Shepherds Hill Academy is Georgia state licensed & CARF accredited. A faith-based and nature-based troubled teen accredited boarding school and therapeutic program for boys and girls ages 12-17. Our unique combination of troubled teen schools, nature-based programs, equine and other therapeutic approaches offers students the best of academics and therapeutics, and provides optimum opportunities to heal and flourish.
Shepherds Hill Academy is a nature-based therapeutic boarding school that offers teens in crisis a chance for hope, healing, and restoration. Located in the foothills of Northeast Georgia, Shepherds Hill is home to 200 acres of scenic wilderness landscape just 85 miles Northeast of Atlanta, Georgia. The 12-month program provides a 5 to 1 staff-to-student ratio for teen boys and girls ages 12-17 years of age. Our separate boys and girls program each have a maximum capacity of 18 students. A unique faith-based approach and authoritative community provide youth with an unplugged environment to foster healthy relationships, alleviate anhedonia, promote identity formation, and work through the many challenges they may face.
Shepherds Hill bolsters a Fully Accredited Academy dedicated to helping teens develop a positive and successful future, both personally and academically. Our certified teaching staff offers quality education with career enrichment. Likewise, Shepherds Hill has a Fully Licensed Therapy Department and provides an individualized treatment plan for each student to address specific goals and interventions throughout their journey. Our wilderness, nature-based, residential staff are highly qualified individuals trained in CPR, Emergency Safety Interventions, lifeguarding, and behavior management.
Therapy at Shepherds Hill is holistically focused, well-rounded, and empirically-based. Our team of licensed clinicians creates a warm and accepting environment that delivers individual, group, and family sessions for the adolescent. In addition, each teen participates in Equine-Relationship Therapy groups geared towards the mind-body, spirit as well as relationship healing and growth. We also address issues of spirituality as they pertain to each individual. Our therapists provide personalized care for each student by addressing issues such as abandonment, trauma, Depressive Disorders, Bipolar Disorders, Anxiety Disorders, PTSD, Reactive Attachment Disorder, Substance Abuse Disorders, High Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder, and other concerns by utilizing evidenced-based modalities including CBT, DBT, Mindfulness, Family Systems Therapy for the adolescent, creative art and expressive therapies, sand tray, and addiction recovery treatments.
During their time at Shepherds Hill, teens not only work towards academic and therapeutic goals but also develop core life skills. Working as a team, youth engage in activities such as peer accountability, taking care of animals, gardening, and building or maintaining wilderness sites and shelters. For our parents and caregivers, Shepherds Hill facilitates biannual parent conferences and monthly parent workshops where families are able to work towards familial goals and encourage transformation and reconciliation within the family system.
Shepherds Hill proudly offers our services to families both nationally and internationally (student U.S. citizenship required). We are dedicated to caring for youth to promote emotional, psychological, and spiritual well-being.
Fully Accredited GA Academy - SHA offers students a disciplined, structured, and peaceful academic environment conducive to learning in troubled teen schools.
Georgia state-certified teachers
Advanced Placement - AP classes & college preparation available
5 to 1 student-to-faculty ratio
Classroom tutors and monitors
Fully equipped conventional classrooms
Boys and girls separated – no interaction
NCAA eligibility
Interscholastic & intramural sports
A Comprehensive Approach to Healing Spiritual and Therapeutic - Shepherds Hill Academy offers a wide variety of therapeutic services for the purpose of heart change and family healing.
On-campus licensed therapy department
Biblical counsel & worldview training
Equine therapy (O.K. Corral Series certified)
Individual, group, & family sessions for the adolescent
Christ-centered atmosphere
Monthly parenting workshops
Time for reflection, contemplation, & prayer
Devotional, biblical, & apologetic training
Nature-Based Environment - The challenge of rustic living takes teens out of their comfort zones, curbs entitlement, and teaches them more effective coping skills. Faulty thinking patterns, brought on by negative cultural influences, then diminish.
Please contact us for tuition rates, financing information, and possible scholarships.
Reviews (5)
Great Program
Reviewed
on Apr/03/2017 by RickM
My daughter is now in month 5 at Shepherds Hill... I can admit our skepticism and concern about the wilderness approach and the effect it would have. But I have to say the program is working and those teaching and training her are top notch. I could not find a better place, better training, or better staff to care for my child.
It is tough, and rough, and a complete isolation from society other than that of her peers and staff. But that is exactly what she needed to discover herself and to learn what she needed to learn about respect, integrity, friendship, and the truth of God.
Shepherds Hill Academy is the best
Reviewed
on Nov/07/2015 by Praise the Lord for Success
We have a 17 year old son currently in the SHA program. His issues were: truant at school, drug abuse, serious behavioral problems accompanied with major rebellion. After unsuccessfully placing him in two other programs, we were desperate to find somewhere that could help with the above issues and also tutor him to graduate from high school. We found that this combination was not easy to locate. We were referred to SHA by a friend and that has been the best move to date. After five months our son is starting to turn around due to the excellent quality of Leadership and the entire support team. It is quite clear that we are not dealing with a quick fix, and after talking with other parents and successful gradates, the SHA program is at least a 12 month commitment. Our son has gained confidence with his school work and is set to graduate high school mid-2016 due to really great teachers and coaches. The mentorship at SHA is second to none. We thoroughly recommend the SHA program.
There are hundreds of therapeutic...
Reviewed
on Nov/07/2013 by A grateful parent from the Northwest
There are hundreds of therapeutic programs out there and it can one of the most difficult decisions you will ever have to make as a parent under some very trying circumstances. Shepherds Hill Academy saved our daughter from the self-destructive path she was taking. The program is outstanding academically and spiritually. They are a solid Christ-centered program. The staff is genuinely interested in your child's success academically, emotionally and spiritually. Their equine therapy is equally valuable in getting teens to deal with their issues in an unconventional and not threatening way.
I can't say enough good...
Reviewed
on Nov/07/2013 by Thankful Dad
I can't say enough good about SHA and how it positively affected the direction of my son's life. Were it not for SHA, my son's self-destructive behaviors would have landed him prison time rather than a HS diploma. My hat's off to Trace Embry and SHA for employing first-rate counselors and teachers who are deeply and personally committed to life-redeeming outcomes for the kids who come to SHA. Not only did my son graduate HS after graduating SHA. He has since completed 4 years in the USMC and is now married with two children.
We began our search for...
Reviewed
on Nov/05/2013 by Tim
We began our search for a place that could help our son who struggled with a myriad of emotional concerns and had virtually dropped out of school. Our options were an in-patient facility who put us on a waiting list and other therapeutic boarding schools who turned us down because of his issues. From the moment I first called Shepherd's Hill and spoke with the founders wife I knew this was where our son needed to be. Now he will graduate six months early with academic scores over a 3.5 average and best of all a firm handle on life, a growing affection for Christ and hope for a promising future.
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Recently Updated
Recently Updated
My daughter is now in month 5 at Shepherds Hill... I can admit our skepticism and concern about the wilderness approach and the effect it would have. But I have to say the program is working and those teaching and training her are top notch. I could not find a better place, better training, or better staff to care for my child.
It is tough, and rough, and a complete isolation from society other than that of her peers and staff. But that is exactly what she needed to discover herself and to learn what she needed to learn about respect, integrity, friendship, and the truth of God.