The trauma-informed residential mental health treatment program at Muir Wood serves adolescent girls ages 12-17 and are accredited by the Joint Commission, and are certified by the Department of Health Care Services and licensed by the Department of Social Services. The on-campus Muir Wood Learning Center is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). The program is staffed by a highly credentialed clinical team, with on-site psychiatric, medical, and nursing staff. This unique trauma-informed, gender-specific setting for teen girls demonstrates Muir Wood’s commitment to meeting the need for high-quality, in-network care for teens and their families.

A Trauma-Informed Approach

Trauma is no longer just something the military experience after battle. We’ve come to understand that the body can be impacted in the same way from a myriad of other sources of trauma including bullying at school, identity erasure related to gender or expression, or to a change in a relationship or friendship. The lives of adolescent girls are exponentially more complicated and nuanced, particularly given the ways in which they exist both in reality and digitally. The adolescent sense of self is more faceted than ever, requiring a flexible and forward-thinking approach to understanding and treating trauma.

Muir Wood is on the cutting edge of this work, using innovative approaches and diverse communication styles, integrating somatic and neurobiological approaches including EMDR, somatic experiencing, brainspotting, polyvagal theory, TRE (trauma release exercises), CBT, and other modalities. Additionally, our approach is based on an intersection of approaches, incorporating all the identities, histories, and experiences of the client and their unique family system.

In our innovative trauma-informed program at Muir Wood, we aren’t merely treating trauma to reduce symptoms. We are strengthening and refining the individual through structured, collective relational and somatic trauma healing and skill building. We facilitate mutual growth, empower expansion and eventual transition back into their respective lives with a clearer sense of self and belonging, and the tools to sustain that transformation. Our goal is for teen female clients to leave our program with a clear map of their trauma, its impact on all parts of themselves, and strategies for healing the deep wounds that fuel their distress. As a result, they will be better able to navigate the complexities of their lives in the future, and positively impact every human they touch.