Kansas City Girls Academy

Kansas City Girls Academy is a national program and school for girls who are struggling with school or emotional issues. Most of the students come from other states. It is designed to help girls identify problem behaviors and build inner strength to overcome life challenges. Effective communication skills are developed and positive coping strategies are learned.

SEE MORE AT: Boardingschoolforgirls.org or call (816) 924-6565

For adopted or self-destructing teenage girls, ages 12-17, this therapeutic boarding school program is faith-based and offers counseling and therapy to help troubled girls get back on track spiritually, behaviorally and academically. If your girl is deceitful, struggling with authority, running away, coming home late, sexually promiscuous, or failing school, we can help.  Or, if she has been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder, Attention Hyperactivity Deficit Disorder, Oppositional Defiance Disorder, Reactive Attachment Disorder, or depression, this year-round program can help her. Typical boarding schools tend to expel troubled girls, but we welcome them and work with them to change their thinking, attitudes, and behaviors.

Typical boarding schools tend to expel troubled girls, but we welcome them and work with them to change their thinking, attitudes, and behaviors. Kansas City Girls Academy uses a multi-therapeutic model.  Discipleship curriculum and ongoing pastoral counseling relative to the curriculum content are utilized to assist the students in discovering their incorrect assumptions and replacing them with new concepts of understanding. The program is intentionally designed to allow the girls to progress through a level system to help prepare them for a healthy reintroduction into their home environment.  This system includes such practices as positive peer pressure, reward and discipline consequences for actions, increased responsibilities as their progress warrants, and ongoing daily staff interaction.

Academics – We use a fully accredited online Middle and High School curriculum supplied by Alpha Omega Academy, which is certified by COGNIA (formerly AdvancED), the highest accrediting body for schools in the United States. Our commitment to quality education is our priority.

Group Therapy – Our group therapy consists of multiple small group sessions weekly, led by our counselors and staff. These groups include substance abuse, problem solving, positive peer culture, emotional management, safe dates, and specialty groups designed for specific treatment needs. All group processes foster emotional growth in a safe and confidential setting.

Individual Therapy – is provided to each student with a minimum of one session every other week. Sessions help students gain insights into their individual behaviors and establishes a trusting relationship with their counselor. In this setting, students process issues too sensitive for them to share with a group.

Family Therapy – is provided via weekly teleconference. Parents contribute to treatment as an integral part of the program. Kansas City Girls Academy encourages families to visit during planned family weekends. Family and students meet with their primary counselor for therapy. Parents and children also participate in parent support groups,  parent-teacher conferences, workshops, and graduation ceremonies. 

Equine Therapy – Equine therapy is about creating and cultivating a bond between the girl and  a horse, not just having fun horseback riding. At its root, horsemanship is all about the girl and horse working together to complete a goal or task. To accomplish this, each girl must learn to be calm, assertive, and communicative. The girl must communicate clearly with her equine partner, using both verbal and nonverbal communication techniques. The way horses read and react to the girl’s body language is a startlingly accurate method of daily feedback for the girl; if her attitude is not right, the horse will not respond well to her. Only calm assertive communication from the girl will result in the horse beginning to trust and respect her leadership.

During activities with horses, the girls learn alternative ways of responding to a difficult situation rather than reacting. They begin to find hope for their challenging life issues as they ‘experience’ relational changes with their horse and begin to explore their God-created uniqueness and destiny.  Horses are powerful and effective in helping people, whether a child, youth or adult. They have much to teach us about our patterns of behavior, communication, and relationships. Horses are excellent “teachers”, coupled with trained facilitators certified in personal and social development, interaction with horses can often provide invaluable assistance in addressing challenging life issues in a fun, action-oriented, non-threatening learning environment.

Listed below are some of the other activities that your girl will enjoy while they are at Kansas City Girls Academy working with our therapy team on their attitudes and behaviors.

• Physical Education

  5 days a week your child will participate in Physical Education. This will include going The Roc Fitness & Recreation 2 days a week, water aerobics (in season), aerobics classes, jogging, and various recreational sports (volleyball, softball, basketball, and soccer).

• Outdoor Adventure Leadership Training

  This is a 5-10 day wilderness adventure trip where your child are placed in to leadership roles within the group, exercising biblical leadership principles and team building skills to navigate through a vast expanse of wild terrain. This will help develop them as leaders using outdoor adventure.

• Fine Arts

  Your child will participate in Fine Arts activities such as choir, drama, and art classes.

  

• Indoor Activities

  Our center has an extensive library that your child will be able to chose from for reading, board games, Nintendo Wii, foosball, ping pong, watch approved movies, work on level advancement material, and work on school work.

• Off-Site Trips

  These trips vary from year to year. Here are some of the trips that we have taken in the recent past. Trips to the Kansas City Zoo, Design for Life Conference in Springfield, MO, Fine Arts Festival in Wichita, KS, the Kansas City Museum, Statewide Youth Convention in Wichita, KS, Kansas City Royals games, and more.