Our Students
Elements specializes in treating young men, ages 13 – 17, who are struggling with emotional or behavioral issues such as low self-esteem, mood dysregulation, anger and defiance, or poor relationships with peers, family or authority figures. Many of our students have begun to experiment with or abuse drugs or alcohol as the result of peer pressure and/or in an attempt to manage their own painful emotions.
The young men we work with have a wide range of issues but share in common the intelligence and internal resources to engage productively in therapy, form new pro-social ways of dealing with life’s challenges, and enter into healthy, independent adulthood. They just need the right support. We’re here to provide that support.
Elements works with a wide range of diagnostic profiles and we evaluate applicants on a 
case by case basis to ensure an optimal match. Please call John Karren (801-505-8481), Founder and Admissions Director, to discuss whether your son or client is a fit for Elements. We only accept students who can really benefit from our approach, so if we feel that another program would be more appropriate, we’ll tell you! Once a student is admitted, we conduct a thorough assessment to determine the exact nature of his challenges so that we can construct an ideal treatment plan. Our treatment approach is designed to address emotional and behavioral difficulties while tapping powerfully into each young man’s unique constellation of personal strengths and internal resources. A strengths-based approach allows for the deepest and most sustainable change.
Elements has great success working with:
- Mood disorders and mood dysregulation (depression, anxiety, explosiveness)
- Self-esteem issues
- Anger, defiance and oppositional behavior (ODD)
- Substance abuse or other addictive behavior (internet, etc.)
- Learning differences and academic underperformance
- Difficulty with family relationships
- Difficulty with peer relationships
- Blame shifting and difficulty accepting responsibility for actions
- Grief or loss
- Trauma
- High risk behavior
- Withdrawal
To make sure that our program is safe and highly effective for the young men we serve, we are careful to only accept students who fit our profile. We will let you know if your son would benefit from a different type of program. Elements students are not currently or chronically:
- In need of intensive psychiatric management or hospitalization
- Psychotic
- Personality disordered
- In a severely advanced addiction cycle (i.e. in need of detox or hospitalization)
- At high risk for serious self-harm or violence
