Third Way Center
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Overview
Third Way Center offers truth and hope to some of Colorado's most vulnerable adolescents and their families. Founded in 1970 by psychiatrist Hildegard Messenbaugh, MD, the nonprofit grew from a single shelter for at-risk teens into a continuum of care across metro Denver, combining home-like residential settings with specialized education and clinical treatment.
Education happens through Joan Farley Academy, two state-approved facility schools staffed by licensed Master's-level special education teachers, school social workers, and counselors trained to support traumatized youth. Small class sizes, experiential learning, and vocational partnerships give students a path to a high school diploma or GED. Eighty percent of eligible students earn that credential during their time in the program.
Treatment is rooted in a trauma-informed philosophy that recognizes how trauma changes the brain. The center's Six Boxes methodology and its encephalopathy unit pair clinical care with practices like meditation, sound therapy, and yoga, so students can heal first and then focus on learning, growth, and a healthy future.
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- trauma
- emotional_behavioral
- mental_health
- substance_use
- traumatic_brain_injury
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