North Carolina residential treatment program for teens suddenly shuts down, leaves families in crisis with no other options

Asheville Academy was a residential treatment center in Weaverville, North Carolina, that abruptly shut its doors in 2025. This sudden closure left parents like Robert, a father from Texas, in a state of confusion after receiving a frantic call from his wife that they had only 24 hours to pick up their 14-year-old daughter. Per USA Today, the situation at Asheville began to unravel when two teenagers committed suicide in May. 

It triggered the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services to suspend new admissions to launch an investigation. By June, the facility had voluntarily forfeited its license. A subsequent state investigation found that the operator, Wilderness Training & Consulting, violated three state licensing and patient rights regulations, resulting in $45,000 in administrative penalties.

For many parents, the closure was a jarring end to a process they hoped would provide life-saving care to their teenagers. Robert and his wife had taken out a second mortgage to afford the monthly tuition, which exceeded $15,000. “We just packed her up and headed home, not knowing why we had to come get her,” says Robert. “All of a sudden, she’s home, and it’s like radio silence. We’re not hearing anything from Asheville.”

That ended up being a blessing in disguise

The facility had previously operated under names including Solstice East and Magnolia Mill School. However, it has faced scrutiny throughout its history. 

Former residents have alleged practices such as being kept in seclusion for days without sunlight and experiencing physical restraint. Katelyn, a former resident of the site when it was known as Solstice East, said. “My self-worth was absolutely just destroyed. I just thought I was worthless.”

Meg Appelgate, founder of the nonprofit Unsilenced, notes that more than 185 such programs have closed since 2020, but it comes at a cost. “Kids have completely, for better or worse, established their lives within the walls of these facilities, and their daily life is completely uprooted,” Appelgate says. “Chaos like that, it can wreak havoc, and it’s usually going to last for a lot longer than just the chaos of the program closing.”

It wasn’t all negative, though. Some parents, such as Jill Sanders, reported positive experiences with the facility. Then again, a parent named April, whose daughter attended the program, recalled her daughter returning home covered in bug bites and scars. 

Despite these varied accounts, the legal repercussions for the facility continue to grow. Multiple former students have filed lawsuits alleging abuse, neglect, and sexual exploitation. Wilderness Training & Consulting is currently fighting these claims in court.

For families like Robert’s, the experience has been devastating. After spending nearly $100,000 on various treatment programs, they feel misled by the industry’s branding. 

“Is this just an industry where they basically just open up until they run its course and get found out, and they just close up like and leave like the circus?” Robert says. “I felt like I’d been bamboozled.”