- Joint Commission accredited
- Two AZ campuses
- Ages 12–17
- Admissions 24/7
Residential treatment for teen depression near Phoenix, Arizona.
When weekly therapy isn’t enough, your Phoenix teen can heal without leaving the Valley. Joint Commission–accredited residential care for depression and co-occurring anxiety, trauma, and substance use, ages 12 to 17, on two campuses inside the Phoenix metro so family stays close through every step.
- Free & confidential · No obligation · (480) 485-3424
- 4.7 Google · 34 reviews
- AZDHS-licensed residential facility
- Most major private insurance accepted
- Free consultation
- Counselor online now
Talk with a licensed counselor
Calling from Ahwatukee, Arcadia, North Phoenix or anywhere across the Valley? Leave a good number and a licensed admissions counselor calls you back, usually within minutes, to talk through whether residential care fits, what your insurance covers, and how the first step works. No pressure.
- It's now where you are · typical callback under 10 minutes.
- Secure, private, and HIPAA-protected. By submitting you agree to be contacted about care; message/data rates may apply.
- 4.7 Google · 34 reviews
- Joint Commission accredited
Real credentials Phoenix parents can verify for themselves.
Every credential is independently verifiable. Joint Commission · AZDHS registry · LegitScript.
Joint Commission accreditedAZDHS-licensed · LegitScript certifiedAbout Nexus Teen Academy
Teen depression treatment for Phoenix families, accredited, and close to home.
For a family in Phoenix, the hardest moment often isn’t noticing that a teen is struggling, it’s realizing that weekly appointments and school check-ins aren’t turning things around. Nexus Teen Academy is a licensed, Joint Commission–accredited residential program for adolescents 12 to 17 whose depression needs more structure and safety than an outpatient schedule can hold. Because both of our homes sit inside the Phoenix metro, your teen can step into full-time clinical care without leaving the Valley, and you stay close enough to be part of the work.
Two gender-separate homes in the Phoenix metro, North Scottsdale for boys and Cave Creek for girls, each an easy drive from central Phoenix, Ahwatukee, and the East Valley.
North Scottsdale
Boys, 12–17 · Phoenix metro
Cave Creek
Girls, 12–17 · Phoenix metro
2
Accredited Phoenix-area campuses
12–17
Ages we treat, gender-separate
24/7
Awake clinical staff, every hour
1:1
A primary therapist, by name
Where residential care fits
The subacute level between weekly therapy and a hospital bed.
Therapy once or a few times a week. Your teen stays home and at school.
Live-in clinical care with 24/7 awake staff, daily therapy, and accredited school, in a real home.
You are hereShort-term acute stabilization for immediate medical or safety crisis.
Not sure which level your teen needs? A licensed counselor will walk through it with you on the phone, free, and tell you honestly if a lower level of care is the better fit.
Speak with our admissions teamThe program
What our teen depression treatment program includes.
At both of our Phoenix-area campuses, every teen receives the same complete, evidence-based depression program, a full psychiatric assessment, individual CBT, DBT skills groups, weekly family therapy, prescriber-led medication review when it is warranted, accredited daily academics, and a written discharge plan. The level of clinical care does not change because a family lives in the Valley.
Comprehensive psychiatric assessment
Before any treatment plan is written, a psychiatrist evaluates your teen’s depression along with anything occurring alongside it, using DSM criteria.
Individualized treatment plan
Nexus Teen Academy’s licensed clinicians build the plan around your teen specifically, walk you through it, and revise it as they progress.
Individual therapy. CBT & TF-CBT
One-on-one sessions using CBT, and trauma-focused CBT where trauma is present, to work on the thought patterns driving the depression.
Group therapy & DBT skills
Small DBT skills groups where teens practice emotion regulation, distress tolerance and mindfulness alongside peers who understand.
Weekly family therapy
Held in person, or by secure telehealth when the drive across the Valley is hard, so Phoenix-area parents stay involved in the work every week.
Psychiatric & medication management
Care is led by a prescriber; if medication is considered at all, it is weighed case by case and explained to you in plain terms.
Accredited academics
Accredited coursework runs every weekday and credits transfer, so your teen keeps moving toward graduation while in care.
Discharge & relapse-prevention plan
Your teen leaves with a written aftercare plan, warning signs to watch for, step-down providers close to home, and who to call in a crisis.
- Dual-diagnosis care, depression, anxiety, trauma, self-harm & substance use, together
Dual-diagnosis care
Conditions we treat: depression, anxiety, trauma, and substance use.
Depression in teenagers almost never travels by itself. By the point a Phoenix family starts weighing residential care, the depression has usually pulled in anxiety, self-harm, past trauma, or substance use, and each one keeps feeding the others.
Treating those pieces one clinic at a time is exactly why so many teens bounce from program to program without lasting change.At Nexus Teen Academy a single clinical team works from one integrated plan that treats the depression and everything tangled up with it at the same time.
Primary conditionDepression & mood disorders
Everything below is treated in the same plan, by the same team.
Anxiety & panic
Common co-occurring condition.
Substance use
Co-occurring substance use.
Suicidal ideation
Assessed and monitored first.
Safety firstAnger & mood swings
Emotion-regulation support.
Self-harm
Structured, safety-focused care.
Safety firstLow self-esteem
Rebuilding self-worth.
Trauma & PTSD
Treated with TF-CBT.
Bipolar disorder
Mood-disorder management.
- Whatever your teen is facing, care stays coordinated in one integrated plan, one clinical team, and one residential setting.
The setting
See inside our Phoenix-area residential home
Two separate homes, one for boys, one for girls, sit in the Phoenix metro: the boys’ residence in North Scottsdale and the girls’ residence a short drive north in Cave Creek. Both are licensed, home-like settings built to feel calm and safe rather than clinical, and both stay within easy reach of central Phoenix and the East Valley.
Take a self-guided 3D walkthrough of the home
Life inside
A typical day in teen residential treatment.
Structure is part of the treatment. At both of our Phoenix-area campuses the day moves through the same steady rhythm, school, therapy, movement, meals, sleep, so your teen always knows what is coming next.
7:30aWake, breakfast & check-in
A predictable morning routine, breakfast, and a daily mood check-in.
9:00aAccredited school
Small-group classes with credit transfer, so no one falls behind.
11:00aIndividual & group therapy
CBT, DBT skills, and one-to-one time with a therapist your teen knows.
2:00pExperiential & movement
Art, mindfulness, and outdoor time built into each day.
5:30pDinner & community
Shared evening meals and peer connection.
8:30pWind-down & overnight care
A steady wind-down routine, with awake staff on-site through the night.
Awake clinical staff are on-site every hour, including overnight, at both Arizona campuses.
How healing happens
Evidence-based therapies: CBT, DBT, and family therapy.
Nexus Teen Academy pulls every evidence-based therapy, CBT, DBT, and weekly family sessions, into a single treatment plan across both Phoenix-area campuses. The plan is reviewed every week and tracked with the PHQ-9, so progress is measured rather than guessed at.
Core therapies
1Individual therapy. CBT & TF-CBT
Individual CBT and TF-CBT targeting negative thought patterns, low energy, and any underlying trauma.
2Group therapy & DBT skills
DBT skills: distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and mindfulness, practiced in peer groups.
3Family therapy, every week
Weekly family therapy that repairs communication and prepares the home your teen returns to.
Supporting care, running alongside
Holistic & experiential
Art, movement, and mindfulness that rebuild motivation and self-worth.
Psychiatric & medication support
Prescriber-led evaluation; medication weighed case-by-case, explained in full, monitored closely.
Accredited academics
Accredited classes each weekday with credit coordination, so recovery and graduation progress together.
Your teen's clinical team
Meet our licensed clinical team.
Every teen is paired with a named, credentialed clinician and a nursing team, and you see their faces, roles, and licenses before the first day, not after.
LPC, BC-TMH
LCSW, DSW
DNP, PMHNP-BCAlexandria Penner
Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner
24/7 on-siteBSN, RNAshley Morton
Nursing · 24/7 medical support
Medically reviewed by Hannah Carr-Unquera, LPC-16514, BC-TMH · July 2026.Every Nexus Teen Academy clinician is licensed in Arizona. Verify any license on the AZ Board of Behavioral Health Examiners directory.
What families say
What families across the Phoenix area say about Nexus Teen Academy
4.7/ 5
Read them all on Google★★★★★
“Nexus Academy was a wonderful place for my daughter. The staff were amazing and so supportive. They worked with our entire family. Highly recommend Nexus.”
★★★★★
“Sending your child or teen to a residential treatment facility is a difficult and heart-wrenching decision. The team at Nexus Teen Academy was exceptional. Our daughter’s therapist was a great fit for her and played a significant role in helping us grow as a family.”Read the full review →
★★★★★
“The program at Nexus was a lifesaver for my 15-year-old daughter. After a tough year in and out of different levels of care, my husband and I had truly hit a breaking point and knew a residential facility was needed.”Read the full review →
These come straight from our public Google Business Profile, anyone can read all 34 and add their own.
Getting started
How admission works, from first call to first day.
Our promise while you decide
- You set the pace, with no pressure to decide
- Clear answers to every clinical and financial question
- An honest recommendation, even if another program is the better fit
1
- Today · 24/7
- ~15 minutes
One calm call
A licensed Nexus Teen Academy admissions counselor listens to what is going on with your teen, what the history looks like, and what you have already tried, then tells you honestly whether residential care is the right level, or whether something less intensive would serve them better.
- What to have ready: nothing. Just call, questions are welcome, and there is no obligation.
2
- Same day
- Free & confidential
Coverage check
With your go-ahead, we verify your benefits directly with your private insurance plan and hand the answer back to you in plain numbers, what is covered, what is not, and what any out-of-pocket cost would realistically be, before you commit to anything.
- What you get: your coverage answer, usually the same day, every option mapped, including in-network and out-of-network paths.
3
- Within 24–48 hrs
- Licensed clinicians
Clinical assessment
Licensed clinicians look closely at your teen’s history, needs, strengths and safety, then recommend the level of care that actually fits, not simply the one that happens to have a bed open.
- Your input matters: what you have seen at home is a key part of the clinical assessment.
4
- Within days
- Named coordinator
Plan the arrival
A single coordinator handles the logistics alongside you, the packing list, the trip into Phoenix, transferring school records so credits keep counting, and exactly how the first day will unfold, so nothing catches you off guard.
- No surprises: you will have the packing list, schedule, and your coordinator's direct line in writing.
5
- Welcome day
- Never out of the loop
A gentle, planned arrival
Your teen meets the clinical team and eases in. Your first family update is on the calendar before you leave the campus, and you have direct contact with the team from that day forward.
- From here: predictable days, weekly updates, and a team your teen knows by name.
Coverage & cost
Does insurance cover teen residential treatment in the Phoenix area?
On most major private insurance plans, residential mental-health care is a covered behavioral-health benefit rather than an out-of-pocket extra. Nexus Teen Academy checks your specific plan directly with your insurer and turns the answer into plain numbers, so you know exactly where you stand before making any decision.
- 1You send your plan detailsTwo required fields. Member ID optional. Takes about a minute.
- 2We verify with your insurer directlyIn-network or out-of-network, free and confidential, usually the same day.
- 3You get the number in plain EnglishYour exact out-of-pocket cost, explained before you commit to anything.
- Meritain
- UMR
- + more
Out-of-network, or not sure what your plan includes? Call us anyway. Cost should never be the reason a teen in crisis doesn’t get help.
- Free benefits check
Verify your insurance in 2 minutes
See exactly what your plan covers for residential depression treatment, free, confidential, no obligation.
"*" indicates required fields
After discharge
Aftercare and relapse prevention that follows your teen home.
Before your teen ever leaves, a Nexus Teen Academy case manager builds the aftercare plan with you, step-down or outpatient providers back in your part of the Phoenix area, telehealth to keep therapy going, school re-entry coordinated with your home district, and a written relapse-prevention plan everyone can follow.
Answers
Teen depression treatment FAQs
The questions families ask us most, answered plainly, campuses, distance, insurance, licensing, and privacy.
A licensed admissions counselor can answer it on the phone right now, no script, no pressure, and no obligation to enroll.
Talk to a counselorAnswered 24/7 at (480) 485-3424Campuses & getting there
Nexus Teen Academy has two licensed residential homes for depressed teens ages 12 to 17 in Maricopa County: a boys residence in North Scottsdale and a girls residence in Cave Creek, both in Maricopa County. From Phoenix in the Phoenix metro, the nearest campus is roughly about 30 to 40 minutes via the Loop 101 and SR-51, so families rarely have to leave the Phoenix metro to find residential depression care.
From Phoenix the boys home in North Scottsdale and the girls home in Cave Creek are about 30 to 40 minutes via the Loop 101 and SR-51. Both sit on the north side of Maricopa County, an easy same-day trip for Phoenix and nearby Paradise Valley and Tempe families.
Yes. Phoenix families make up a large part of who we serve, along with the wider the Phoenix metro and all of Maricopa County. Families outside the Valley are welcome too, and weekly family therapy runs by secure telehealth when the drive is too long.
Because Phoenix is about 30 to 40 minutes from the campuses, most families attend weekly family therapy in person and visit on schedule. Progress calls and secure video sessions fill in whenever a trip across the Phoenix metro is not practical that week.
Care & cost
Residential mental-health care is a covered behavioral-health benefit on most major plans, including Blue Cross Blue Shield, Aetna, Cigna and UnitedHealthcare, and we also accept AHCCCS. Rather than quoting a flat price, we run a free, no-obligation benefits check so Phoenix families see their real out-of-pocket cost before deciding. If you searched for teen depression treatment near me and worry about affording it, call us, cost should never be the reason a teen goes without care.
Both often do. We work with AHCCCS and with most commercial plans, handling the prior authorization and utilization review that residential care requires. Our team verifies your specific plan, explains in-network versus out-of-network options, and can pursue a single case agreement when that is the best path for your teen.
Residential care makes sense when weekly therapy and medication are not holding, when a teen is withdrawing, sleeping all day, failing school, or showing self-harm or suicidal thoughts, or when depression has taken over daily life at home. A 24/7 structured setting gives a depressed teen intensive therapy and constant safety that once-a-week appointments cannot.
Our depression program is built on evidence-based care: cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), and behavioral activation to rebuild motivation, plus trauma-focused CBT when trauma sits underneath the depression. Teens also get individual therapy, group work, family therapy and psychiatric medication management (including SSRIs when appropriate), all delivered by licensed, master-level clinicians.
Most teens stay between 30 and 60 days, though the clinical team sets the length around each teen and family. Before discharge we build an aftercare plan, step-down to a lower level of care, a return to school, outpatient providers and relapse-prevention tools, so the progress made in residential care holds once your teen is home.
Licensing & privacy
Yes. Nexus Teen Academy is licensed by the Arizona Department of Health Services and holds Joint Commission accreditation, the same standard used by leading hospitals. Both homes, boys in North Scottsdale and girls in Cave Creek, are staffed around the clock by licensed clinicians and trained youth-care team members.
A psychiatric hospital handles short, acute crisis stabilization, usually only a few days. Outpatient therapy is an hour a week at home. Residential treatment sits between them: your teen lives in a licensed, home-like setting for weeks, receiving daily therapy, school and 24/7 support, which is what many depressed teens need to truly recover rather than just stabilize.
Completely. Every conversation, assessment and record is protected under HIPAA and Arizona confidentiality law. A benefits check or a call to our admissions line is private and carries no obligation, and we never share your information outside your teen care team without your written consent.
The statewide picture
Arizona teen mental health, by the numbers.
Adolescent depression and anxiety have risen sharply across Arizona, and for a growing number of families weekly outpatient therapy is no longer enough. The state’s own data shows why a middle level of care, residential treatment, exists.
4 in 10
Arizona high-schoolers reported their mental health was not good most or all of the time.
3 in 10
Seriously considered suicide, and about 1 in 10 attempted.
97%
Rise in adolescent depression diagnoses in Arizona, 2016–17 to 2020–21.
55%
Rise in anxiety diagnoses over the same period.
Arizona’s 988 and Teen Lifeline lines meet the emergency, but a crisis call is stabilization, not ongoing treatment.
Residential care is the step between outpatient therapy and the hospital, the middle is what has been missing.
Sources: Arizona Department of Health Services, Adolescent Mental Health Report; Arizona Youth Risk Behavior Survey (2021); National Survey of Children’s Health.
Talk to an Arizona counselor, 24/7Across Arizona
Teen depression treatment across Arizona, from two Phoenix-metro campuses.
Both Nexus Teen Academy residences sit in the Phoenix metro, inside Maricopa County, which means a family from almost anywhere in Arizona can get their teen into accredited residential care while staying close enough to stay part of the program, not just visit it.
Within a half-day of most of the state
About two hours from Tucson on I-10, 2½ hours from Flagstaff on I-17, 1½ hours from Prescott, and three hours from Yuma on I-8, with Sierra Vista and Lake Havasu City a similar reach.
Telehealth & travel, handled
Weekly family sessions run over secure telehealth for families who live outside the metro, and our team helps you plan the drive or the flight into Phoenix Sky Harbor, so the distance between you and the program never becomes a reason to stop treatment.
Aftercare mapped to your community
Before discharge we map step-down and outpatient care close to home and coordinate your teen’s school re-entry, so the progress made here keeps going once they are back in your community.
Nexus Teen Academy, Scottsdale · boys’ residence
8611 E Cholla St, Scottsdale, AZ 85260
Admissions 24/7
Nexus Teen Academy, Cave Creek · girls’ residence
2695 E Saddle Mountain Rd, Cave Creek, AZ 85331
Admissions 24/7
See a campus on the map
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Explore each Nexus Teen Academy location
Scottsdale (boys)
North Scottsdale, 85260 · off Loop 101
Cave Creek (girls)
Saddle Mountain Rd, 85331 · 20 min north
Phoenix metro
Served from both campuses
Yuma & SW Arizona
Travel, telehealth & aftercare