La Europa Academy

"Our daughter just graduated from La Europa Academy after 17 months. We highly recommend LEA to all families who are struggling with their daughters. We understand every family is different, but this is our story. We adopted our daughter from Russia when she was 44 months old. We had high hopes that with love and support she would fit right into to our family, which included another daughter 2 years older. The reality is our younger daughter had a start to life that no one should be subjected to. The lack of care from her birth family, combined with 2 ½ years in an orphanage, created challenges that we were unprepared for. Within a year of bringing her home, we were searching for answers through a variety of therapy options. Fast forward 7 years and we realized we needed even more help. For the next 5 years she lived away from home in two therapy programs, with short stays back at home after completing those programs. At 17 ½ years old, we placed her at La Europa. She was not happy, but the staff at LEA worked diligently with her, setting boundaries while letting her know she was loved and valued, and working with her in the areas that she struggled. On her 18th birthday, she had to make a choice because as a legal adult, she had to actually sign herself back into the program to continue. She ultimately did. It was a turning point. Over the next year, she engaged in the programming, had successes and setbacks, happiness and frustrations, but through the dedicated work of the entire staff and therapists at LEA, she grew tremendously. For the first time ever, she said she appreciated us and thanked us. It was amazing to hear. On March 11 she graduated, both from high school with a diploma (not a given 18 months prior!) and from the program. At the program “grad” ceremony, many of her peers and staff shared with her their feelings about her and her journey, what she meant to them, what they learned from her, how they saw her grow, and why they will miss her. It was emotional to see and hear the love in that room toward our daughter. Our daughter still has a big journey in front of her. But the professional support, education and love she received at LEA has set her on a path toward success that we never could have accomplished alone. We are grateful for LEA, and we could not recommend it highly enough! One final thought. I read many of the other reviews, including the very negative 1-star reviews. I certainly can’t/won’t argue with their perspectives. In fact, we worked with an educational consultant who recommended two therapeutic programs to us in the summer of 2022. I remember her specifically saying that for a number of years prior she stopped recommending La Europa to clients because she did not like or agree with some aspects of their program. But she said she had recently toured their facility, spoke with their director, staff and therapists, and started recommended them again. We spoke with both programs before choosing LEA. Net/net, programs can change, and our experience over the last 18 months at LEA was exceptional. In particular, the “transition to adulthood” aspect of their Mosaic House was instrumental in helping our daughter gain more confidence as she prepared for independent living. The fact that you are reading this review means you are dealing with a challenging family situation yourself. We wish you the best in your journey."

"La Europa helped my daughter tremendously. She walked in as an anxious 16 year old girl, and walked out one year later as a solid, self-confident young woman with a high level of respect and regard for others. The therapists, teachers and staff were caring and supportive of not only our daughter, but also of us as parents. We had been through the ringer and they could understand and help with that. La Europa was instrumental in providing the structure and support that prompted a miraculous, positive transformation in our family. We are so grateful to LEA and our daughter's therapist Dave!! P.S. The only reason I did not give it 5 stars was that the facility management could be a little quicker to fix things, and the food could be improved. That said, I would recommend La Europa to any parent struggling with their child."

"My family had an excellent experience with La Europa Academy. The therapy was incredibly helpful for our daughter and for the adults in her life. We are so grateful for Dave, the clinical Director. He has been a real gift to our daughter and family. Also the teachers were kind and caring toward our daughter. We are so glad we found La Europa after touring a number of similar programs. Amanda was always so reassuring that the process is good and that we were on the right path. I can't thank all the caring staff at La Europa enough."

"My daughter was sent to La Euopa about 7 years ago. She stayed for 3 years. It was a difficult time for her and us, the parents. Had she not gone to La Europa she would not have a high school diploma and would probably be in jail somewhere. It was a hard 3 years for her and for us. It was not perfect and I had many fights with them about food, activities, taking things away from her that I did not agree with. Activities were not always organized etc. but when reflecting on the total experience it was positive and our daughter is better off because of her time there. She has many issues which were not going to be resolved in that time period. But she participated in the necessary activities that she would not participate in at home. She gained considerable insight into her issues, made good friends and graduated from high school. She knows her limitations and still goes to therapy . Without this program we would not be seeing her progress at all. Don’t expect that the program will turn your kid around when they get out. She won’t be cured and it will still take work to get her integrated back into the community in a good way. She has a job and a house and a car. She maintains contact with us and we with her. I am calling the program a success for our family. I believe the program put us into a much better space for her to succeed."

"Thank Goodness for La Europa. The therapeutic staff is incredibly dedicated, skilled and patient. The academic staff are too. You can tell the therapists love their work and their students. The TLC and supportive community environment (staff) is palpable. I see the students progress each visit. The art and expressive programs are a terrific outlet for the students, which the parents get to enjoy at a student show each parent workshop. The parent ed program is excellent. Parents love the workshops and CERTS program. Even the scrambled eggs excel.."