Did you know that school refusal is a diagnosis? Many people associate school refusal with defiance or truancy, but often that is not the case, particularly for a Chrysalis student. Outpatient clinicians are noting that they’re seeing an increased number of students who are refusing to attend school. By definition school refusal is the refusal…
Read MoreThere is no denying that Chrysalis is located in a small town (which happens to only be an hour north from what National Geographic considers to be the 7th best ski town in the world), but unless you’ve lived in a small town you probably aren’t familiar with the incredible benefits of small town life.…
Read MoreAs Dolly Parton says, “If your actions create a legacy that inspires others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, then you are an excellent leader.” At the Chrysalis School in Montana, the most anticipated trips are the two annual Leadership Retreats. These trips are by invitation only, with invitations extended to…
Read MorePlay therapy? For teenagers? Play therapy is often thought to be an approach only for young children; however, this approach has also been found effective with adolescents, as well as adults. Play therapy utilizes a common language in which most of us have used to learn about ourselves and the world around us — Play!…
Read MoreI frequently get asked: “who really makes sense for Chrysalis,” or “what type of student do you work with?” While these are good and important questions, sometimes I find it difficult to answer. Yes, Chrysalis is treatment. Yes, we are a therapeutic boarding school. Yet when you step on campus it doesn’t feel like treatment,…
Read MoreThe first comment I typically get when I tell someone I am an art teacher is, “I can’t even draw a stick figure!”, or, “Teach me how to draw!” I became an art teacher to open my students’ eyes to a new world of wonder, creativity, and imagination. I became an art teacher to empower…
Read MoreWe all have stories that have defined who we are in our life path. We get bogged down with past fears, relationships and familiarities. All in which have left us feeling as if it’s written permanently on our foreheads for everyone to read. In hopes of creating a clean slate, somehow, in someway, it has…
Read MoreStudents and parents embark on a week-long Costa Rica adventure Arriving late in the day we pull into our cabinas in Nosara, Costa Rica. Our students are all exhausted from leaving Eureka 24 hours earlier but jazzed to get out to the beach and get into the ocean. Swimming and watching our first sunset in our…
Read More“We didn’t realize we were making memories, we just knew we were having fun.” The Chrysalis School is a bustling environment. Each day is structured with school, therapy, daily responsibilities and connection. Life is more than a routine, connection is made and found in these day to day activities. Celebrating a home life is something we…
Read MoreEvery August, nestled on the shore of the beautiful Flathead Lake, is our annual mother-daughter retreat. It is a time and space created with the intention of connection, fun, being together, making new memories, and healing relational space. As a witness to the process, I stand amazed at the amount of courage that was required to…
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