Lookout Mountain Youth Services Center

Lookout Mountain Youth Services Center

Lookout Mountain Youth Services Center in Golden is a secure treatment program, serving up to 96 adolescent males committed to the Division of Youth Services.

Lookout offers evidence-based and trauma-responsive services to committed youth and their families. The program adheres to the Division of Youth Services Treatment Model and is embedded in a culture and environment of trauma-responsive and restorative justice practices. Each program is tailored to the youth’s individual needs to address the youth's risk factors associated with reoffending.  
 

Continue reading about Lookout Mountain's approach to serving youth

Trauma-responsive approach

During their stay, youth receive individual, group and family therapy to address aggression, mental health, substance abuse and offense-specific issues. Each youth has a multi-disciplinary team tasked with developing a youth's individual treatment plan.

The Division of Youth Services uses the Sanctuary Model to create safe, supportive environments for youth in our facilities. This model helps young people who have experienced long-term stress and trauma by focusing on organizational values of Nonviolence, Open Communication, Social Responsibility, Growth and Change, Social Learning, Democracy, and Emotional Intelligence. 

Family engagement

Lookout promotes family involvement through activities such as family dinners, support groups, and the Family Advisory Council. Additionally, strong partnerships between treatment providers and family members are fostered and encouraged. 

Lookout Mountain Academy

Lookout works in partnership with Teens Inc., a private non-profit organization, to facilitate Lookout Mountain Academy, which provides high-quality educational and vocational programming. Beyond a high school diploma or GED certificate, Teens Inc. offers barbering/hair-styling, culinary arts, construction trades, and screen printing vocational programs, as well as several online certification programs and correspondence college courses.

Behavioral Health and Medical

Each youth is provided with multiple types of weekly therapy services. Groups focus on risk areas such as attitudes, values, beliefs, peer associations and personality characteristics that may influence the likelihood of the youth committing future crimes. Skill-building is incorporated across all areas of programming, including unit groups, level systems, treatment planning and more. 

Behavioral health services are incorporated into programming and are developmentally appropriate. Treatments match individual needs and address learning styles, motivations and capacities of each youth. Additionally, Lookout provides medical and dental care. 

By addressing the needs of youth and individualizing treatments and services, Lookout works to reach the ultimate goal of reducing risk factors and recidivism for each youth in our care.

Recreational activities

Lookout offers a variety of indoor and outdoor recreational activities, including softball, volleyball, soccer, flag football, a ropes course, a weight room, and a traditional gym. The youth center also coordinates faith and religious programming from outside organizations such as Straight Ahead Colorado and Youth for Christ. Transition services are also offered as a youth plans to re-enter the community.