Teen Substance Use Treatment at Carter House

Carter House Vision

Carter House is a small program with an individualized length of stay for adolescent boys struggling to commit to sobriety.

The typical Carter House student fits the Telos admissions criteria, but is in danger of sabotaging his treatment with an undertreated substance use issue.

Carter House Vision

Carter House is a small program with an individualized length of stay for adolescent boys struggling to commit to sobriety.

The typical Carter House student fits the Telos admissions criteria, but is in danger of sabotaging his treatment with an undertreated substance use issue.

Carter House Vision

Carter House helps students address the foundational problems related to substance use before moving into another Telos setting. With a commitment to sobriety and basic recovery skills in place, students are better prepared for long-term success in treatment

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“We are forever grateful”

There really are not words to describe how amazing Telos is. From the owners and staff to the therapists and teachers. All are special people with caring hearts and amazing training. Though it took longer than expected, our family is soooooooo much better now.

“Our son is finally able to move forward”

Our son just completed Telos. I can say Telos is a godsend. The therapeutic resources at every level are excellent. It takes a lot of courage and trust to hand over your child to an institution 2,000 miles away.

“Improved my life immeasurably”

I was a student at Telos for over a year. There have never been better experiences in my life than the ones that I had there. The Telos tools have improved my life immeasurably.

“Truly Exceptional”

Our son spent 17 months at Telos and to say his time was transformative is an understatement. Their focus on helping kids and their families grow and heal is a caring and supportive environment and is truly exceptional.

Restoring Lives Through Connection and Recovery

Carter House provides a relationship-based recovery environment where students build accountability, strengthen recovery skills, and prepare for the next phase of life.

A recovery-focused environment helps students…

Develop a commitment to sobriety
Learn and practice basic recovery skills
Clear the distractions of substance use to focus on the underlying issues
Connect to a recovery-culture

What is Carter House?

Carter House is a specialized setting for boys who are struggling with substance use disorders and co-occurring mental health challenges. With a small highly individualized environment, Carter House combines evidence-based therapy, family involvement, academic support, and recovery-focused programming to help students build lasting sobriety, emotional resilience, and healthy life skills.

Talk With Our Team

A Specialized Recovery Approach

Carter House is a highly specialized, relationship-based treatment program for adolescents and young adults struggling with substance use and co-occurring mental health challenges, combining evidence-based recovery interventions, individualized care, and a strong peer recovery culture.

Specialized Staff

In addition to master’s-level clinicians with extensive experience working with adolescents and young adults, Carter House includes Substance Use Disorder specialists who are specifically trained in the assessment and treatment of addictive behaviors. These professionals bring deep clinical expertise and a nuanced understanding of the complex emotional, behavioral, and neurological dynamics involved in addiction and recovery.

Carter House also intentionally seeks out staff members who have achieved lasting recovery from their own substance use disorders. These individuals offer something uniquely powerful: lived experience. Having personally navigated the challenges of addiction, treatment, relapse, and recovery, they bring authenticity, empathy, and relational credibility that cannot be taught in a classroom. For many students, these mentors become powerful examples that lasting change is possible.

8 Core Tasks of Carter House

Carter House students master eight core tasks as they progress in their treatment.

I know why I want to be in recovery.
I can tolerate distressing emotions and thoughts without acting out.
I know how to regulate emotions and thoughts effectively.
I’m not afraid to ask for help when I am triggered or distressed.

I know how to recreate in a healthy way.
I know the value of honesty as it pertains to my recovery.
I know and can manage the risk factors that could lead to relapse.
I know who I can trust and who will support me in my recovery.

Learn More About Our Clinical Approach →

The Carter House Story

Carter Berardi was one of our first Telos students. He came to Telos in 2004 and left transformed by the relationships and interventions that shaped his experience here.

Years later, Carter lost his life to fentanyl poisoning. In response, Telos made a deeper commitment to students struggling with substance use and built Carter House to honor his life and help others find lasting recovery.

Read Carter's Full Story

Carter House is named in honor of Carter Berardi, one of the earliest students at Telos.

Carter came to Telos in 2004 seeking help for severe depression and anxiety. From the beginning, the Telos team loved him deeply. His warm smile, compassionate heart, and unforgettable sense of humor left a lasting impact on everyone around him.

During his time at Telos, Carter worked hard and embraced the therapeutic process wholeheartedly. He invested in relationships, inspired fellow students, encouraged staff, and strengthened his family connections. He left the program transformed and full of promise.

As Carter entered adulthood, mounting life stressors eventually led to struggles with substance use. He fought hard to regain stability and leaned on many of the tools he had learned during treatment. Tragically, despite his efforts, Carter died from fentanyl poisoning in 2014.

His loss profoundly affected his family, friends, and the Telos community. In the aftermath, the Telos team made a commitment to deepen its work with students struggling with addiction and substance use disorders.

Over the years, the growing prevalence and normalization of substance use among adolescents and young adults became impossible to ignore. Increasingly, students arrived at Telos caught in cycles of addiction, shame, and hopelessness. In 2022, Telos committed to building something more specialized, intentional, and effective to meet those needs.

The organization assembled a team of leading addiction professionals, pursued advanced clinical training, and adopted highly evidence-based recovery frameworks to create a truly specialized treatment experience.

That vision became Carter House.

Opened on August 28, 2023, Carter House is a highly specialized relational treatment program serving a small team of students struggling with substance use and co-occurring mental health challenges. The work done there honors Carter Berardi, his family, and every individual and family impacted by addiction and loss. Its mission is to provide hope, healing, accountability, and the possibility of lasting recovery.

A Day at Carter House

Structure, support, and real moments of growth — every day.

7:00 AM

Rise & Shine

Time to get up, do some morning chores, take care of hygiene, and mentally prepare for a great day!

8:00 AM

Breakfast

Start the day right with a fresh, healthy meal.

8:30 AM

Morning Skills Group

A group dedicated to the skill of the day—DBT, ACT, and other skills designed to promote growth.

9:00 AM

School

Finally, a feeling of accomplishment and competency in school. Just the right level of support and challenge.

12:30 PM

Lunch

Fresh. Tasty. Healthy.

1:15 PM

School & Fitness

Trained fitness coaches help break up the academic day with a customized PE workout. Academic classes continue until 3:30.

3:30 PM

Therapy

Group therapy is customized to each student's needs.

5:00 PM

Dinner

Just like Mom makes.

6:00 PM

Activity

Our students receive a monthly budget and plan their own activities as a group.

8:30 PM

Evening Skills Group

A group dedicated to the skill of the day—DBT, ACT, and other skills designed to promote growth.

10:00 PM

Lights Out

Time to recharge the batteries.

Explore Carter House and our North Campus

If you are considering Carter House for your son, our admissions team can help you understand the program, answer questions about fit, and guide you through next steps.

Talk With Our Team

Check out our facilities

Meet the Best Team in the Profession

Alexis Valdez, LMFT

Primary Therapist – North Campus

Andrea Carroll

Admissions Officer – North Campus

Austin Jackson

Primary Therapist – North Campus

Barry Fell

Executive Director, North Campus

Brian Allred, LCMHC

Assistant Clinical Director – North Campus

Brian McElligott

Clinical Director of Residential Care – North Campus

Chase Henson

Art Teacher – North Campus

Curtis Gardner

Associate Academic Director – North Campus

Dean Goebel

PE & Math Teacher

Dr James Palmer, DO

Medical Director

Dr. Sonyia Richardson

Belonging and Inclusion Consultant

Drew Davis, LCSW

Clinical Director – North Campus

Erin Schmitt

Parent Liaison – North Campus

Jackson Houmand, LCSW

Primary Therapist – North Campus

Jake Holt

English, History, and PE Teacher – North Campus

Jake Lortsher

Human Resources Director

Jared Salmond

Elective Teacher – North Campus

Jessica Tanner, LCSW

Primary Therapist – North Campus

Jose Falcon

Maintenance and Facilities Director

Keldy Zabriskie

Carter House Director

Kevin Kuykendall

Academic Director – North Campus

Kiah Welch

Human Resources Assistant

Kristin Williams

Admissions Director – North Campus, Board Member

Kylea Custer

Science Teacher – North Campus

Matt Delamare

Math Teacher – North Campus

Maycie Gerber

Director of Recreation Therapy

Michael Shomaker, LPN

Director of Nursing

Phil Childs

Primary Therapist – North Campus

Sarah Vasicek

English Teacher – North Campus

Savannah Brady

Executive Assistant – North Campus

Seth Jacklin, CSW

Primary Therapist – North Campus

Stephanie Purcell

Substance Use Disorder Counselor – North Campus

Taylor Frame, MFT

Primary Therapist – North Campus

Your Family Is Part of the Healing

We’ve built family involvement into every layer of the Telos Academy experience — not as an afterthought, but as a core part of the program.

Telos Connect portal — daily access to photos and videos of the happenings at Telos
PowerSchool access — visibility into academic performance and attendance
Family Resources — You will have access to the Family Systems Module, the playbook you will work through in treatment

When your son leaves Telos, the whole family leaves stronger. That’s not an accident — it’s the plan.

Talk With Our Team

Download our Effectiveness Report

Carter House FAQs

Does Carter House still provide academics and normal activities?GreenixMedia

Does Carter House still provide academics and normal activities?

Yes. Students continue their education while in treatment and participate in activities, recreation, fitness, and community experiences designed to support healthy development. Recovery is not just about removing harmful behaviors—it is about helping students build a meaningful, balanced, and connected life.

How involved are Carter House families in treatment?GreenixMedia

How involved are Carter House families in treatment?

Families are a central part of the healing process. Parents participate in family therapy, communication work, progress updates, and therapeutic guidance throughout treatment. Carter House works to strengthen trust, improve communication, and help families create healthier long-term patterns together.

Can Carter House students transition or “mainstream” into another Telos setting?GreenixMedia

Can Carter House students transition or “mainstream” into another Telos setting?

Yes. While most finish at Carter House, some students begin at Carter House because they need more focused support around substance use, but later transition into another Telos program as they stabilize and progress. This allows students to continue treatment within the broader Telos continuum while stepping into an environment that better matches their current needs and goals.

What is The Seven Challenges model?GreenixMedia

What is The Seven Challenges model?

The Seven Challenges is an evidence-based counseling model specifically designed for adolescents and young adults dealing with substance use. Rather than relying primarily on confrontation or shame, it helps students honestly examine their choices, motivations, and the impact substances have had on their lives. The approach encourages personal ownership, deeper insight, and lasting internal motivation for change.

How is Carter House different from a typical substance use program?GreenixMedia

How is Carter House different from a typical substance use program?

Carter House focuses on much more than stopping substance use. Many students also struggle with anxiety, depression, trauma, impulsivity, family conflict, or low self-worth. Treatment addresses the underlying emotional and relational issues driving the behavior while helping students build structure, accountability, and healthier ways of living.

Teen Substance Use Treatment at Carter House

Carter House Vision

Carter House Vision

Carter House Vision

Carter House Vision

Restoring Lives Through Connection and Recovery

A recovery-focused environment helps students…

What is Carter House?

A Specialized Recovery Approach

Specialized Staff

8 Core Tasks of Carter House

The Carter House Story

A Day at Carter House

Explore Carter House and our North Campus

Meet the Best Team in the Profession

Your Family Is Part of the Healing

Carter House FAQs

Let’s Talk About What Comes Next

Let’s Talk About What Comes Next

I’m Looking For

Program Services

About Us

Podcast

Telos Connect App

Parent Portal

Telos Connect App