The Orion House serves adolescents in New Hampshire and neighboring Vermont who struggle with behavioral, emotional or substance abuse issues. Families and support members of the adolescent are an integral part of The Orion House program. We provide opportunities for family members to participate in therapeutic meetings and other clinical programs. The delivery of these services to youth and their families focuses on five principal domains: Community, Family, Therapy, Residential, and Educational Life.

Youth Profile

The Orion House serves a wide variety of adolescents, demonstrating an extensive range of needs. The adolescents that are served can demonstrate behavioral, learning, emotional or substance abuse issues. Often an adolescent enters the program with a myriad of symptoms. An assessment of the adolescent’s therapeutic needs is made within thirty days of his arrival. A clinical treatment plan meeting, including the youth and his family/support members, is held to determine what treatment interventions will best work for the youth and family/support members. The Orion House also provides short-term and emergency placements for adolescents that are in need of stabilization and brief treatment. The adolescents are referred to The Orion House by courts, school districts or directly by their guardian and range in age from 11-20.

Supported Independent Living Program

Since 2019, Orion House expanded their array of services to providing transitional support services to males over the age of 18 with mild behavioral and emotional needs who remain in the care of DHHS.  Orion House physically separated the farm house so that residents above the age of 18 reside on the north wing of the house.  These residents have higher levels of responsibilities and independence based on their identified treatment needs and progress in the program.  Residents in this program are expected to complete their personal care and hygiene, manage and prepare meals as appropriate, work 20 hours in the community or complete community service and complete a minimum of 10 additional hours of independent living and transition preparation and planning each week. 

In this program, residents are provided daily support while also being empowered to safely make their own decisions. The administration and staff within this program subscribe to TBRI and the belief that building relationships based on trust with the residents is the first step in being able to mentor and guide them.  Residents are encouraged to engage in their treatment and are supported in gaining the skills to be their own voice in the community, at meetings, and in court. Residents are supported in running their own treatment meetings and identifying their goals for future focus.