Shortridge Academy Welcomes Decker

Shortridge Academy is pleased to welcome a new counselor to its clinically oriented counseling and strengths-based residential program. Morgan Decker joined the team in December and is hitting the ground running, partnering with Clinical Director, Christina Smalley on new student case management, family and EC communication.

Morgan comes to Shortridge with a background in Adventure Based Counseling, specifically experience working in a therapeutic wilderness program and therapeutic ropes course instructor-ship. She has a unique combination of an outdoor education oriented Bachelor's degree and employment experience as well as a clinically integrated graduate program and degree in Social Work.

Morgan's interest in the therapeutic aspects of the outdoors began early for her. As a young teen Morgan had her first opportunity to participate in a challenge course experience and was immediately hooked on the sense of adventure and the personal growth possibilities those experiences can provide. Following that passion, she went to the University of New Hampshire (UNH) to achieve her Bachelor's Degree in Outdoor Education and soon after pursued her Master's in Social Work also at UNH. She has spent the last few years attending grad school and working a myriad of challenge courses, outdoor leadership, therapeutic wilderness programs and specialty camps. Her focus has been on running experiential programs for teens and young adults that focus on leadership, community building, personal empowerment, team building, and diversity education. She hopes to keep the students at Shortridge on their toes with new activities and bring play back into their daily lives both in the therapeutic and recreational realms.

Morgan is also a certified Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) and an experienced outdoor enthusiast. When not working, Morgan can be found with her black labs Mazi and Koda, paddle boarding (sometimes with the dogs!), skiing, taking pictures, hiking, knitting hats, and spending time with her family.

Shortridge Academy is one of only a few therapeutic boarding schools in the Northeast accredited by the rigorous New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) and the only school of its kind that explicitly utilizes the evidenced-based Positive Youth Development (PYD) perspective to guide the individualized therapeutic programming for students. Since 2002, Shortridge Academy has been helping students and families who are struggling with academic performance, loss of interest in activities and increased conflict in family or peer relationships. For more information or call 877-903-8968 or visit www.shortridgeacademy.com.

Shortridge Academy is a year round, college preparatory, therapeutic boarding school for young men and women ages 14-18 years old, grades 9-12.