General Information

Program Description

New Dominion School is designed to help adolescents who are experiencing emotional, behavioral, or learning difficulties. The Programs are located on 550 wooded acres in central Virginia and offer a unique approach, utilizing experiential adventure-based outdoor activities and individualized academic instruction. The outdoor setting provides students a tranquil environment in which to learn more about themselves by removing them from negative peer groups and distractions in their community. The wilderness provides a challenging environment where students can experience many successes throughout each day.

Within the framework of New Dominion's outdoor program, intervention is based on the group process problem-solving model. Each youth's difficulty in relating to others is not diagnosed and treated in isolation from other daily actions. Instead, problems are dealt with on the spot as they occur. Group meetings are held at any time during the day when a problem arises. In addition, there are regular evening group sessions. During group meetings, youths receive the help and support of their group to learn more acceptable behavior, to express emotions appropriately, and to resolve problems productively.

Student Profile

The typical student at New Dominion School is between 11 and 18 years old, is physically able to participate in our outdoor living program, and is of average intelligence. Students are often described as angry, impulsive, depressed, or oppositional. Their problems may include poor peer relations, resistance to parental control, abuse of drugs or alcohol, law violation, lying, manipulation, and running away. Evaluation of prospective students will be made to determine if the program can benefit them. Prior to enrollment, many of the the students have been administered medications to help them manage their behavior. Due to the highly structured and supportive nature of this group setting and the dynamic challenges of outdoor living, students are able to function well and make significant personal gains without prescribed medications. Students who require long-term medications are not appropriate candidates for enrollment. The average length of stay is 14 to 18 months.