Education with Heart, Education that Matters, Education within Community

Holden has worked with thousands of Bay Area students over the past 40 years who have experienced many concerns/issues. Our integrated counseling program and our focus on social emotional growth has allowed us to serve/work with students who have struggled with depression, anxiety, school phobia, social anxiety, and sexuality issues. Our holistic approach to education, which includes the idea that it takes a village to educate a student, has provided a safe educational environment for thousands of students.

Anxiety
For over forty years, we have been helping teens overcome and manage their anxiety, be it generalized or social, while providing them with a rich educational experience. We understand anxiety, and our integrated counseling program, individual attention, and small community of supportive peers and adults have transformed the lives of many young people whose anxiety has stemmed from learning challenges and/or life challenges.

Depression
In our experience, many teens have struggled with environmental depression because they have been isolated, have had limited success in school, or with peer relationships, or have had difficult life experiences. Holden’s strength based treatment model for adolescents works particularly well for students who are struggling with depression. Holden gives teens multiple opportunities to connect with and get support from adults and peers that go beyond individual and or group counseling.

School Phobia
Adolescents do not want to go to schools where they feel like failures or feel unsafe. School phobia or school refusal is often the result of this. For over forty years we have provided a safe, exciting, and alternative educational environment for teens that have refused to attend other schools. Students feel comfortable at Holden where respectful staff and peer relationships are the rule rather than the exception in a small personal environment. Our integrated counseling program and small community of supportive peers and adults have transformed the lives of many young people whose high school paths have thus far been challenging.

Computer and video game addiction
Adolescents who spend a lot of time on computers and playing video games have often lost their capacity for connection and friendships outside of the online world. Holden provides not only a stimulating educational environment, but also provides an environment which instills confidence, encourages students to develop healthy passions, and provides daily opportunities to increase and refine social skills. The crux of our treatment is to replace online connection and behaviors with real life connections through our integrated counseling program, individual attention, and small community of supportive peers and adults.

LGBTQ
For over forty years, Holden High School has been a safe place for teens who are questioning, teens who identify as gay, lesbian, bi-sexual or transgender, and teens who have been bullied in other settings due to their orientation, perceived or actual. Holden’s small community of supportive peers and adults, a strong focus on social emotional growth, and inspiring and unique academic program has allowed students a safe place to explore their identity in a safe environment.