Masters Ranch is a lower-cost therapeutic ranch designed just for at-risk and struggling boys between the ages of 9 and 17. Master’s Ranch is located on a sprawling ranch property on the border of Arkansas and Missouri, near Couch, Missouri, and we have a new ranch in Washington State.

Boys at Masters Ranch find new help, healing and reconciliation when they had almost lost hope. Masters Ranch offers a small family environment in an agricultural setting with a balance of discipline and training in an unmistakable atmosphere of mentoring, love and acceptance. Through education, hard work, vocational training, working with animals, recreation, family interaction and counseling, each boy is given the tools needed to regain the confidence, self-respect and spiritual footing necessary to embrace his family and his future.

The dedicated staff of Masters Ranch is committed to helping you fight for your boy’s future and to help him rebuild the smoldering bridges of relationships with family, society at large and ultimately with God. This critical time will also allow you to re-focus on your home and your other children while staff in this program work with and help your son. Masters Ranch rates are affordable, so most families can be helped in their time of need.

Masters Ranch operates as much as possible like a family, rather than a cold institution. The one major advantage that this program has over the average American family is that it focuses ALL its attention on your son. A normal family is stretched so thin today with extra jobs, activities, responsibilities and other pressing family duties. The problem is that troubled teens require so much more time, energy and effort than most kids. So much of what takes place at Masters Ranch is what you also did and tried to do; to just walk through the hours, days, weeks and months of life, with the boys, using every moment as an opportunity for learning. Staff strives to present everything they do with a positive attitude that will benefit your son.

Masters Ranch has professional clinical-type counseling from licensed therapists as well as pastoral, group and individual counseling. The approach to counseling is informal, often utilizing the outdoors and activities as the setting, believing that teens who feel comfortable and safe will open up and share more readily while they are active. They also work with parents to bring them hope and encouragement and new tools for continuing the progress once your boy returns home.

The dedicated staff of Masters Ranch is committed to helping you fight for your child’s future and to helping him rebuild the smoldering bridges of relationships with family, society at large and ultimately with God. This critical time will also allow you to re-focus on your home and your other children while we work with and help your son.

Brush Creek Academy (Oklahoma) is a lower cost, ranch-based Christian boarding school designed for at-risk boys, age 13-17, who are struggling with life-controlling issues. The goal is to provide teens and their families with the tools and resources to thrive academically, relationally and spiritually. Brush Creek helps once-troubled boys begin living a fulfilling life, equipping them to become happy, confident, self-reliant, and successful adults.

Future Men is a Christian boarding school offering a highly structured and monitored setting for young men to work on their future. Each student is given an environment and motivation to promote success. Course work and counseling is founded on God’s Word, and the school is nationally accredited by AdvancEd.

Primary Focus

The goal at Future Men is to train young men to put off childish behaviors and obsessions with the trivial distractions of this life (foolish friends, slothfulness, anger, disrespect, offensive language/habits, sloppy clothing, lack of self-control), and to subsequently embrace the responsibilities and freedoms that come with true manhood (respect for authority, strong work ethic, obedience, and the fruits of the Spirit).

• 1. Accomplishing academic goals set by the staff and students’ parents. 

• 2. Working on behavioral and spiritual issues which directly affect every area of their lives.

• 3. Providing trade training in order to equip the students with realistic skills in order to be productive men in the workplace.

Work Program

It is the goal for students at Future Men to learn to follow instructions, develop an eye for detail, and show initiative in their work. These qualities will help them later in life to acquire and keep a job.

Being physically productive and having the ability to complete a task gives a young man genuine self-esteem, as opposed to the hollow false praise that society has been programmed to give. In many cases, actively contributing to society will help these young men “turn the corner” and once again have hope.

All of the work completed by a student, whether through apprenticeship or service project, is incorporated into an elective credit. The students come to understand that the work ethic they develop here contributes to who they are and what they are becoming.

Apprenticeships

Twice a week, each student works hand-in-hand with an area business as an apprentice, learning a trade skill. The tradesmen who partner with Future Men at the various apprenticeships share the same goals and desires. Students are offered a wide range of apprenticeships. Some current options include: electrical work, plumbing, real estate sales, firefighting, animal health technician, glass installation, auto painting, landscaping, airport security and service, computer programming, welding, and construction.

Service Work

Students who do not yet have an apprenticeship serve in community service projects. These students work with staff directors in preparation for their upcoming apprenticeships. The basic habits of working at a steady pace, not asking to take breaks, learning to “see” work that needs to be done, following instructions, and using/putting away the proper tools, are taught and developed in this stage. All of these traits are part of a good work ethic which is critical for young men in today’s society. 

Daily Life Here

Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays are set aside for working on the core classes and doing service work projects. On Monday evening students have a Bible study, and on Wednesday and Friday evenings they have quiet hour for studies, reading, and letter writing.

Tuesdays and Thursdays represent apprenticeship days. On Tuesday evening students watch a documentary movie. On Thursday evening they have game night. These games can vary from basketball to pool tournaments to interactive games within the lodge.

Saturday is typically a day out. The whole house may go to a park for football, or maybe go caving/hiking here in the Ozarks. Saturday night is movie night.

On Sundays, the mentors and the students attend church, followed by homework in the afternoon. Each student is also involved with chores, cooking, and laundry as well. These are integrated into Life Skills elective class.

During free time the students can make use of the recreation building. Billiards, ping-pong, foosball, and weight lifting are common sources of entertainment and camaraderie.

Whetstone Boys Ranch is a working cattle ranch and therapeutic Christian school that serves struggling boys ages 12-16 and their families. Here boys live, learn, work and grow as they experience essential individual, group and family therapy, excellent academics, exciting outdoor adventures, and useful hands-on tasks. We believe in sharpening young men to become true servant-leaders in their families and communities.

Since 2011, Whetstone’s purpose centers on the reconciliation of boys (ages 12-16) and their families. Boys live in dorm-style in the boarding school with a 3:1 boy to staff ratio. We treat struggles such as anger, depression, low self-esteem and trauma with a loving, systems-based approach. And this comprehensive method of treatment and restoration sets us apart.

We work with boys with Reactive Attachment Disorder, ADHD, Oppositional Defiance Disorder, internet addictions, and rebellious boys. Here the boys live, learn, work and grow as they experience essential individual, group and family therapy, excellent academics, exciting outdoor adventures, and useful hands-on tasks.

Activities

The 285 acre ranch in the Ozarks, offers an Adventure Week each year, as well as hands-on classes on topics like Winter Survival, Summer Survival, Fishing, Orienteering, Campfire Cooking, Shelter-Building, Knot-tying, and Disaster Readiness, and more. Strength training program with running, team and individual sports such as basketball, football, whiffle ball, golf, ultimate frisbee, can-jam, swimming, and disc-golf, and more.

During a yearlong stay, the boys are offered other adventures like fishing, swimming, hiking, camping, canoeing, kayaking, rock climbing, rappelling, bowling, model building, carpentry, woodworking, guitar, field trips to concerts, sporting events and museums, creative writing, movie-going and much more.

Education

Whetstone Boys Ranch provides boys with a liberal arts-based education in a uniquely integrated setting. The Whetstone curriculum diagnoses gaps in student learning before moving to material that the student may not be ready to tackle. These gaps in learning are often the cause of student failure and eventual misbehavior in the classroom and at home.

Whetstone’s low boy-to-staff ratio gives us a huge advantage over most educational settings. One teacher for every three boys, provides multiple opportunities for assisting them as needed. Whetstone students return to public schools, private schools, home schools, and are those headed to college shortly after graduation. Whetstone helps transition the boy back home with providing transcripts to high schools, helping him to enlist in the military, preparing for the ACT, and more.

Therapy

We do therapy without “doing therapy.” In a small group setting, guided by qualified teachers and counselors, we talk about movies, music, novels and poems. We talk about Truth and Beauty – examine a “Grecian Urn” or two. Some say that all art is therapy. If this is even close to the truth, our boys get a ton of it while sharing their thoughts in writing and during lively group discussions, developing critical thinking skills in the process. In addition, all boys participate in at least one week-long adventure therapy session, during which they hike, camp, fish, rock-climb, rappel, cook over a campfire, and other activities.

One key component of our therapeutic model is mentoring – the modeling of positive behaviors within a loving and supportive environment. Our low ratio allows each staff member, from counselor to cook, to spend quality time with each boy in the schoolroom, in the outdoors, and around the family hearth. In doing so, we are naturally drawn to storytelling. We all have a story. Happy, Sad, Tragic, Triumphant. It longs to be shared because we long to be understood.

From a therapeutic perspective, what we see as our role in this story has a dramatic impact on how we view ourselves in relationship. Our beliefs make us able to overcome the problems we face in life, because they make us willing to receive help from those we love. Throughout our program, boys are encouraged to share and understand their story, as well as the stories of those around them. When people do this in community, understanding, compassion, and forgiveness become not only possible, but probable.

Get help today by visiting Whetstoneboysranch.com or calling Whetstone at 417-934-1112, or email us at admissions@whetstoneboysranch.com.

ADDICTION TREATMENT AND SOBER SCHOOL PROGRAM…

Teen Challenge Adventure Ranch is a licensed therapeutic program, addiction treatment program, and boarding school for boys ages 14-17 with serious life-controlling issues or addictions.  The boys experience clinical therapy and regular therapy-based, challenging outdoor activities including: camping, backpacking, rappelling, canoeing, swimming, hiking, and spelunking (rock climbing and cave exploration). Students are challenged physically and learn the importance of teamwork, goals and perseverance. They develop better communication skills and improve their ability to work cooperatively with others. 

Teen Challenge Adventure Ranch is a licensed treatment facility with private bedrooms for the boys. The energetic therapists and caring staff encourage the boys to apply appropriate solutions to life’s problems.  They endeavor to help troubled boys become mentally sound and drug-free for a lifetime, not just for the short time they are on the TCAR campus.  The program’s extensive Aftercare Program ensures your boy’s ongoing success, entailing an extra six months of support, training and encouragement and a visit to the boy’s home, plus help in finding local resources for the parent and boy.

If nothing else is working for your boy today, enrolling him in this residential program may be absolutely the right choice and the best chance for helping him before he becomes an out of control adult. The program is designed to help a boy when:

• His behavior is out of control
• He is addicted to drugs, pornography, online games, or alcohol 
• Counseling and other outpatient treatments aren’t working
• His problems are persistent or even worsening despite promises to change
• Inappropriate behaviors are placing his (or your) health or life at risk
• He was expelled from school or is facing legal problems
• He is deeply entangled with friends who are a negative influence
• He keeps returning to negative behaviors even after periods of time when he has been doing well
• When your boy’s behaviors or attitudes could endanger his future.

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ADDICTIONS?  TCAR is  a dual-diagnosis, licensed facility, helping teenage boys recover from either or both substance abuse addictions and self-destructive, out of control behavior. Addiction recovery services and licensed drug and alcohol addiction counseling are offered as a regular part of our treatment, since substance abuse often co-exists with troubling behavior. According to multiple outcomes studies, Teen Challenge’s  success rate in dealing with addictions tops the industry.

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A Fun Adventure Program for Boys, that Offers Serious Therapy

Below is a list of some factors that set this program apart from others. The list reflects some of the things that parents often find important when deciding where their child should go. Please take a moment to review the items below. 

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WHAT THEY SAY:  “We believe that God has a purpose and a plan for every boy who comes to Teen Challenge.  It’s not just about teaching boys how to stay out of trouble.  It’s about seeing our students reach their full potential and experience the hope and future that God intended them to have.  We believe that every boy that comes to us has the potential to become a man of character and integrity.  Their attitudes can be positive, and they can be successful in their relationships with others.  All of these elements are presented in a loving Christian environment.”

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Teen Challenge utilizes an integrated model of intervention.  Their methods of intervention are Biblically-based and incorporate concepts and techniques from various psychological approaches including:  Cognitive Behavioral therapies, Reality therapy, Choice theory, solution focused therapy, systems theory, and others.  The program makes use of behavioral elements, experiential activities, therapeutic interventions, and social/interpersonal activities.  All of these elements are presented in a loving Christian environment. 

Helping a Student Regain Control of His Behavior

Teen Challenge helps students regain control of their behavior by helping them to recognize the unproductive patterns in their lives and encouraging them to seek new solutions to life’s problems and difficulties. 

They believe that students can and should take responsibility for their behavior and choices.  While there may be life tragedies or difficulties which have contributed to a boy’s problematic behavior, a child can learn to make better choices regardless of his situation or past.  Effective solutions to life’s difficulties can be found, and healing from life’s hurts can be experienced. 

The Teen Challenge program is broken up into five phases.  The first four phases are completed on campus.  Each phase has unique goals, objectives, and intervention material that a student must complete before moving to the next phase.  The general goals of each phase are as follows:

Phase 1 – Basic Self-Management

Phase 2 – Teamwork and Cooperation

Phase 3 – Leadership Training

Phase 4 – Leadership and Service

Phase 5 – Successful Transition outside of the program

Each phase has additional privileges as well as greater levels of responsibility.  There is improvement in behavior and attitudes as students progress through the different phases of the program.  A scoring system is used to provide students with feedback on their behavior and to help them become aware of and manage their own behavior.  This behavioral technique is used for each activity of the day.  A student’s behavior is scored in the following five areas: 

• • Punctuality/Preparedness
• • Obedience/Flexibility
• • Diligence/Determination
• • Respect/Attitude
• • Leadership

The scoring system helps staff and the student identify the areas where the student is doing well or has made significant progress.  It also helps us to identify areas where the student may be experiencing difficulty.  If challenge areas are identified, we will work with the student in problem solving and help him develop strategies for success. 

The program is approximately 18 months long. The first 9-12 months are done in residence at Teen Challenge, and the last 6 months take place after the child returns home and enters our aftercare program. 

The Extensive Aftercare Approach (Few other programs do this!)

TCAR believes that a critical factor to the success of the boys is an effective Aftercare Program. They continue to work with boys and their families after the residential portion of the program is completed.  The aftercare portion of the program is designed to last at least 6 months.  They continue to work with the student and his family and help with any transition issues he may face when returning home.

Teen Challenge Adventure Ranch also works with families in regard to finding a mentor for the child. This mentor will be someone from their local area who will coordinate with the Teen Challenge Transitional Services Director.  He/she will meet weekly with the student and provide continued encouragement and accountability after he returns home.

The Transitional Services Director also maintains regular contact with the student after he completes the residential portion of the program.  He makes weekly phone contact with the student and family to check on progress. When possible, in-home visits are often scheduled (if the family would like for that to happen). During the visits/calls, the following is discussed:

• • Re-entry into the home environment,
• • Transitions to and challenges with new educational facilities,
• • Vocational activities and goals,
• • Relapse prevention issues,
• • Interpersonal issues,
• • The student’s conduct and behavior. 

Students showing significant difficulty transitioning back into society and/or participating in at-risk or delinquent behavior can be returned to Teen Challenge Adventure Ranch for a limited time.  After re-stabilization, the previous aftercare plan is evaluated and appropriate changes are made in order to better assist the student with transition.