Established in 1987, Elkins Mountain Schools (EMS) is a private, nonprofit organization. EMS provides residential treatment to male youth ages 13 - 17 who exhibit impaired home, school, and community functioning and for whom less restrictive interventions have been unsuccessful. EMS also contracts Youth Services with the WV DOHS. At the Main Campus in Elkins, EMS provides a level 3.5 residential program to 44 youth; and at Oak Ridge near Leading Creek, a 15-bed level 3 residential program. All youth attend the Main Campus on-grounds school administered by the West Virginia Department of Institutional Education Programs. First accredited in 1996 by The Joint Commission, EMS demonstrates a commitment to quality and safety by continually striving to meet The Joint Commission's challenging standards for safety, care, and treatment. EMS prioritizes safety and security; family involvement; and consistent and structured scheduling. The "total treatment" program includes state education with all required and related services; age-appropriate life skill and adaptive behavior instruction; health care including education, disease prevention, and necessary treatment;  realistic free time activities and behavioral health treatment focusing on issues that impact functioning such as conduct, mood, anxiety, substance abuse, family dynamics, and other problems such as children of addicted parents, children of parents with mental health problems, and grief.

Services include:

• On-going treatment and supervision in a therapeutic milieu;
• Clinical Evaluation;
• Individual, group and family therapy;
• Psychiatric and psychological services;
• Individual and Group Supportive Counseling;
• Medical services;
• Education services;
• Recreation services;
• Nutritional/dietary services;
• Crisis Prevention/Intervention;
• Behavior Management/Adaptive Behavior Services;
• Life Skills Instruction

EMS also provides services to adolescents with co-occurring substance use disorders as classified by the DSM 5. EMS substance abuse treatment services meet all of the applicable recommended criteria for alcohol and drug treatment programs as suggested by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Resources Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Center (SAMHSA).  

These include:

• accreditation with licensed and trained professionals
• clean, organized, and managed environment
• services that encompass the full range of needs
• age, gender, and culturally-appropriate treatment services
• encouraging and planning long-term aftercare support
• assessing and modifying the individual treatment plan to meet the changing needs of the resident
• court-ordered treatment,  increasing the likelihood of success
• individual and group counseling/therapy, behavior management, and adaptive behavior services to enhance the resident's ability to function in the family, school, and community
• medication, when evaluated by the psychiatrist to be appropriate, is part of the treatment regimen
• services/referrals to family members to ensure they understand addiction and the recovery process to help support the client