What is a therapeutic boarding school, and how can it help teenagers facing anxiety, depression, trauma, school refusal, and other mental health challenges? In this episode Will sits down with Peter Chorney, Executive Director of Grove School, one of the nation's oldest therapeutic boarding schools. Peter shares how Grove School has spent more than 92 years evolving its approach to residential treatment, combining academics, clinical care, family involvement, creative arts, and outdoor experiences to help teenagers build resilience, confidence, and hope.
Peter also reflects on growing up on the Grove School campus, following in the footsteps of his father Richard Chorney, and leading a therapeutic boarding school through a rapidly changing mental health landscape. Together, Will and Peter discuss why family engagement is essential to successful treatment, how today's adolescents are arriving with greater levels of trauma and isolation than ever before, and why connection, community, and time in nature continue to play a vital role in helping teens and families heal. Whether you're a parent exploring residential treatment, a mental health professional, or simply interested in the evolution of therapeutic schools, this episode offers an inside look at one of the field's longest-standing and most respected programs.
This podcast is supported by White Mountain Adventure Institute (wmai.org), offering adventure inspired retreats and coaching facilitated by Will White.