L Jay Mitchell - Tumblr

Jay Mitchell founded Greenbrier Academy in Pence Springs, West Virginia, to create a therapeutic boarding school for young women to develop emotionally, socially, and academically. Greenbrier Academy also strives to help prepare young women for the world as an adult. With his care for social wellbeing as well, L Jay Mitchell has released his book titled "Decide Now: The Good Life or The Best Life." Decide Now: The Good Life or The Best Life delivers an experience full of ideas about human identity, purposeful living, and spirit. In the book, the author also shares his dreams, draws upon remarkable life experiences, and engages the mind and heart of the reader. Describing the book with more context, Mitchell tries to help the reader examine their life through self-reflection and sharing his own experiences in life thus far. He gives examples of life using practical knowledge. He rectifies some misconceptions of life the reader may have, making it difficult to examine their own life thoroughly. To buy the book, visit https://www.amazon.com/Decide-Now-Good-Life-Best/dp/0990512703.

L. Jay Mitchell founded Greenbrier Academy for Girls to provide a comprehensive therapeutic boarding school that would place equal emphasis on academics and healing. Greenbrier, situated amid the rolling hills of West Virginia, works with teen girls experiencing eating disorders, drug and alcohol abuse, trauma, family dysfunction, and other chronic emotional issues. An experienced developer of programs to assist teens in crisis, L. Jay Mitchell has worked with his team to build programs focused on mental, emotional, and physical wellness. One of the signature therapeutic programs at Greenbrier is its Balanced Body & Mind program, which allows students to learn to recalibrate any lack of mental and emotional equilibrium, as well as any physical imbalances, through the magic of movement. Participants learn breathing techniques and the principles of moving with intention along with goal-setting routines to increase endurance and resilience. A wealth of research has demonstrated the many benefits of movement-based therapy programs and other types of physical exercise in helping people of all ages heal from trauma and develop healthy personalities. These programs are often able to lower anxiety and stress levels while promoting self-discipline and self-confidence. Participants tend to develop sounder and more beneficial sleep patterns and even gain in tests of attention and brain performance. The long-lasting sense of personal well-being and connectedness to others often lasts long after a workout session has ended. Mental health experts have noted the power of exercise to boost endorphin performance. Endorphins are the body chemicals that bind with pain-receptor neurons to produce an effect similar to that obtained through an analgesic medication. The difference is that endorphins occur naturally and are not associated with the potential for addiction. The commonly experienced “runner’s high” is an example of the work of endorphins, leading to the positive, hopeful feelings that everyone has the potential to experience.

Attorney, neurolinguistics trainer’s trainer, author, and teen advocate L. Jay Mitchell brings decades of experience to his work of directing Greenbrier Academy for Girls. The non-acute boarding school provides a well-rounded academic program in an atmosphere of therapeutic immersion, with programs built to help students make positive changes. L. Jay Mitchell’s team includes an educational specialist and other professionals with an in-depth understanding of teens’ emotional, social, and neurological development. Adolescence is a time of extensive remodeling of the brain and neural networks. This neurological spurt is fueled by the growth hormones that come into play at puberty, and it isn’t typically complete until a young adult is well into their twenties. Unused neural connections are discarded, and useful ones branch out. Experts note that brain (and by extension personality) development during the teen years sometimes seems to rush full speed ahead as young people start making connections at a mature level. At other times, teens seem thrust right back into toddlerhood, with a similar lack of impulse control and awareness of the needs of others. That’s all actually very normal, although it can cause immense anxiety, stress, and even trauma for teens and their families. In this pattern, the prefrontal cortex, which directs decision-making abilities and the ability to plan for consequences, develops last. That’s why teens tend to favor the part of the brain known as the amygdala as their problem-solving center. The issue with this is that the amygdala is a processing center for emotion, aggressiveness, and impulsive acts. What this means in practical terms is that teens can be moody and surly one moment, then mature and helpful the next. They can make decisions in the heat of the moment that appear to adults to lack any semblance of logic or understanding of real-world consequences. Parents can help by promoting sleep, wellness, and positive engagement, even as they help teens set limits and understand consequences.

At Greenbrier Academy for Girls in West Virginia, L. Jay Mitchell directs a team dedicated to helping teen girls find purpose, meaning, and a strong sense of self and community. Since 2007, the therapeutic boarding school has helped young women struggling with a variety of non-acute crisis situations, including substance abuse, anorexia and other eating disorders, and self-harm. L. Jay Mitchell has earned certification as a trainer’s trainer in neurolinguistics, co-developed the therapeutic application called applied relationality, and developed multiple successful programs focused on emotionally troubled teens. As the school points out on its website at GreenBrierAcademy.com, a 2018 study found that at least one teen girl in five admitted to having deliberately caused harm to themselves. The category of self-harm addressed here refers to non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI), with cutting being the most commonly discussed form of NSSI among the general public. Head-pounding, pulling out hair, self-burning, and intentional misuse of medication are other common forms of self-harm. Statistically, most girls who self-harm begin at about age 14, but girls as young as 11 have also engaged in the behavior. A number of past situations in a young woman’s life can contribute to a desire to self-harm, including abuse, trauma, and depression. Some self-harm in a desperate attempt to make themselves feel something beyond emotional numbness. As counterintuitive as it sounds, when a girl engages in self-harm, she is actually making an attempt at self-regulation. The actions involved in harming herself can temporarily distract her from turbulent emotions. A few signs include withdrawal from social life, secretiveness, suspicious-looking marks on her body, and the collection of small, sharp objects. Triggering events can include rejection by a love interest or peer group. A number of methods exist to treat the behavior, including at home and in an immersive therapeutic environment. Parents should be forthright in bringing up their concerns with their daughters while continuing to show warmth, empathy, and unconditional support.

A former captain with the United States Air Force, L. Jay Mitchell developed a passion for helping others by establishing several adolescent therapy and residential programs, including Greenbrier Academy for Girls in West Virginia. At Greenbrier, L. Jay Mitchell oversees employee training and shares the importance of building rapport among students as a therapist. Therapy can be a challenging process that comes with some uncomfortable moments. Encouraging patients to share these experiences requires a good amount of rapport so they feel safe in the presence of their therapist. Good rapport improves therapeutic outcomes and helps therapists demonstrate empathy and understanding. It also fosters a safe environment in which clients can thrive and work on healing themselves in the future. Rapport is one of the first things built between a therapist and a client. It comes from active listening on the part of the therapist. This involves a mix of comments, body language, and paraphrasing that indicate the therapist is listening to what they are being told. Alongside this, therapists must demonstrate respect, empathy, and understanding of what the person is feeling. Another way of building rapport is being accepting and unrushed. Letting clients say whatever comes up and being patient with them and their needs goes a long way toward showing clients that they are not being judged. Demonstrating this respect for their feelings is not the same as condoning a client’s behavior, though.

A former lawyer, L. Jay Mitchell has created several residential programs for self-development, written for professional journals, and coauthored a chapter in an American Psychology Association textbook. L. Jay Mitchell is also the founder and owner of the Greenbrier Academy for Girls, which is a member of the National Association of Therapeutic Schools and Programs (NATSAP). Since its establishment in 1999, the NATSAP has supported organizations and institutions that treat young people for emotional and behavioral problems. Acknowledging that placing a child in a residential treatment facility is a complicated decision, the NATSAP also provides objective, comprehensive information to assist parents throughout the process. Its website contains numerous resources for people seeking services for their children, including a member database that can be searched by criteria like location, specialties, and age range. The NATSAP also offers tips for choosing a treatment program and the types of questions to ask regarding admissions processes, academics, insurance coverage, and other important considerations.

An alumnus of the University of Idaho, L. Jay Mitchell is the founding owner and director of Greenbrier Academy for Girls. Also the founder and director of TAS Development, LLC, through which he creates therapeutic models, L. Jay Mitchell wrote Decide Now: The Good Life or the Best Life, a book that explores applied relationality and the connection between fulfillment and self-belief. Although many people conflate self-belief and self-confidence, they are not altogether the same. According to Psychology Dictionary Online, self-confidence is a trust in your abilities, capacities, and judgments or the belief that you can meet the requirements of any given task. As such, self-belief is a component of self-confidence, but it does not necessarily in and of itself confer self-confidence; rather, self-belief merely describes how you might feel about yourself, regardless of things like achievements and appearance. Self-belief encourages people to follow their dreams and trust in what they think is best for their lives. While self-confidence encompasses self-belief, it extends beyond what we think about ourselves. Instead, it permeates your thoughts, feelings, and actions and involves how you project yourself to the outside world. People need self-confidence to overcome certain obstacles or improve a skill. Unlike self-esteem, which is defined as a belief in your inherent worth and value, self-confidence focuses on your ability to succeed in different situations.

In 2007, L. Jay Mitchell established Greenbrier Academy for Girls in West Virginia. A licensed non-acute treatment center, Greenbrier Academy aims to address the mental and emotional health needs of college-bound young women within a structured, supportive environment. The Greenbrier team, led by L. Jay Mitchell, provides an enriching experience that includes programs such as animal fostering, neurofeedback therapy, and art therapy as a focal point for personal development and healing. The creative component of the school’s academic and treatment program focuses on fostering immersive experiences in drawing, painting, and ceramics, as well as expressive writing and drama. The program also includes an equestrian component, with each activity designed to facilitate genuine, positive changes in the way that girls perceive themselves, their lives, and their relationships with others. In contrast with many other therapeutic boarding schools and long-term residential care facilities, Greenbrier concentrates on helping students to work their way out of negative false beliefs that hinder their development. The school’s philosophy centers on ensuring that every aspect of campus life becomes integral to therapy rather than on behavioral modification alone. The creative expression programs at Greenbrier provide constructive ways for students to release and confront built-up negative emotions in order to work through them and move forward. The experience of making something in the physical world transcends the limits of human language, engaging the right brain in the work needed to deal with the roots of emotional trauma rather than just their symptoms. Arts activities can provide a springboard to reawaken buried memories and serve as a way to tell stories that can tap into the collective unconscious.