For most of the students who come to NHYM, traditional therapy techniques have failed. And though prior counseling often has not worked, we find that intentional and structured relationships do.

We have three basic areas that are consistent throughout our ministry that allow our students to be able to overcome the struggles in their lives.

In each program we have three departments: Homelife, Counseling and Education; all three of these departments work together helping our students to learn to balance their lives.

The entire aspect of growth and healing does not simply come from 50 minutes of weekly counseling, but from a community working together to provide structure, security and stability—which equals change for our youth.

Structure: Consistent routine throughout the day allows teens, who have been in the midst of chaos, to slow down and to become aware of how out-of-control their lives were. They are provided with consistent Godly leadership through houseparents, teachers, counselors and administrators who role model Christ’s love for them. The staff play clearly defined roles, which helps the students understand where their struggles are.

Security: Consistent routine allows students’ anxiety to lower, which in turn allows them to learn that staff care for them. Students are given the opportunity to build relationships that challenge them and allow them to feel safe, and the freedom to work on past, present and future issues.

Stability: As students find and develop stable relationships they begin to see how trust is earned and developed. When students become stable they are able to understand the support that they had available at home but chose to move away from it rather than to embrace it.