Dr. Taren Coley - Excellence

November 01, 2025

When we talk about HopeWay’s core values, excellence isn’t just a word on the wall. It’s a practice we live every day. It shows up in our program design, clinical care, staff training, and the courage to iterate, grow, and improve.

I joined HopeWay in 2018, knowing that I wanted to work with younger clients. From my very first interview, I shared my dream with the leadership team of building adolescent services that would uphold the same standard of excellence as our adult programs, while being thoughtfully tailored to meet the developmental and emotional needs of teens.

Being part of bringing this vision to life has been nothing short of incredible. Countless hours went into building the program's structure, carefully selecting therapeutic modalities, expanding our family programming, and continuously refining our protocols. When we finally opened the doors to the Teen Mental Health Program in May 2024, it felt like the culmination of years of passion and purpose. I was reenergized and deeply grateful for the opportunity to offer this much-needed program to our community.

We served many clients in the program’s first year, but there was one case that stands out to me and truly touched our entire team. This client came to us after a very serious suicide attempt that resulted in significant and severe medical complications. It was clear that both the teen and their family were exhausted, frightened, and desperate for help.

We had many heartfelt discussions, both within our team and with the family, about what would be in the client’s best interest. Everyone came together with a shared goal: to create a treatment plan that truly met the individual’s needs. Thanks to the expertise, collaboration, and unwavering commitment of our entire staff, we were able to safely keep the client in our day program while successfully supporting both their medical and psychiatric needs.

Over time, we witnessed remarkable growth. The client began to regain stability, confidence, and a renewed sense of purpose. Watching hope slowly return to both the client and their family was extremely rewarding.

We didn’t have a “miracle cure;” this was a case of excellence and dedication in action. We had the right combination of clinical expertise, determination, and thoughtful, integrative care.

When we hold ourselves to a standard of excellence, the impact extends far beyond one client. Individuals receive care that supports every part of their healing journey, families rediscover hope, and our community grows stronger.