- Joint Commission accredited
- Two AZ centers
- Ages 12 to 17
- Admissions 24/7
Residential treatment for teen trauma & PTSD near Peoria, AZ.
For Peoria families, the northwest Valley need not mean settling for less specialized care. Nexus Teen Academy provides full-time, trauma-focused residential care for adolescents 12 to 17 at two accredited centers across the Valley, in North Scottsdale and Cave Creek.
- Free & confidential · No obligation · (480) 485-3424
- 4.7 Google · 37 reviews
- AZDHS-licensed residential facility
- Most major private insurance accepted
- Free consultation
- Counselor online now
Wherever in Arizona you're calling from, share where to reach you and a licensed admissions counselor calls back, usually within minutes. We'll talk through fit, coverage, and next steps. 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 · 37 reviews
- Joint Commission accredited
Every credential is independently verifiable. Joint Commission · AZDHS registry · LegitScript.
Joint Commission accreditedAZDHS-licensed · LegitScript certifiedAbout Nexus Teen Academy
Nexus Teen Academy: accredited teen trauma & PTSD treatment for Peoria families.
Nexus Teen Academy is a licensed, Joint Commission-accredited teen trauma & PTSD provider serving Peoria and the northwest Valley, for teens 12 to 17.
Two gender-separate residences on the north-east edge of the Valley, North Scottsdale (boys) and Cave Creek (girls), deliver clinician-led, UCLA PTSD Reaction Index-measured care, the subacute level between outpatient therapy and hospitalization. AZDHS-licensed, Joint Commission accredited, and LegitScript certified.
Nexus Teen Academy provides residential treatment for teen trauma and PTSD for families from Peoria, Arizona, for ages 12 to 17. Teens live in a licensed home in North Scottsdale (boys) or Cave Creek (girls) with daily trauma-focused therapy, accredited school on site, and weekly family therapy. Most stay 30 to 60 days, and the team works with AHCCCS and most private insurance.
North Scottsdale
Boys, 12 to 17 · Phoenix metro
Cave Creek
Girls, 12 to 17 · Phoenix metro
Accredited Arizona centers
Ages we treat, gender-separate
Awake clinical staff, every hour
A primary therapist, by name
Where residential care fits: IOP, PHP or residential
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.
| Question | Intensive outpatient (IOP) | Partial hospitalization (PHP) | Residential (RTC) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | A step down from PHP, or a starting point for teens who need more than weekly therapy | A step down from residential care, or a starting point for teens who need structure without 24/7 care | Teens who need 24/7 care in a safe, immersive setting |
| Where your teen sleeps | At home | At home each evening | A licensed, home-like residence with 24/7 awake staff |
| Weekly schedule | About 4 hours a day (10:30 to 2:30 or 1:00 to 5:00), 3 to 4 days a week | Several days a week, multiple hours a day | Daily therapy, with care around the clock |
| Typical length | 30 to 90+ days | 30 to 90 days | 30 to 60 days |
| School | Stays in school; IOP is therapy-focused, with no academic support | Daily schoolwork time in a classroom, with educators on staff | Accredited, credit-bearing classes on site |
| Family | Weekly individual therapy and family counseling every other week | Family therapy sessions included | Weekly family therapy, in person or by secure video |
IOP and PHP run at NexStep Teen Academy, the Nexus outpatient program in Scottsdale for teens ages 12 to 17.
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 trauma treatment program includes.
Every teen from Peoria and the northwest Valley receives the same complete, evidence-based trauma program, sequenced in phases, safety and stabilization first, trauma processing second, reintegration third.
Trauma-informed psychiatric evaluation
A DSM-5 diagnostic workup covering trauma history, PTSD symptoms, and every co-occurring condition, completed before goals are written.
Phase-based treatment plan
Stabilization goals come first, trauma-processing goals second, and the plan is shared with your family and updated as each phase completes.
TF-CBT and EMDR
Trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy, the leading evidence-based treatment for pediatric PTSD, plus EMDR (reprocessing) where indicated.
Coping skills and peer groups
Grounding, distress tolerance, and emotion-regulation skills practiced in small groups beside peers who carry similar histories.
Weekly family therapy
In person or by secure video, families learn trauma-informed responses, what helps, what re-triggers, and how to rebuild trust at home.
Psychiatric and medication care
Where medication supports recovery, commonly an SSRI for PTSD symptoms or sleep, the prescriber explains the evidence and monitors response.
Accredited academics
School continues on-site with transferable credits, delivered at a trauma-sensitive pace that rebuilds concentration and confidence.
Discharge and relapse-prevention plan
A written continuing-care map: trigger management, local trauma therapists, school re-entry steps, and crisis contacts that answer around the clock.
- Dual-diagnosis care, depression, anxiety, trauma, self-harm & substance use, together
Dual-diagnosis care
Conditions we treat: PTSD, complex trauma, and the conditions they set off.
Trauma rarely stays contained. By the time a Peoria family is weighing residential care, PTSD has usually pulled in depression, anxiety, self-harm, or substance use as coping.
Treating each thread in isolation is why many teens cycle through program after program.Nexus Teen Academy brings one clinical team and one integrated plan to the trauma and every condition it triggered. This level of care is known as dual-diagnosis care, delivered in a single Arizona residence.
Primary conditionPTSD & complex trauma
Everything below is treated in the same plan, by the same team.
Teen anxiety treatment
The alarm that never switches off.
Teen substance abuse treatment
Self-medication that took over.
Teen self-harm treatment
Safety-planned and monitored.
Safety firstTeen ADHD treatment
Focus, impulse control, school.
Teen suicidal ideation treatment
Assessed daily, never left alone.
Safety firstTeen depression treatment
Withdrawal and mood collapse.
Teen bipolar disorder treatment
Mood swings that need a diagnosis.
Teen behavioral issues treatment
Defiance, aggression, running.
Teen ODD treatment
Arguing, defiance, constant conflict.
Teen anger issues treatment
Blow-ups that frighten the family.
- Whatever your teen is facing, care stays coordinated in one integrated plan, one clinical team, and one residential setting.
The setting
See inside our Arizona teen residential home.
Two gender-separate residences in the Phoenix metro, the boys’ home in North Scottsdale and the girls’ home about 20 minutes north in Cave Creek. Both are licensed, home-like residential settings built for comfort, safety, and 24/7 supervision.
Take a self-guided 3D walkthrough of the home
Life inside
A typical day in teen residential treatment.
Structure is part of the treatment. Every day at both Arizona centers follows the same rhythm, school, therapy, movement, meals, sleep, so your teen always knows what comes next.
- MorningHygiene, meds & breakfast
Hygiene and meds from 6:30 to 7:30, then breakfast from 7:30 to 8:00.
- - Morning
Gratitude journal & education
A gratitude journal from 8:00 to 8:20, then education from 8:30 to 10:45 and a snack at 10:45.
- MorningGroup therapy & lunch
Group therapy from 11:00 to 12:00, then lunch and mindfulness from 12:00 to 1:00.
- - Afternoon
Group therapy
Group therapy from 2:00 to 3:00, a snack at 3:00, then group therapy again from 3:15 to 4:00.
- - Afternoon
Movement, dinner & evening activity
Movement with nursing from 4:15 to 5:00, dinner at 5:00, then evening activity and meds from 6:00 to 7:00.
- - Evening
Free time & lights out
Free time from 7:00 to 8:30, evening hygiene from 8:30 to 9:00, gratitude journal at 9:00 and lights out at 9:30.
Weekends run differently
Saturday and Sunday follow a lighter routine than the weekday schedule above.
Click here for a free consultationTap to call (480) 485-3424 and our admissions team will walk you through a full weekend. Someone answers any time.Awake clinical staff are on-site every hour, including overnight, at both Arizona centers.
How healing happens
Evidence-based therapies: TF-CBT, EMDR, and family therapy.
Nexus Teen Academy coordinates every evidence-based therapy, TF-CBT, EMDR, and weekly family therapy, into one plan, measured on the UCLA PTSD Reaction Index.
Core therapies
- 1
Trauma-focused CBT (TF-CBT)
The teen builds a trauma narrative at a safe, guided pace, correcting the self-blame and danger beliefs the event installed.
- 2
EMDR reprocessing
Bilateral stimulation helps the brain refile traumatic memories so they lose their present-tense charge.
- 3
Family therapy, every week
Caregivers learn trauma-informed parenting, predictability, validation, and co-regulation, and repair the trust trauma damaged.
Supporting care, running alongside
Skills groups & somatic regulation
Skills groups plus breathwork, art, and movement give the body daily practice leaving fight-or-flight.
groundingdistress tolerancePsychiatric & medication support
Prescribing is conservative and transparent, an SSRI or sleep support only when the evidence favors it, always monitored.
PTSD symptoms and sleepAccredited academics
Credit-bearing classes continue on center, with workloads calibrated to a nervous system still learning it is safe.
staying on track to graduate
Your teen's clinical team
Meet our licensed clinical team.
Every teen works with a named, credentialed clinician. Faces, roles, and licenses are shared before day one.
LPC, BC-TMHHannah Carr-Unquera
Executive Director
Leads the clinical program across both homes, licensed in Arizona and board certified in telemental health.
LCSW, DSWDr. Tyler White
Director of Adolescent Clinical Services
Sets the treatment plan each resident’s team works to, and supervises the clinicians who deliver it.
DNP, PMHNP-BCAlexandria Penner
Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner
Runs psychiatric evaluation and medication management on-site, so prescribing stays inside the house.
House teamAshley Daniels
Director of Family Services & Education
Runs family services and education across both homes, after directing theatre and teen programs and building liberal-arts residential summer camps for Mount Holyoke College and Bryn Mawr College.
House teamJennifer Inderberg
Education Supervisor
Twenty-five years in education, supervising the accredited school that runs inside each house and the credit transfers back to your district.
House teamMelissa Stockmar
Director of Food Operations
Leads the kitchen team behind the chef-prepared meals, and runs the cooking group where residents learn to feed themselves.
Arizona-licensed clinical team.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 Arizona families 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.
- 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 reviews your teen's situation, history, and what you have already tried, then tells you whether residential treatment fits and what the next step is.
- What to have ready: nothing. Just call, questions are welcome, and there is no obligation.
2
- Same day
- Free & confidential
Coverage check
With your okay, we confirm your benefits straight with your private insurance plan, and translate the result into plain numbers: what is covered, what is not, and a realistic out-of-pocket, before any decision.
- What you get: your coverage answer, usually the same day, every option mapped, including in-network and out-of-network paths.
3
- Within 24 to 48 hrs
- Licensed clinicians
Clinical assessment
Licensed clinicians assess your teen's history, needs, strengths, and safety, then recommend the appropriate level of care.
- 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
One coordinator manages logistics with you: the packing list, travel into Phoenix, school records for credit transfer, and how the first day will go.
- 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 settles in. Your first family update is scheduled before you leave, and you have direct contact with the team from day one.
- From here: predictable days, weekly updates, and a team your teen knows by name.
Coverage & cost
Does insurance cover teen residential treatment in Arizona?
Residential mental-health treatment is a covered behavioral-health benefit on most major private insurance plans. Nexus Teen Academy accepts most major commercial insurers. Wherever in the state you are, we verify your exact private benefits, in-network or out-of-network, free, confidentially, and usually the same day, then explain any out-of-pocket cost in plain English before you commit.
- 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 unsure about your plan? Call anyway, cost should never be the reason a teen doesn't get help.
- Free benefits check
See exactly what your plan covers for residential trauma treatment, free, confidential, no obligation.
After discharge
Aftercare and relapse prevention that follows your teen home.
Before discharge, your Nexus Teen Academy case manager builds the aftercare plan with you: step-down or outpatient care near your community, telehealth continuation, school re-entry with your home district, and a relapse-prevention plan, so progress holds once your teen is back in Tucson, Flagstaff, Prescott, Yuma, or the Valley.
Answers
Teen trauma treatment FAQs
The questions families ask us most, answered plainly, centers, 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) 485-3424Centers & getting there
Nexus Teen Academy runs two licensed, gender-separate residential homes for teens ages 12 to 17, a boys residence in North Scottsdale and a girls residence in Cave Creek, both in Maricopa County on the north edge of the Phoenix metro. For most Peoria families that is the nearest residential treatment for teen trauma and PTSD, and both centers sit within a half-day drive of nearly every town in the state.
Both homes sit in the Scottsdale and Cave Creek area of Maricopa County. Figure about two hours up I-10 from Tucson, roughly two and a half down I-17 from Flagstaff, ninety minutes from Prescott, and about three hours along I-8 from Yuma, with out-of-state families arriving through Phoenix Sky Harbor.
Yes. Teens come to Nexus Teen Academy from every corner of Arizona, Tucson, Flagstaff, Prescott, Yuma, Sierra Vista, and Lake Havasu City among them, as well as from out of state. When the drive is long, weekly family therapy runs by secure video so distance never interrupts care.
Family is part of the treatment, not a visitor to it. Weekly family therapy happens in person or by encrypted video, and caregivers learn trauma-informed responses, what steadies a teen and what re-triggers them, so home is ready for a healthier return.
Care & cost
Residential care for PTSD and trauma-related conditions is a covered behavioral-health benefit under most major commercial plans. Nexus Teen Academy accepts most private insurance and runs a full benefits check, in-network or out, before you decide anything, at no charge and usually the same day, so the numbers are clear up front.
Both often do. We work with AHCCCS and with most commercial plans, handle the verification and prior authorization for you, and translate coverage into concrete out-of-pocket numbers before any commitment. Out of network? A workable route exists for most families, and checking costs nothing.
Residential trauma care sits between weekly therapy and hospitalization. It becomes the right level when PTSD symptoms dominate daily life, when nightmares, flashbacks, dissociation, or self-harm raise safety concerns, or when outpatient trauma therapy has stalled and a teen needs daily, structured support to move forward.
The program is built on trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT), the strongest-evidence treatment for adolescent PTSD, delivered daily alongside EMDR where indicated, skills groups, weekly family therapy, and conservative, transparent psychiatric care, all coordinated in one plan and tracked on the UCLA PTSD Reaction Index.
Most teens stay between 30 and 60 days, though the clinical team sets the length around each teen's trauma history and progress rather than a fixed number. Before discharge your case manager assembles a written continuing-care plan: a trauma-trained outpatient therapist near home, a staged school return, and crisis contacts that answer around the clock.
Licensing & privacy
Yes. Each residence is licensed for ages 12 to 17 by the Arizona Department of Health Services, the organization is accredited by The Joint Commission, and it is LegitScript certified. All three credentials verify directly with the issuing bodies, and the links are on this page.
A psychiatric hospital handles short, acute crisis stabilization, often just a few days. Outpatient trauma therapy is an hour or two a week at home. Residential treatment is the middle level, a licensed home with daily trauma therapy, accredited school, and awake overnight staff, that outpatient cannot provide and a hospital is not built to sustain.
Completely. Every conversation, assessment, and record is protected health information under HIPAA, held within the clinical team, and never sold, shared with advertisers, or used for marketing, whether or not your teen enrolls.
Admission & daily life
Often within a few days. Admissions calls are returned within 24 hours, usually within minutes. A counselor checks your insurance benefits and licensed clinicians complete an assessment, and if everything moves smoothly your teen can move in shortly after. A coordinator walks you through travel, paperwork, and the first day.
Yes. Nexus Teen Academy offers tours of the home by appointment, so you can see where your teen would live and ask the team your questions in person before you decide anything. Call admissions to schedule a tour at a time that suits your family.
Yes. Family therapy happens once a week and is typically followed by about an hour of visitation, and parents are expected to take part. After orientation, teens can call home during designated hours most days, and families can also join a weekly virtual Family Empowerment group with other parents.
No. Personal phones and other devices stay at home for the length of the stay. Teens use tablets for video calls with approved contacts and computers for schoolwork, so contact with family continues through approved channels while the focus stays on treatment.
School continues during treatment. Teens attend accredited, credit-bearing classes on site, and education supervisors help with coursework and stay in touch with families. Bring a copy of any 504 plan or IEP at admission, and before discharge the team plans a staged return to your teen's home school.
Pack about two weeks of clothes without laces or drawstrings, alcohol-free toiletries, and any prescribed medication in its original packaging with a current medication list. Bring a guardian ID, a copy of any 504 plan or IEP, and school books. Personal phones and school-issued tablets stay at home.
The national picture
Teen trauma and PTSD, by the numbers.
Trauma exposure in adolescence is far more common than most parents assume, and a meaningful share of exposed teens develop PTSD. The data below shows why a middle level of care, residential treatment, matters.
3 in 5
of U.S. teens live through at least one traumatic event before they turn 18.
Source: NCS-A, McLaughlin et al., 20138%
of girls develop PTSD, versus 2.3% of boys.
Source: NIMH, NCS-A data~5%
of adolescents meet criteria for PTSD at some point in their lives.
Source: NIMH, NCS-A data4 in 10
high-schoolers report persistent sadness or hopelessness, often trauma-driven.
Source: CDC YRBS, 2023Arizona’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: National Comorbidity Survey Adolescent Supplement (McLaughlin et al., 2013; NIMH); Child Trends analysis of the National Survey of Children's Health (ACEs); CDC Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 2023.
Talk to an Arizona counselor, 24/7Teen group home care for Arizona families
A teen group home in Arizona, with treatment inside the house.
Searching for a teen group home in Arizona? Teens from across the state live at one of our two gender-separate homes in North Scottsdale and Cave Creek, each licensed by AZDHS as a behavioral-health residential facility, so the treatment happens inside the house, not somewhere else.
A typical group home
- Licensed for shelter and supervision
- Daily living and structure
- Supervision, not clinical treatment
Nexus homes
- AZDHS behavioral-health residential licence
- Daily therapy and psychiatric care
- Accredited school on site
Families from the Phoenix metro 9 cities
Families from Greater Arizona 6 cities
Teens from each of these cities are treated at our two homes in North Scottsdale and Cave Creek. We help with the drive or flight, and families join weekly therapy in person or by secure video.
Serving Peoria
Teen trauma treatment for Peoria families, across the Valley.
Both Nexus Teen Academy residences sit across the Valley from Peoria, a manageable drive that keeps accredited residential trauma care within reach for northwest Valley families.
Across the Valley from the northwest
From Peoria, both centers are a manageable drive across the Valley via Loop 101, usually around an hour depending on traffic.
Telehealth & travel, handled
Secure weekly family telehealth for families outside the metro, plus help planning the drive or the flight into Phoenix Sky Harbor, so distance never means dropping out of treatment.
Aftercare mapped to your community
Step-down and outpatient care lined up near home before discharge, plus school re-entry coordinated with Peoria Unified or your own district.
Nexus Teen Academy, Scottsdale · boys’ residence
Admissions 24/7
Nexus Teen Academy, Cave Creek · girls’ residence
Admissions 24/7
See a center on the map
Tap Cave Creek or Scottsdale below to load its interactive map right here.
Google Maps loads only when you choose, so nothing is shared with Google before you opt in.
Explore each Nexus Teen Academy location
North Scottsdale, 85260 · off Loop 101
Saddle Mountain Rd, 85331 · 20 min north
Served from both centers
Travel, telehealth & aftercare
From the Nexus library
What parents read before they call us.
The newest articles from Nexus Teen Academy for parents weighing what comes next. This list updates itself every time a new article goes live.
Teen Xanax Addiction: Xanax Abuse in Teen Boys & Girls
The misuse of prescription drugs among teens continues to grow. According to recent statistics, 2.5% of 12- to 17-year-olds abuse prescriptions annually, while 7.1% of high
5 Best Self-Help Books for Teens
Adolescents often face significant academic, emotional, and social challenges. As you support them through the ups and downs
What to Do When Your Teen Refuses to Go to Treatment or Therapy
One of the most heartbreaking experiences a parent can undergo is watching their teenager struggle. It is even
Signs Your Teen Needs a Higher Level of Care Than Weekly Therapy
Teen mental health statistics can be worrying. The National Institute of Mental Health estimates that roughly 49.5% of
How Caffeine Impacts Brain Development
Teens need roughly 8-10 hours of sleep for healthy brain development, which doesn’t always happen. For
Why Teen Boys With Trauma Often Target the Parent Who’s Trying Hardest to Help
Trauma and adverse childhood experiences can affect a child’s attachment, emotional regulation, and behavior toward caregivers.
Reading because something changed at home? Call (480) 485-3424 and talk it through with an Arizona admissions counselor. It is free, confidential and there is no obligation.
Every Nexus program, statewide
Find your teen’s program, wherever you live in Arizona.
Eleven conditions, one clinical team, and families from fifteen Arizona cities. Choose what your teen is struggling with, then see how care works for families from your area.
Nexus Teen Academy provides licensed residential treatment for teens aged 12 to 17 across eleven conditions: anxiety, depression, trauma and PTSD, self-harm, suicidal ideation, bipolar disorder, substance use, ADHD, behavioral issues, oppositional defiant disorder and anger issues. Boys live at the North Scottsdale residence and girls at the Cave Creek residence. Teens from 15 Arizona cities and the rest of the state are treated at these two residences, with drive-time guidance, travel help and family therapy by secure video for families outside the metro.
Trauma & PTSD care, statewide
Teen trauma & PTSD treatment for families across Arizona
Teens from each city below are treated at our Scottsdale and Cave Creek residences. We walk families through the drive, school re-entry with your home district, and the questions parents from that area ask most.
Each condition leads to its Arizona guide, and the cities beside it show how care works for families from there.
Tell an admissions counselor what you are seeing at home, and they will say plainly which program fits.
Your city is not listed? We admit teens from anywhere in Arizona and from out of state. Call (480) 485-3424 and we will tell you which residence is closer and how the drive works.