I was in this place in the late 80s. I witnessed extreme bullying by staff & students, rampant homophobia and racism, inappropriate use of serious medications, violence towards students, isolation, sexual harassment by staff towards students, and kids who left far more ...
About The Heritage Community
Located on a gorgeous 19-acre campus in Provo, Utah, Elevate Academy at The Heritage Community offers a genuinely unique approach to teen addiction treatment and mental health support.
What really sets them apart is how deeply personalized their approach is, especially when working with teens between the ages of 13 and 18. Elevate specializes in supporting adolescents who are struggling with everything from substance misuse to trauma and attachment issues. They’re genuinely trying to help your child reconnect with themselves, their family and their lives.
A Fresh Take on Therapy
Elevate Academy definitely isn’t your typical therapy setup. Sure, they have traditional talk therapy. But, they’re also big on getting teens engaged through alternative methods, like adventure therapy, equestrian-assisted therapy and even performing arts therapy.
There’s something that’s really empowering about healing while working with horses, rock climbing, or getting to share your creative side while on stage. These creative therapies tap into areas that traditional forms of therapy may completely miss, which helps to make recovery feel less clinical and more natural and fun for your teen.
Community and Connection
Another big standout is how Elevate focuses on relationships. The students in their program live in cozy and gender-specific homes where they can form real connections with their coaches and their peers. This helps to create a genuine sense of family.
Every student in their program gets paired with a dedicated therapist who guides not just their therapy but also coordinates with coaches and teachers to create a unified and supportive environment. Plus, the campus itself offers plenty of ways to blend fun with recovery. They have a ton of cool stuff, like skateboarding areas, a performing arts center, even mountain bikes and a few sports fields.
Latest Reviews
I wish I could give it less than a star. I want to give this place negative starts. I'm using an email that is not under my name so they wont trace it back to me. I never actually attended but I interacted with them on one of there retreats. I feel so bad for these poor kids. the staff was laughing and yelling at the girls having panic attacks. when I tried to help they just yelled at me. they FORCE the kids to do things they don't want to do. The coaches have favorites and they are not afraid to tell the kids who there favorites are which only causes the kids to fight more.
Places like this are useless if they re involuntary. That defeats the purpose of getting help. You can t help someone that doesn t want help.
Politically inclined
Rehab Score
Our Methodology
Scoring is assigned by a proprietary system which helps surface key metrics that determine quality. The 10-point scale factors in categories such as operations, customer satisfaction, and trust metrics. Read Full Methodology
5.9 / 10
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Other Forms of Payment
Private insurance refers to any kind of healthcare coverage that isn't from the state or federal government. This includes individual and family plans offered by an employer or purchased from the Insurance Marketplace. Every plan will have different requirements and out of pocket costs so be sure to get the full details before you start treatment.
Self-pay involves paying for treatment out of your own pocket. You can use savings or credit, get a personal loan, or receive help from family and friends to fund your treatment. If you don't have insurance or your insurance plan doesn't cover a specific program, self-pay can help ensure you still get the care you need.
Addiction Treatments
Levels of Care
Inpatient Residential treatment programs are those that offer housing and meals in addition to substance abuse treatment. Rehab facilities that offer residential treatment allow patients to focus solely on recovery, in an environment totally separate from their lives. Some rehab centers specialize in short-term residential treatment (a few days to a week or two), while others solely provide treatment on a long-term basis (several weeks to months). Some offer both, and tailor treatment to the patient's individual requirements.
Treatments
Many of those suffering from addiction also suffer from mental or emotional illnesses like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, or anxiety disorders. Rehab and other substance abuse facilities treating those with a dual diagnosis or co-occurring disorder administer psychiatric treatment to address the person's mental health issue in addition to drug and alcohol rehabilitation.
Mental health rehabs focus on helping individuals recover from mental illnesses like bipolar disorder, clinical depression, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, and more. Mental health professionals at these facilities are trained to understand and treat mental health issues, both in individual and group settings.
Programs
LGBTQ Program
Recovery is most successful when clients feel accepted and validated by their peers and treatment providers. Facilities that offer LGBTQ-inclusive programming are committed to creating a safe space where everyone can grow and recover without fear of judgment or discrimination. They will have dedicated policies in place to create a safe and supportive environment that fosters free expression.
Clinical Services
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a therapy modality that focuses on the relationship between one's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. It is used to establish and allow for healthy responses to thoughts and feelings (instead of unhealthy responses, like using drugs or alcohol). CBT has been proven effective for recovering addicts of all kinds, and is used to strengthen a patient's own self-awareness and ability to self-regulate. CBT allows individuals to monitor their own emotional state, become more adept at communicating with others, and manage stress without needing to engage in substance abuse.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is a modified form of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), a treatment designed to help people understand and ultimately affect the relationship between their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. DBT is often used for individuals who struggle with self-harm behaviors, such as self-mutilation (cutting) and suicidal thoughts, urges, or attempts. It has been proven clinically effective for those who struggle with out-of-control emotions and mental health illnesses like Borderline Personality Disorder.
Group therapy is any therapeutic work that happens in a group (not one-on-one). There are a number of different group therapy modalities, including support groups, experiential therapy, psycho-education, and more. Group therapy involves treatment as well as processing interaction between group members.
In individual therapy, a patient meets one-on-one with a trained psychologist or counselor. Therapy is a pivotal part of effective substance abuse treatment, as it often covers root causes of addiction, including challenges faced by the patient in their social, family, and work/school life.
Trauma therapy addresses traumatic incidents from a client's past that are likely affecting their present-day experience. Trauma is often one of the primary triggers and potential causes of addiction, and can stem from child sexual abuse, domestic violence, having a parent with a mental illness, losing one or both parents at a young age, teenage or adult sexual assault, or any number of other factors. The purpose of trauma therapy is to allow a patient to process trauma and move through and past it, with the help of trained and compassionate mental health professionals.
Whether a marriage or other committed relationship, an intimate partnership is one of the most important aspects of a person's life. Drug and alcohol addiction affects both members of a couple in deep and meaningful ways, as does rehab and recovery. Couples therapy and other couples-focused treatment programs are significant parts of exploring triggers of addiction, as well as learning how to build healthy patterns to support ongoing sobriety.
Research clearly demonstrates that recovery is far more successful and sustainable when loved ones like family members participate in rehab and substance abuse treatment. Genetic factors may be at play when it comes to drug and alcohol addiction, as well as mental health issues. Family dynamics often play a critical role in addiction triggers, and if properly educated, family members can be a strong source of support when it comes to rehabilitation.
Nutrition therapy, aka medical nutrition therapy (MNT), is a way of treating physical, emotional, and medical conditions through diet. Specific dietary plans are designed by professional nutritionists or registered dietitians, and patients follow them in order to positively affect their physical and mental health.
Experiential therapy is a form of therapy in which clients are encouraged to surface and work through subconscious issues by engaging in real-time experiences. Experiential therapy departs from traditional talk therapy by involving the body, and having clients engage in activities, movements, and physical and emotional expression. This can involve role-play or using props (which can include other people). Experiential therapy can help people process trauma, memories, and emotion quickly, deeply, and in a lasting fashion, leading to substantial and impactful healing.
Staff
Jerry Spanos
Founder & Board Chair
Keven Downs, LCSW
CEO
Brad Fry
Senior Operations Executive Director
Jamis Leeper
Medical Director
Contact Information
(801) 226-4600 
5600 N 250 W Provo
Provo, UT 84604
Get Help Now - 385-390-3465
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Fact checked and written by:
Alizabeth Swain
Edited by:
Courtney Myers, MS
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