Part of Ascend Healthcare, Canyons House is a
residential treatment center for adolescent girls ages 12-17 struggling with anxiety, trauma, depression, ADHD, and other mental health concerns. Canyons provides a
holistic healing environment that includes a variety of therapies and activities. Anxiety, depression, anger, post-traumatic stress disorder, are among the trauma symptoms that this specific program treats. This program incorporates experiential therapies with tried and true evidence-based therapy. Treatment can include eye movement therapy (EMDR), 12-Steps for co-occurring substance addiction, animal-assisted therapy, drama therapy, music therapy, horticulture, medication, yoga, and more.
During treatment, girls are given a companion animal to care for. This animal-assisted therapy helps girls learn a new degree of self-care and responsibility that was taken away from them by the trauma. Animal care can also serve as a distraction from upsetting life situations and provide clients the room they need to evaluate their trauma and face it with the assistance of their therapists.
The residential treatment facility is situated in Sand Canyon in Northwestern Los Angeles, close to the San Gabriel Mountains. The location is a modest farm that borders the Angeles National Forest. There are only 6 individuals in the program at any given time, keeping it small and personalized. A roommate is allocated to each female in an effort to foster deep relationships and peer support.
Evidence-Based Context: According to SAMHSA's National Survey on Drug Use and Health (2023), approximately 48.7 million Americans aged 12 or older had a substance use disorder in the past year. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) emphasizes that treatment programs combining behavioral therapy with medication-assisted approaches show the highest rates of sustained recovery. Facilities like Ascend Healthcare-Canyons House provide structured pathways to evidence-based care.
Sources: SAMHSA NSDUH 2023, NIDA Principles of Drug Addiction Treatment (4th Ed.)