people, fitting in today is harder than ever. Part of this is due to how publicly the typical teen lives thanks to the internet. Often, the pressure to fit in is too much. This is when the outside help of a therapeutic boarding school like Evangelhouse is warranted.

Motivation

Teenagers have gotten more secluded in their virtual worlds. No longer are teens motivated by getting their own car or a job. It’s often difficult to find motivation for a young teen that does not involve something related to a screen. At Evangelhouse Christian Academy, we help girls find that inner spark and re-discover who they are. 

Disrespect

Teens are surrounded by disrespect today. They see it in the movies they watch and the online games they play. It’s pervasive in modern music as well. Even female “role models” in modern pop music sing songs that are often disrespectful to themselves. At Evangelhouse Christian Academy we help young ladies build self-respect through our positive peer culture.

Depression and Anxiety

Interacting mainly online has been linked to depression and anxiety. We look at photos of others online and it’s just human nature to compare. Being cooped up at home and cut off from the rest of the world only adds to the sensation.

Teens are suffering from depression and anxiety perhaps more than ever before. Many teens’ online “friends” will post only the best photos on vacation after taking multiple shots. This leaves followers feeling inadequate and that they are somehow missing out.

At Evangelhouse Christian Academy, we treat depression, anxiety, and a host of other issues. Individual, family, and group therapy interventions are structured within the Evangelhouse Lifeleaf™ system. This state-of-the-art system challenges students to work beyond symptom improvement. This unique integrative approach leads students to maturity, insight, and self-awareness. The blend of Christian values and professional clinical psychotherapy includes:

• Professional assessment, diagnosis, and treatment planning
• Weekly individual therapy
• Weekly group therapy
• Parent and family therapy
• Weekly therapeutic emphasis groups
• Weekly DBT Therapy skills group
• The unique Evangelhouse stages of change system
• Experiential family therapy retreats
• EMDR Trauma Therapy is available as needed

If you have any questions about the program please call us at 1-800-924-4012 or visit our contact page.