NorthStar Academy, LLC
Rockville, Maryland

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NorthStar Academy Opens

It is with great excitement and enthusiasm that Gale Saler, LCPC and David Levin, LCSW-C announce the opening of NorthStar Academy, LLC in Rockville, MD. Centrally located in the Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia corridor, and one block from the Twinbrook metro on the redline, NorthStar will provide day treatment for adolescents who are returning from environments such as wilderness and residential treatment along with psychiatric and other partial hospital and day treatment programs. NorthStar Academy will also provide services for adolescents who are struggling with daily life and have not been to treatment. NorthStar Academy is designed to help students make the transition from treatment to the mainstream, by providing clinical, academic and mentoring support. Many students return home only to struggle with this very difficult transition without help or guidance. The mission of NorthStar Academy is to help these students (and their families) returning from treatment transition home and back into the mainstream with support, guidance, hope and success.

Many students return home from treatment whether it be long term or short term only to struggle with this very difficult transition without help or guidance. NorthStar Academy will have two separate tracks for those adolescents specifically identified as having a primary substance abuse issue, and those with mental health issues. NorthStar Academy will facilitate treatment with the dually diagnosed as well within those two tracks. Along with individual, group and family therapy throughout the day, NorthStar Academy will provide 4 to 6 hours of school for every student daily. In addition, we will have the ability to facilitate students who want to take or are currently taking AP classes and will provide general education classes as well.

NorthStar Academy is a relationship-based program founded in Positive Youth Development that engages youth and empowers them to build on their strengths and assume leadership, while also engaging them to develop competence, confidence, and character. We use evidence-based practices, along with positive peer influence to promote emotional healing, fulfillment of academic potential, character building, development of interpersonal relationships, and improved family relationships. Finally, it strives to help our students build their self-esteem and self-confidence through discovering and nurturing their strengths, passions, relationships, hopes, and dreams

Gale Saler, LCPC, CRC-MAC, CAI, CIP is the President and Executive Director. She has over 30 years of experience managing both inpatient and outpatient programs. She will be transitioning from her current position as the Chesapeake Regional Director for Guardenzia, which is the largest provider of substance abuse services in Maryland. In addition, Gale is a Certified Interventionist and also maintains a private practice. David M. Levin, LCSW-C, Clinical Director and Vice-President has over 25 years of private practice, crisis intervention, and consultation services working with adolescents and families. In addition, he was the former founder and co-owner of Adolescent Intervention Services, which over 16 years successfully and without incident provided transport and intervention services to families throughout the United States and Canada.

NorthStar Academy, LLC is an outpatient co-ed day treatment program to help adolescents between 14-18 returning from treatment transition back into the mainstream environment successfully with clinical support. It is designed to help adolescents discover the potential through a Positive Peer Development model.