About

Founded in 2011, Whetstone Academy is a CARF and Cognia-accredited therapeutic boarding school tucked away in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains near the Chattooga River in South Carolina. Our 57-acre campus boasts a lake for recreation and an active farm with many animals and birds. We serve students in grades five through nine at the time of admission. Student profiles may include any of the following: ADD/ADHD, Adoption/Attachment Issues, Anxiety, ASD, Bipolar, Depression, Divorce Issues, Grief, Learning Disabilities, Low Self-Esteem, OCD, and Trauma. Each student is reviewed individually to determine a suitable fit for the program. Whetstone Academy's vision is to provide a safe and dynamic setting where students can develop practical skills and strategies for life. We accomplish this by focusing on and attending to our students' behavioral, academic, social, and emotional needs. At Whetstone Academy, students experience change and growth through an integrative weekly individual and group therapy program and an approach to academics that recognizes the whole child's needs. Utilizing adult-guided peer interactions, students are encouraged to re-examine their perceptions of the world and to recognize and appreciate the opportunities that life holds for them. Additionally, the student's family is included in weekly family sessions, scheduled social calls, and quarterly family seminars on campus. Whetstone's mission is to guide students in establishing a secure BASE (behavioral, academic, social, and emotional skills) emphasizing relationships through a farm-based model. Our program is built around a relational, trauma-informed model. Our therapists are certified as Autism Spectrum Disorder Clinical Specialists and have minimum Level 1 Brainspotting training. Additionally, all Whetstone Academy staff have completed the Trust-Based Relational Intervention Caregiver Training, and the TBRI model is embedded in our school. Our progressive, accredited, college-preparatory academic curriculum is designed to be individualized to accommodate age, interests, and learning styles while stimulating each child to rediscover the excitement of learning.