Since its founding in 1974, Plaza Academy has stood as a vital educational and therapeutic resource for adolescents navigating substance use, mental health challenges, and academic setbacks. Located in Kansas City, this pioneering institution blends education and behavioral health treatment into one cohesive support system—transforming the lives of students who have been suspended, expelled, or pushed to the margins of traditional schools.

Meeting Students Where They Are

Plaza Academy serves students in grades 8 through 12 who have struggled in conventional school settings. Many have been derailed by a mix of trauma, substance use, academic failure, and conflict at home. Recognizing that these students need more than textbooks and lectures, Plaza Academy creates a safe, supportive environment where healing and learning go hand-in-hand.

The school offers a uniquely integrated outpatient substance abuse treatment program embedded directly into the school day. This approach not only makes critical services more accessible but also reduces the stigma often attached to seeking help. Students receive individual therapy, group counseling, and family therapy, all coordinated with their academic schedule.

Evidence-Based, Individualized Support

At the core of Plaza Academy’s success is its use of proven therapeutic practices. Students benefit from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to help them understand and change negative behaviors—including substance use. CBT helps students build emotional regulation skills, reduce impulsivity, and replace harmful habits with healthy alternatives.

The Academy also uses a unique and time-tested method known as Contingency Management Therapy, developed by the school’s founder, Dr. Gary Seabaugh. This family-focused approach teaches parents how to use positive reinforcement to shape their children’s behavior. Parents learn to clearly communicate expectations, create meaningful incentives, and set consistent consequences. This model not only reduces conflict at home but also promotes drug abstinence and school engagement.

A Team Approach To Transformation

Treatment at Plaza Academy is a coordinated effort between licensed therapists, special education teachers, and the student’s family. Each student receives a customized treatment plan designed to address their academic, emotional, and behavioral needs. These plans ensure continuity of care, improve adherence to treatment goals, and foster a team-based approach to long-term recovery.

Students are monitored throughout their time at the Academy, with regular check-ins to adjust treatment as needed. This holistic, wraparound model ensures that no student falls through the cracks.

Proven Results

Decades of data and lived experience point to the effectiveness of Plaza Academy’s model. Students who participate in the integrated program show marked improvements in:

• Substance use reduction

• Academic achievement

• Family relationships

• Social and emotional resilience

By simultaneously addressing the root causes of behavioral and academic struggles, Plaza Academy helps students not only stay in school—but thrive in it.

Addressing An Urgent Community Need

Plaza Academy serves a population that other schools often cannot: students facing long-term suspensions, legal involvement, homelessness, or family dysfunction. The need for this kind of intervention has only grown, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has magnified youth mental health and substance use challenges.

Substance abuse among teens continues to rise, often fueled by untreated trauma, risky peer dynamics, and unmet emotional needs. At Plaza Academy, these issues are met head-on by professionals who understand the unique struggles these students face.

Why Plaza Academy Matters

Plaza Academy may be small, but its impact on the Kansas City community is significant. Helping students stay in school and complete their education has a ripple effect—economically, socially, and emotionally.

Consider the broader implications:

• A 2% increase in the graduation rate across the Kansas City metro could generate an additional $340,000 in local and state tax revenue annually.

• Completing high school is linked to lower risks of premature death, better mental health, and greater lifelong earnings.

• Workers with a high school diploma earn about 24% more than those without one.

• Students who receive mental health services through school are 50% less likely to miss class due to emotional struggles.

Each of these statistics represents a young life put back on track—and Plaza Academy plays a central role in making that possible.

Building The Future, One Student At A Time

By integrating therapeutic services into its educational framework, Plaza Academy offers something few institutions can: a complete, customized system of support for adolescents in crisis. Its approach addresses not just what students are doing, but why—and offers the tools and support needed for real, lasting change.

In doing so, Plaza Academy changes not only individual lives but entire families. Students leave with the coping skills, educational foundation, and emotional support needed to build a better future. Parents leave with stronger relationships, greater confidence, and renewed hope.

As Kansas City continues to grapple with the challenges facing at-risk youth, Plaza Academy remains a beacon of innovation, compassion, and proven results—empowering students to rise above their past and achieve lasting success.

Locations

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