Hillcrest Educational Centers’ Fernbrook Residential Program specializes in the treatment of adolescent males ages 12 – 21 with extreme psychiatric, emotional, and behavior disorders. Most students have experienced physical and/or sexual abuse and have become severely aggressive, self-injurious, or engage in fire setting behaviors. Most of our young men have been in psychiatric hospitals and/or have not succeeded in other residential settings due to the severity of their needs and behaviors.

Many of the students at Fernbrook have trauma histories involving being subject to past abuse and neglect by caregivers. While at Fernbrook, the students are engaged in trauma resolution through intensive therapeutic services as well as by utilizing milieu interventions. Additionally, many of the Fernbrook students are dually-diagnosed with including but not limited to psychiatric disorders, learning disabilities, developmental delays, and Autism Spectrum Disorders.

Fernbrook provides an intensely structured, therapeutic and nurturing environment with high staff to student ratios. This allows the students to learn new skills including coping skills, emotional regulation skills, mindfulness skills and interpersonal relationship skills to help them become more successful as they prepare for transition to a lower level of care or community setting. With the help of the Fernbrook staff, our students are able to utilize these skills to allow them to make productive choices rather than engage in quick relief or high-risk behaviors.

In addition to treatment services, Fernbrook provides a year round individualized special educational program, provided on site to the students as well as a structured residential and milieu environment. Students are provided with ample vocational and independent living skills practices and opportunity during their course of treatment at Highpoint. Our medical services include routine medical care delivered by nurses on-site as well as psychiatric services and medication management.

Located on our Highpoint Campus, Fernbrook provides excellent recreational opportunities utilizing a soccer field and baseball diamond, an in-ground swimming pool, and a full size gymnasium. Students participate in camping, biking, skiing and other outdoor activities year round. The surrounding Berkshire communities offer a wide variety of educational, cultural and recreational resources that our students frequently access and utilize. Additionally, the campus hosts a monthly family event where students and their family are welcome and can gather and engage in an activity facilitated by Fernbrook staff.