Walden Street School is a trauma-informed therapeutic residential school for biological females who are struggling with significant past trauma or organic mental illness.
Through our individualized treatment approach, our students are able to heal while creating positive personal-growth opportunities that build a strong core of internal skill sets, encourage individual talents, build self-esteem, and create healthy relationships.
Walden recognizes every student enters with their own set of academic strengths and challenges. We work collaboratively with every clinician, teacher, and classroom aid to ensure an educational plan is developed to promote growth and learning. Educational staff frequently create hands-on learning assignments and provide differentiated instruction as needed. Walden is able to help students achieve academic progress when other settings have not been able to.
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) was selected as the academic model as it closely mirrors our clinical model, ARC. Both emphasize understanding and supporting each student’s unique needs while also showcasing their strengths to help them maximize their potential. Our flexibility and planning allow us to cultivate an environment that provides students with a sense of safety and trust in their relationships, which in turn, supports emotion regulation and engaged learning.
Our extended school year includes a fifth term designed to support students who have experienced interruptions in their education due to personal mental health challenges. This additional term offers a valuable opportunity to recover missed credits and get back on track toward graduation, helping students move forward with confidence and success.
Clinical staff are all trained through the evidence-based, trauma-informed ARC (Attachment, Regulation & Competency) framework and therefore, specialize in trauma-focused interventions. Because our clinicians have low caseloads, they are able to provide intensive family work to help heal and strengthen students’ relationships in a supportive, safe environment. Clinicians have frequent communication with identified caregivers to continuously assess progress on goals, and adapt changes to the treatment plan as needed.
All students participate in weekly individual and group therapy, and bi-weekly family therapy. Clinicians serve as the case manager and track the students' ability to apply what they're learning in therapy throughout the week in the milieu. Milieu staff are informed of students' individual goals and work to provide support. A core value at Walden is "teachable moments," meaning that we believe every difficult moment is an opportunity for growth so the staff help the students push themselves to work on their goals in the moment.
At Walden Street School, we have a psychiatrist on staff who is available 24/7. Each student is reviewed monthly by the psychiatrist, who receives a comprehensive update from an interdisciplinary team to guide medication management. Our team is committed to an individualized approach, with a focus on minimizing polypharmacy whenever possible throughout the course of treatment.
Bridge is a satellite campus of the Walden Street School. Most students at the Bridge campus have begun their journey at the Walden Street School campus and transition to the Bridge campus as they progress in their treatment and prepare for discharge.
Staff assist students in practicing regulation skills throughout their enrollment, enabling them to gain the internal capacity to apply these techniques independently for long-term success. The Bridge campus provides students with increased opportunities to apply their skills within the community, thereby boosting their confidence for future endeavors.
Programming at Bridge focuses on integrating students into the broader community. Daily routines center around building skills for activities of daily living, such as grocery shopping, cooking, laundry, gym attendance, and self-care.
Staff support students in enhancing their capacity for self-sufficiency and reducing reliance on external supports. These routines mirror daily life outside a program setting, preparing students for their future.
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Students are typically referred through their local school district as part of the IEP process, but private pay options are also available. Please complete the inquiry form below to learn more. Insurance is not accepted as a form of payment for services.
Ashlyn Kapetanakis, LICSW
Program Director
160 Walden Street, Concord, MA 01742
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