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
Learning Differences
Mood Dysregulation
Self-Esteem Issues
OCD Tendencies
Relationship Difficulties
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, PTSD
Process Addictions
Admissions Team
Nina Gilkenson
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.
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.