Maple Lake Academy

My main issue is the amount of transphobia in this program. The staff and my therapist lied to me about my parents not wanting me to explore my transgender identity.nAnd you may ask well you don't know that for sure, Well actually I do. I asked my parents after I left the Transphobic program, and my mom and dad told me that they never said they wanted me to Not explore my identity, they absolutely wanted me to... they are very disappointed that I was lied to by staff.nnIf you have a child who struggles to understand who they are and are transgender then this is not for your kid... I was discriminated against by my gender identity.... so yeah...nnAnd do know that staff are being paid to tell the truth and only the truth. They are Not paid to Lie to parents...

Maple Lake is the reason I’m alive today and I will be indebted to them for the rest of my life. I can’t recommend this program anymore highly than I already do. I was a student there from 2013-2015. And it was easily the best 2 years of my life. If I could go back and be a student again I would.nLike any treatment center it wasn’t always rainbows and butterflies. Of course there were times I didn’t want to be there. No kid wants to be in treatment but out of all the places I could have been to get the help I desperately needed I’m grateful it was Maple Lake.nnThe staff were so kind and patient. They always went above and beyond what was expected of them. They weren’t just my caregivers or staff they became my family- my home away from home. It’s been 8 years since I first entered MLA and I still have a close relationship with many of the staff there. They still check in on me and support me when needed.nnThe program itself was well structured and perfectly planned out. We had small classes in school which meant the teachers were aware of us and how we were doing. If i needed extra help the teachers were always there to help me and when I super struggled with chemistry they brought in a tutor and set aside extra time in my schedule for my tutoring. Maple Lake was the first time I truly succeeded in school not just got by. And I was able to graduate from high school thanks to them!nTherapy was the main focus of MLA ya know since it’s a treatment center haha. So we had no shortage of that. Between individual therapy, family therapy, group therapy, equine therapy, and recreational therapy we were kept plenty busy. I can’t say I enjoyed every second of it. But I am thankful for how much emotional growth I saw in myself and witnessed in the other girls. It was definitely essential.nThough there was a lot of therapy there was also a lot of fun times and activities. We would have guest speakers come in sometimes to teach us about different things. We also left campus quite frequently- the nearby gym for PE throughout the week, school field trips, Friday night activity (a treat rewarded by the therapists and treatment team based off of your behavior throughout the week), Saturday we did walks around the neighborhood, had a fun activity and a trip to the library. I always enjoyed roller skating, going to the movies, and going to the park. During the summer there are long Fridays which are basically long adventure days which were always so much fun. There’s also the camp out. Again I could go on and on the bottom line is I had a lot of fun. I got to work at a vet clinic while I was there as well and go to a nearby gym to do CrossFit. Bottom line we were spoiled.nnIn closing I just want to repeat again that I highly recommend Maple Lake Academy. If I could drop my life right now and go back there I would. I truly treasure the things I learned, the people I met, and the years I spent there.