More Information About Wilderness Programs, Therapy, and Troubled Teens

Innovative Residential Teen Program Promotes Real Values, Real Change

By Jane St. Clair

One hundred days may not seem like a ver. long time, but sometimes that's all it takes to turn around the life of a troubled teenager.

As its name indicates, Turn-About Ranch -- an innovative residential program for troubled teens located in the scenic mountains near Escalante, Utah -- is devoted to turning around the lives of troubled teenagers. It is a high-impact, short-term program designed to get results quickly. The average stay is only 90 to 100 days. 

Intense and Highly Structured

One of the main reasons this program works so well and so quickly is that it is an intense and highly structured experience. Rebellious and defiant teenagers finds themselves living on a working cattle ranch, a place of traditional Christian values, a place where smoking, drinking, drugs, sex, and even swearing are prohibited. 

At Turn About Ranch, troubled teens become part of a team. This team mindset is at the core of the ranch experience, and emphasizes the necessity of being honest, open and accountable.

 If Turn About Ranch students don't take care of their responsibilities, they're not just letting themselves down -- they're letting down their team members and their mentors, people who depend upon and care about them.

Immediate Feedback, Positive Reinforcement

Another important factor in Turn-About Ranch's success is the program's ability to provide consistent and immediate feedback from counselors -- feedback that is provided a constant basis within a wholesome, highly structured environment.

At Turn-About Ranch, teenagers live a healthy outdoor life surrounded by trained therapists who work with them 24 hours a day. These teachers/friends/counselors let their young charges know immediately when they do something wonderful, and correct any manipulative or negative behaviors that are not so wonderful. 

Animal-Assisted Therapy

Another key element of the Turn-About Ranch program is equine, or horse-assisted, therapy.

All students get their own horse, and are required to master subjects such as horse safety and anatomy. The students take responsibility for the care and feeding of their animals, which teaches accountability and empathy. 

They first learn to ride in an arena, and then progress to trail rides, ultimately graduating to full days on horseback, herding and taking care of cattle. 

Working with horses is a an effective form of therapy for troubled teenagers. Horseback riding can have a calming influence on teenagers who are suffering from anxiety and depression. The teens also learn that their thoughts and feelings influence other living creatures -- horses are very responsive to their riders’ emotional states.

Academic Achievement

Besides riding for horses and fulfilling a range of other ranch responsibilities, teenagers at Turn-About Ranch can also take accredited academic classes on the secondary school level, and receive vocational training in subjects such as computer and automobile repair.

Ranch life can be a lot of fun, and the staff offers hikes to areas like the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument, the Capitol Reef National Park, and Bryce Canyon. Instructors often use the environment within their lessons. For example, students may take a field trip to fossil sites of dinosaurs, analyze water from Pine Creek, or study the area's cryptobiotic soil. 

Real Values, Real Change

Turn-About Ranch admits students on a year-round basis. Some students have diagnoses like anxiety, depression, eating disorders, poor impulse control, learning disabilities, attention deficit disorders, and bipolar disorders.  They may have exhibited negative behaviors such as aggression, inappropriate anger, promiscuity, rebellion, isolation and running away.

Just 100 days at Turn-About Ranch has helped many teenagers achieve big changes in their lives. They abandon their former self-destructive paths and become more cooperative with others, and more goal-oriented toward their futures. 

For these reasons, the program's slogan is particularly appropriate: Real Ranch. Real Values. Real Change.
 

 

Featured Articles