Clinical Services
Our licensed therapists are intentionally involved in every aspect of a student’s experience at Black Mountain Academy. Working closely with academic and residential teams, they ensure that each student receives consistent, clinically informed, evidence-based care across settings. Therapists maintain communication with students and their families, guide the Core Team in reviewing weekly treatment progress and outcomes, and provide direct clinical support to help students work toward their individual goals.
To support growth across our Six Core Competencies, students meet with their therapists multiple times each week for individual, family, and group therapy. Therapists also spend time in the milieu, providing in-the-moment coaching that helps students strengthen problem-solving, emotional regulation, communication, and other skills in the context of their everyday lives.
A Skills-Based, Individualized Clinical Approach
Our clinical approach is comprehensive, individualized, and focused on practical skills development that strengthens mental well-being and supports meaningful engagement both in and out of the classroom. Through consistent clinical support and opportunities to practice skills in real time, students develop greater confidence, independence, and emotional regulation—foundations that support their success during their time at BMA and long after they leave.
With consistent clinical support and opportunities to practice new skills in real time, students develop greater confidence, independence, emotional regulation, and self-awareness. These skills become the foundation for meaningful progress—not only at BMA, but as students prepare for life beyond our school and program.
Psychiatric Services
Black Mountain Academy partners with Dr. Gregory Narron and associates to provide psychiatric oversight and medication management for our students. Dr. Narron works closely with our clinical team to ensure psychiatric care is thoughtfully integrated into each student’s overall treatment plan.
Dr. Narron has practiced in Asheville, NC, for more than 20 years and is board-certified in psychiatry, with extensive training in child and adolescent psychiatry. He believes that mental health is fundamental to overall health and well-being.
Education & Training:
- Medical degree, East Carolina University School of Medicine
- Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology
Residency & Fellowship Training:
- General Surgery, Penn State University Hospital — 3 years
- General Psychiatry, University of Virginia Health System — 2 years
- Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship, UNC Health Care — 2 years
Our therapists are fully invested in every aspect of our student’s lives. They are extremely passionate about helping young men recognize their potential and develop a greater sense of self. A key aspect of skill development is helping our students to manage the varying degrees of anxiety they experience on a daily basis. Our therapists use evidence-based practices as a foundation for intervention when teaching young men who are challenged by ADHD, Nonverbal Learning Disorder, or Autism. At Black Mountain Academy, we implement clinical best practices aimed at improving:
- Social Skills: We teach our students to evaluate concrete perspectives; appreciate the thoughts and feelings of others, and co-regulate through creative social problem-solving.
- Self-awareness and determination: We teach our students to set goals, evaluate their progress, change strategies when needed (adaptation), and to never give up.
- Self-regulation, emotional awareness, and flexibility: We teach our students to focus on things they can control and to practice coping skills that positively impact their situation.
- Initiation, executive function, and life skills: We teach our students how to appropriately initiate and monitor behaviors such as social interactions, emotion regulation, organization, independent life skills, and electronic use.
To ensure growth and success in these areas, our students meet with their therapist multiple times a week for individual, family, and group therapy sessions. Therapists spend time in classes, in the community, and other parts of our students’ daily life providing in vivo coaching in applicable areas of skills development. Our seamlessly integrated program allows for our dedicated staff to partner with students to generalize these skills across The Six Core Competencies that are essential for their confidence, independence, and success in life.
Click here to learn more about our 6 Core Competencies.