Admissions

Who We Treat

We work with teen girls ages 13-18 who are struggling with difficult mental health and substance use challenges. At Chrysalis, we help to identify these underlying challenges, build a treatment plan around each student and family's unique needs, and provide the therapeutic skills, challenges, and environment to begin the healing process.

Treatment Diagnoses and Concerns

Our students come to us struggling internally with a variety of emotional issues, anxiety, traumatic experiences, academic difficulties and relationship struggles. Our adventure and experiential modalities allow our students to begin to take healthy risks and to build connections through nature and people. We utilize trauma-focused interventions, such as EMDR and Brainspotting, as well as other therapeutic modalities such as CBT, DBT, ACT, Somatic Awareness, SMART Recovery, Mindfulness, and more.

Conditions we treat include:

Academic Trauma

Addictive Behaviors (technology, substance, etc.)

ADHD

Anxiety

ASD, Level 1

Body Image Issues

Depression

Disordered Eating

Family Dysfunction

Executive Function Issues

Learning Differences

Mood Dysregulation

Self-Esteem Issues

Mild Attachment Issues

OCD Tendencies

Relationship Difficulties

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, PTSD

Process Addictions

Admissions Team

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Jenny Waycaster

Position: Admissions Counselor
Jenny was born and raised in a small farm town in the heart of Virginia and moved to Eureka, Montana in 2015.
She has worked in the mental health field for over 2 years. After obtaining her Associates in Business Management, she worked in the Business field for over a decade in various roles including Office Management, Interim Social Worker, Office Administration as well as Admissions Director at a former boarding school. Most recently, before coming to Chrysalis, she was an Administrative Assistant for a Psychiatrist. Her passion has always been to work with and help people.
Jenny has 5 children, Ethan, Dylan, Macey, Levi and Ryan. They love outdoor adventures, including kayaking, camping, hunting, fishing/ice fishing and skiing/boarding. The kids also do track, soccer, football, and baseball. Jenny enjoys cooking and baking and loves to entertain friends and family with great food, games, and conversation.

Jenny Waycaster

Admissions Counselor

Jenny was born and raised in a small farm town...

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Jenn McMurry

Position: Director of Outreach

Growing up in the Pacific Northwest and Intermountain states, Jenn developed a passion for raising small livestock, gardening, and rockhounding at a young age. For over twenty years, Jenn has been involved in long-term residential treatment, beginning in Human Resources before moving into Admissions & Outreach. She brings a wealth of experience in assisting families, consultants, and mental health professionals and provides valuable guidance on therapeutic options.

At Chrysalis, Jenn feels right at home, witnessing the growth and healing of each family’s unique journey. Jenn is a devoted mother to an adult daughter, a teen son, and two beloved dogs. Her hobbies include hiking, rock collecting, and getting her hands dirty in the garden.

Jenn McMurry

Director of Outreach

Growing up in the Pacific Northwest and Intermountain states, Jenn...

Nina pic 3

Nina Gilkenson

Position: Admissions Director

Originally from Maryland, Nina Gilkenson made the move to tranquil Montana in 2018, and has been enjoying the beauty and peacefulness of her new home ever since. Nina has years of experience working with children and individuals in a variety of settings. Her previous roles include working with clients to find and hold jobs in the community, teaching soft skills, and collaborating with support systems to promote enrichment through community involvement.

When not working, Nina and her partner enjoy exploring their corner of the world and embracing the great outdoors with their three children. Nina has a rich history of teaching dance and art to both children and adults, and was a professional dance instructor/judge before moving to Montana. Dance and art are an integral part of their family life, and their walls are adorned with artwork from their many creative projects.

Nina Gilkenson

Admissions Director

Originally from Maryland, Nina Gilkenson made the move to tranquil...

Online Application

To begin the application process for acceptance, please click on the application link below. Once submitted, our admissions team will review this and contact you for any additional information.

Addictions Support

Substance abuse may have been an issue in the past, but students must have established a period of sobriety and be committed to their recovery prior to acceptance. If eating disorders have been diagnosed, primary treatment and a similar commitment to recovery are expected prior to acceptance.

While we provide ongoing support to students who have struggled with self-harm behaviors in the past, our students are not actively engaging in self-harm behaviors.

Chrysalis provides weekly addiction groups to supplement the treatment for students struggling with a variety of addictive processes, including prior struggles with substance use, unhealthy or risky technology use, prior self-harm struggles, and other unhealthy habits that have prevented students from coping with their emotional needs.

Academic Requirements

Chrysalis students have various learning styles and academic needs; a student must have at least one full year of high school left. An overall IQ of 90 or higher is typical for acceptance. Academic challenges should be responsive to tutoring, special accommodations, low student-to-teacher ratios, our minimal-distraction learning environment, comprehensive therapy, general program structure, the therapeutic milieu, and medications (when applicable).

We work with many students struggling with executive functioning difficulties, ADHD, learning challenges, and more. We work with many students who carry an IEP or 504 plan, who need additional supports or accommodations.

How long do most students stay?

Length of stay is not fixed, but rather reflects each student’s individual needs and can be extended as long as clinically and academically necessary. The typical stay is about 10-12 months.

How do you determine if a student is a good fit?

The Chrysalis admissions director, clinical leadership and academic director work together to assess a student’s appropriateness by reviewing psychological and educational testing, interviewing her former or current therapist, interviewing the family and reviewing the completed application. Each prospective student is assessed on a case-by-case basis to make the best decision possible.

International Students

We bring the world to our community.

Chrysalis accepts students across the world. As a SEVIS-approved school, Chrysalis can accept international students into our program.

We welcome girls from all backgrounds and cultures and look forward to enriching the Chrysalis experience by expanding diversity in our community.

Please let us know if you have any questions about SEVIS and the opportunity it provides students.

For more information about Chrysalis international student admissions, please contact our admissions team at [email protected]