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Meadowridge Academy offers comprehensive treatment to adolescent males and females with mental health issues, behavioral difficulties and complex trauma histories through the use of individualized care and strengths based, trauma informed treatment. We use the evidenced based treatment model- ARC to help students build positive relationships, learn self regulation skills, and transform their individual interests into sources of strength, resiliency and success.
At a Glance
This service is for
Focus: We utilize innovative sensory regulation techniques, animal assisted therapy, vocational training and expressive arts to meet each student's individual needs while providing endless opportunities for exploration, growth and independence.
Age: 12-22
Gender: male, female, transgender, non-conforming
Capacity: 36
Let's Connect
James Falvey
Program Director
664 Stevens Road
Swansea, MA 02777
Swansea, MA 02777
(508) 677-0304 Ext. 3513
(508) 678-9059
jfalvey@jri.org
Our Approach
Meadowridge Academy is a comprehensive therapeutic residential school located on 6.2 acres in rural MA. Students range from low to average and high cognitive functioning, and may have learning disabilities as well as medical fragility. Meadowridge Academy strives to make a positive difference in the lives of our students through individualized care and strengths based, trauma informed treatment. We use the ARC model to help students build positive relationships, learn and practice self regulation skills, and transform their individual interests into sources of strength, resiliency and success. We partner with families and communities to meet each student's individual needs while providing endless opportunities for exploration, growth and independence. We provide comprehensive treatment through a multidisciplinary team approach that includes clinical, educational, vocational, residential, psychiatric and nursing services. Our unique focus on sensory regulation, vocational training and animal assisted interventions are integral in the success of our students.
Watch the video to learn more about Meadowridge Academy!
Hear directly from students and staff.
James Falvey
Program Director
James Falvey made his way to JRI in 2008 when he accepted a position as a Residential Counselor at the Walden Street School in Concord, MA. Very early on, he realized this is something he enjoyed and felt successful helping the youth develop new skills and ways to manage very difficult emotions. He was promoted within the Residential Department several times where his focus became helping to teach and develop new skills in his staff members. He left JRI in 2011 but returned 8 months later after being offered an administrative role at the Walden Street School. During his time as an administrator, first as Residential Director, then as Director of Operations in 2014 followed by Assistant Program Director in 2015, he was influential in developing programming that built rituals at the Walden Street School that have become tradition and a part of the community culture.
Professionally, James was honored in 2013 to be named a Master trainer for the agency in the Building Communities of Care model. In 2015, he returned to school and earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology. James is currently enrolled in a Master’s Program in Special Education at Framingham State University.
Eileen Johnson
Assistant Program Director
Eileen began her career with JRI as a Residential Counselor at the Walden Street School. Working there for 8 years, she was promoted several times within the residential department, including participating in an administrative capacity. During this time, Eileen continued to explore her passion for helping people while exploring strategies to provide trauma informed care. As a result, Eileen returned to school as the recipient of the Simmons Scholarship program through JRI where she completed her master's degree in clinical social work from Simmons School of Social Work in 2017. Following the completion of her master's, Eileen transitioned to the clinical department for a year and a half where she provided direct clinical support for students and families. In the Fall of 2019, Eileen transitioned to Meadowridge Academy as the Director of Operations and currently is the Assistant Program Director. In this role, Eileen provides the program with direct oversight, training and clinical supervision while continuing to work with the students in a capacity to increase competency in areas of healthy attachments and regulation.
Peter Gray
Director of Operations
Peter Gray originally joined JRI as a residential counselor after working as the Community Director at Raaka Chocolate in Brooklyn, NY. Peter then became the Director of Competency Services at Meadowridge Academy, where he helped students identify strengths they would like to expand upon in the pursuit of building a stronger sense of self and develop a skill set that will serve them as they transition in to adulthood.
Peter has a B.F.A from Ithaca college and a M.S.W. from Boston University. Through a combination of creative arts and clinical training he has implemented fully immersive programming that helps students develop tools ranging from socialization to independent living skills and career training. Peter is excited to continue his journey of creativity and support at Meadowridge Academy.
Erin Lunn, LICSW
Clinical Director
Erin Lunn began her career with JRI as a clinician at Meadowridge Academy after receiving her master’s degree in clinical social work from Simmons School of Social Work. In this role, Erin provided trauma informed care to young people and their families. Erin has built upon her passion working with families and has discovered a newfound interest in animal assisted therapy. She has developed upon her skills supporting clinicians and interns through their work with students and families, which has led Erin to her current role as the Assistant Director of Clinical Services at Meadowridge Academy.
Margaret Maiato
Director of Education
Margaret Maiato joined JRI as the Director of Education in April 2018. She has spent her professional career working in special education in both the public and private school settings. She sought a position at Meadowridge Academy out of her desire to make a difference in the lives of students who have experienced trauma and empathy for adolescents with invisible disabilities.
Margaret received her Bachelor Degree in Special Education from Lesley University. She earned a Masters and Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies in School Administration at Bridgewater State University. Her goal is to increase student learning through building confidence in the classroom, maximizing student’s strengths, and teaching to their interests and learning style.
Educational Services
Students attend school on campus, year round and have a full day of academic and vocational training. While the curriculum is challenging, modifications are made to meet the individual needs of each student and classrooms are designed to be small with additional academic support and assistance. In addition to the academic curriculum the students enjoy physical education, life-skills and vocational training in woodworking, animal care, horticulture and expressive arts.
Clinical Services
Meadowridge Academy offers intensive and individualized clinical services and interventions. Through the ARC model, Clinicians help students build positive attachments, self regulation skills and competency. Clinicians utilize a variety of trauma informed techniques, including Sensory Motor Arousal Regulation Treatment (SMART), which is an evidence-based practice, Neurofeedback, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), and Animal Assisted Interventions (AAI) to guide students in processing trauma history and developing positive skills to manage difficult emotions.
Competency
In addition to individual, family and group therapies, we help each student develop their individual interests and talents into areas of competency. This may include, but is not limited to, off campus vocational experience in the form of internships, apprenticeships and volunteer work.
Our son, David, attended Meadowridge Academy for the 2019-2020 school year. We were extremely satisfied with every aspect of our son's experience. From our initial intake interviews through our transition back to home we were impressed by the dedication, integrity, intelligence and kindness of everyone we worked with. The academics were superb in many ways. The teachers were young and were creative in making learning interesting and engaging for our son who would say that he only previously enjoyed the social non-academic parts of school. The teachers made the structured curriculum relevant to the students’ lives as well as to current events at every possible opportunity. David enjoyed the residential staff members and felt that they were a compassionate and fair group of individuals. We felt that our son was safe and well cared for . Our main goal was transitioning David to being home safely. This goal stayed at the forefront of Meadowridge’s work with our family. David’s therapist was extremely competent and helpful and the psychiatrist was insightful in his treatment. We recommend Meadowridge Academy without any hesitation.
Amy and Karin
Parent of Student
Animal Assisted Interventions
Meadowridge Academy students have the unique opportunity to engage in parallel work through use of the animals on campus. Research shows that adolescents who experienced developmental trauma have significant difficulty accessing their frontal lobe due to it being underdeveloped. Through use of the animals on campus, students are able to self and co-regulate their energy and emotions, and slowly bring their frontal lobes back online. Simultaneously, students strengthen vocational and self-care skills and begin to develop a positive sense of self through building responsibility by working with the animals. For Meadowridge Academy students who have limited interpersonal skills and lack the ability to engage in traditional talk therapy session, parallel work is incorporated during session where students discus their emotions through the animals. This provides Clinicians the opportunity to engage in trauma-focused interventions to build off of these statements and provide the students with better clinical treatment.
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