The unique Heritage School approach is based on relationships: that our relationship with ourselves and others is the foundation of a successful, healthy life.

Youth who do not trust the care of others have retreated within themselves and have built a wall of brittle defenses. They are left to their own limited internal resources and are easily influenced by peers, fads, and other external influences, many of which are unhealthy. Attempts by parents and others to reach them are often met with extreme resistance, anger and indifference.

Effective treatment, that can make a difference, begins with a human relationship. Control and forces used to construct change in treatment facilities are often mechanical, impersonal and lack the power to impact positive change. That is not to say that controls are not needed at times, but when used outside of the context of a caring and supportive human relationship, they only give rise to resentment and further distrust. At Heritage, our belief is that the most crucial aspect of treatment is the human relationship. Everything else we do should be an outgrowth of a nurturing and supportive relationship. Trust of care, trust of control, trust of self, are the result of meeting basic human needs, providing positive nurturing and social interactions, allowing for independent interaction within the environment with supportive limiting and redirecting as needed, and developing internal feelings and responses to what they are learning.

The safer a young person feels in a relationship, the more honest they will be and
their openness will lead to new exploration, expression and awareness. We can help a youth when they can tell us about their pain and be willing to look at their issues. This process of opening up, allowing for feelings of vulnerability, accepting care and reciprocating respect and caring is a healing experience that serves as the basis for
good treatment.

Our programs are designed to encourage youth beyond their familiar boundaries,
shifting them to life experiences full of possibility and choices. Heritage kids have typically lived their lives in pure survival mode, just getting by, coping and absorbing
the dysfunction or chaos around them, hiding from or breaking normal human attachments, and resisting change. This self-defeating pattern is acted out as repeating what is familiar, even if it limits growth, maturity, and happiness.

Heritage provides teens with opportunities and experiences that will help them discover, recognize and overcome self-defeating patterns. We teach our students where the "land mines" are buried… and how to step around them, rather than repeatedly stepping on them. We help them with the three levels of trust: trust of care, trust of control, and trust of self - to develop healthy bonds with other human beings. We are committed to helping adolescents overcome the cycle of "reaction for survival" to instead, experience the empowerment of personal choice and responsibility - learning, in the process, who they truly are and the horizon of possibility.