Heartland Boys Academy is a structured, Christian residential program for boys aged 12-17. We are located in Western Kentucky. Our relationally-oriented but highly disciplined program is specifically designed to help boys who are struggling with difficult life challenges or expulsion from a public or private school.
Heartland Boys Academy uses an adventure-filled program while ensuring that the boys earn elevated levels of trust, responsibility, authority, and privilege. Boys are built up in their confidence and thoughtfulness, allowing them to successfully return to home life, college, vocational training, the military, or employment. We strongly push them toward a vocation or to move toward more training once they leave Heartland Boys Academy, which gives them the reason to keep a straight head and their eye on the target for their future, so they don’t fall back into old ways of thinking and acting.
Heartland Boys Academy is a positive learning environment that offers the benefits of talented staff dedicated to helping young men gain the tools needed for success. The program integrates educational, spiritual, and personal growth curricula with vocational skill-building activities, athletics, and community service learning projects. This integration, combined with a relationship-focused approach, provides full student engagement and results in demonstrated success. Staff and volunteers work with each student, creating an individualized development plan that outlines objectives and goals for the student’s success.
We work best with boys with anger and related behavioral issues. Most of the boys in our care are those diagnosed with RAD, ADD, ADHD, or are self-destructive. Many of the boys that we work with were adopted — referred here for our help and care from adoptive parents. We also work with boys who have gotten into trouble with the law but clearly have a good heart and just need a new start and direction in life. For the safety of the staff and other boys, we do not accept violent offenders, arsons, sexual offenders, suicidal boys, or boys with severe psychological issues requiring regular psychiatric care.
We work under the simple philosophy of giving the kids something they don’t want to lose. Whether that be the hope for an exciting future, a trade that they love, or a fresh new start in life, boys leave here with a new purpose and desire to be responsible men of God.
Activities
Heartland Boys Academy teaches boys how to enjoy good, clean manly fun. The boys at Heartland Boys Academy frequently go offsite for camping, hiking, spelunking, cave exploring, fishing, boating, and hunting. Some of the boys participate in sports in the local schools in our area.
The Heartland Boys Academy and Christian Academy is a place of healing and hope. We have seen hundreds of at-risk and struggling teens transformed into hard-working, respectable young adults. We help restore boys to their families; healthy, confident, and spiritually and academically on track.
Education
At Heartland Boys Academy, we value education and academics as being an integral and necessary part of the lives of our students. We also realize that many of our students may have unresolved life questions that may be obstacles to conventional learning methods.
While we place an important emphasis on counseling and relationships, we understand that academics are also a critical part of the boy’s future. Our program is designed to help get our students from “I can’t learn” to “I can’t wait to learn.” We provide unique educational opportunities including credit retrieval for students that have gotten behind in school.
When a young man arrives at Heartland, we gauge the student’s ability to tolerate standard learning methods. Each and every student is provided with an Individualized Student Success Plan while simultaneously the student’s transcripts and previous school records are used to build a plan for which classes are needed for completion of the ultimate academic goal of obtaining a high school diploma.
Heartland Boys Academy uses an online curriculum, allowing for students of all academic levels to be able to enter classes and work at their own pace. Teachers and instructors are available in the classroom to assist with any questions or technical help with the computers.
Heartland is a Department of Education registered non-public school. Our teachers assist students in two available self-paced Christian curriculums (Accelerated Christian Education and Edgenuity), offering tutorial help when needed. A high school diploma is awarded upon graduation and assistance in obtaining ACT and SAT testing in the local schools.
Resolution Ranch Academy in Cameron, Texas (near Austin) is a place where addicted or at-risk boys age 13-17 can can solve their issues and gain a new perspective on life. Nature has a way of bringing us down to earth and rekindling meaningful introspection. Outdoor activities like fishing on the lake, hiking the trails, and horseback riding, help students reconnect with the world and the people in it.
On 500 acres of open ranch land, Resolution Ranch has an enrollment of approximately 32 students, with a 25 full-time staff. Boys benefit from seven of our staff members on his team—our licensed therapists, equine therapists, direct care workers, teachers, childcare administrators, and counselors work together to provide 24/7 supervision and support. This consistent interaction encourages camaraderie among students and staff, helping them achieve honest communication and meaningful progress.
Founded in 2004, by former NFL player Scott McGarrahan, Resolution Ranch Academy is a therapeutic boarding school that helps teenage boys struggling with behavioral issues, life failure, or addiction. Boys get back on track toward a brighter future. For an average of six to nine months, students experience a positive, nurturing environment focused on guiding personal growth through responsibility, gratitude and open communication.
Resolution Ranch clinical therapists are specialists in treating boys who are headed for trouble. To help foster trust and collaboration between each boy and his therapist, our approach focuses on open, honest communication in a supportive and nurturing setting. During your son’s stay here, his day will be structured around multiple types of therapeutic services, including Individual Therapy, Group Therapy, and Family Therapy.
THE R.A.N.C.H. PROCESS HELPS TEEN BOYS THRIVE
As boys progress through the program, they make their way through the five levels of growth that make up our effective R.A.N.C.H. system: Recovery and Academics through Nature, Counseling, and Healing. Our philosophy is based on a commitment to personal growth through the teaching of values, responsibility, and respect. We employ this philosophy in every aspect of our program, which combines Equine Therapy, Clinical Therapy, and Academics in a therapeutic boarding school setting.
Resolution Ranch offers a nurturing environment where teenage boys can find unconditional support, and guidance. If your child is suffering from behavior issues, addiction, depression or is making choices that cause harm to himself or others, we are here to help.
We Work with Boys Who are Experiencing:
Oppositional defiant disorders (ODD)
Attention Deficit Disorders (ADD and ADHD)
Mild Autism Spectrum
Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD)
Depression or anxiety
Drug use or addiction
Entitlement issues and irresponsibility
Lack of respect or hostility towards family or authority
Skipping school or failing grades
Lack of motivation
Low self-esteem, withdrawal
Falling with the wrong crowd
Unmanageable behavior
Online or video game addictions
Activities
During downtime and weekends, students kick back and play all kinds of sports, work out in our Strength and Conditioning center, fish, hike, ride horses, and take off-site trips.
Academic Program
Resolution Ranch is accredited through SACS, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, which uses an Index of Education Quality to measure overall performance based on a comprehensive set of indicators and evaluative criteria. The overall and domain scores range from 100-400. Resolution Ranch is proud to have attained an Overall Score Average of 325.00—well above the average Overall Score of 282.79—and a Leadership Capacity Score of 340.00. .
We are also accredited by AdvancED, the largest community of education professionals in the world. A non-profit, non-partisan organization, it conducts rigorous, on-site external reviews of Pre K-12 schools and school systems to ensure that all learners realize their full potential. Their expertise is grounded in more than a hundred years of work in school accreditation.
Students attend school for a minimum of 20 hours per week with an extra five hours of instruction available as needed. Your son’s curriculum is tailored to his grade level and customized to address any issues (such as ADHD, problems with authority, depression, etc.), that may be hindering his academic progress. To ensure students get the individualized attention they need, our classes are offered in a small setting. All our courses are fully transferrable to any public, private or boarding school in the U.S., so students won’t fall behind.
A Character-Building Program
Helping others, embracing responsibility, and communicating are all important components to the Resolution Ranch program. We believe being good to others is essential to building character and self-worth. When a student takes responsibility for himself and for helping someone besides himself, he learns the value of humility, gratitude, and compassion.
Twice a week, your son will participate in two Life Space Interviews with his Direct Care Worker. These mentoring sessions are a way for us discuss and assess anything your son may be feeling or going through, both personally and within the community. Life Space Interview reports are written after every interview and sent to the therapist. Your child’s Direct Care Worker and Therapist are constantly working together to keep informed of his progress.
READY TO GIVE YOUR TROUBLED BOY A NEW START?
If you would like to learn more about Resolution Ranch Academy, contact us today.
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.
A Boarding School for Life Change
BCA’s chief goal is to facilitate the restoration of a positive relationship between the teen and their family through therapy, mentoring, and through modeling the love and hope of Jesus Christ. They work with troubled teens that have had a disconnect somewhere along the line and have gotten off track in life.
BCA is a Christian boarding school for boys, designed for troubled teenagers that are:
» Making poor and even dangerous choices
» Acting entitled, selfish, or detached
» Drug/substance abuse or addiction
» Manipulating family and others
» Lying, sneaking out, isolating from family
» Rebelling against authority
» Depressed, withdrawn or self-destructive
» Diagnosed with ADD, ADHD, or anger
» Academically behind or unmotivated.
Academics at BCA
Brush Creek Academy is a fully accredited boarding school. When your student attends this program, he will receive a high quality education that holds the same accreditation as your local high school. This ensures that the transfer of credits back to his public or private school is without question.
If your son graduates from this high school he will be able to attend the college or university of his choice without concern of his diploma and transcript being accepted. Other similar programs utilize a “dual enrollment” so the student can be enrolled with another agency that provides the actual accredited curriculum. The Brush Creek Academy school has gone through the rigorous accrediting process that is required to make sure that it is fully accredited and meets the national standards that are required of schools.
This school’s study program allows for an education plan designed specifically for your son’s needs. It is purposely designed for a smaller student body, 20 students or less. Brush Creek Academy focuses on grades 7-12. Your son’s education plan will be designed to make sure that he can complete the courses needed to get back on track academically. Goals are set on a daily basis so that there is immediate feedback to the student to know how he is progressing.
Transferrable Credits
All credits received from this school are fully transferrable. With the backing of its accrediting agency and the recognition of the Oklahoma State Board of Education, transferring of credits is a seamless process. Sometimes public schools are concerned about taking credits from a Teen Challenge program. Because accreditation is the same one as the public school your son will return to, there is never an issue with accepting credits, transcripts, or diplomas.
Accreditation and Dual Enrollment
Academics is so important at Brush Creek that this program has invested in going through the rigorous and expensive process of having its facility and in house academic program fully accredited. Brush Creek Academy makes sure that it meets every standard that public schools are required to meet. This is why this school holds the same seal of approval from AdvancEd as your local public high school and university. AdvancEd is the parent organization for the former North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement (NCA-CASI) and the Commission on International and Trans-Regional Accreditation (CTI). This school is also accredited by the International Christian Accreditation Association.
Brush Creek Academy enrolls students from all over the United States representing many diverse school districts and graduation requirements. Because of its AdvancED accreditation, this school does not run into any difficulty in making sure students that return home receive that credits they deserve.
The courses offered here are largely computer based. This allows students to have a focused education plan and encourages the student to make personal progress without getting lost in the crowd of a traditional classroom. For those students going on to college, it has prepared them perfectly for the personal responsibility for the academic progress that college demands.
Brush Creek Academy works to accommodate the many unique needs of its students. This program offers some vocational courses, and honors courses are available as well. Every student with an IEP (individualized education plan) is evaluated on a case by case basis.
Concurrent Enrollment
Although the vast majority of students come to Brush Creek behind in school and with no goals for the future, they soon get back on track and begin to think about what lies ahead. Because of this, Brush Creek includes concurrent enrollment with a local Junior College. This allows students to enroll in college courses while still being enrolled in school here. These courses on completed online and the student gets a jump start on his college career, receiving his first college credits.
Academic Success
Brush Creek Academy takes educational success very seriously because it is important to you as well as being essential for your son’s future success. This program has a strong track record of providing a high quality, structured educational environment. Brush Creek students go on to successful careers in many fields.
Academic Achievement and Repair of Past Academic Failure
Quality education is a high priority at BCA. Academic struggles and/or failures are common in students that are dealing with life controlling issues or simply making poor choices. At BCA Teen Challenge, staff works on both sides of the issues. While helping your son to overcome his life controlling problems, he is building confidence that a high school diploma is possible. Through setting goals, students quickly get back on track. Because this school is year-round, students have many more hours in the classroom than traditional education. This year-round approach coupled with a focused education plan helps to ensure that repairing past failures can become a reality. It is also not just about gaining back past credits but also improving one’s Grade Point Average (GPA). Credits are not given here at BCA, they are earned. The typical student that comes here will see his GPA increase as credits are only received when a student completes a course of study with a “B” or higher.
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).
Goals:
The role of staff is to be faithful stewards of students in working with them in three main areas:
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.
• Boys who suffer from not being able to form healthy emotional relationships with adoptive parents, including RAD (Reactive Attachment Disorder),
• Boys who are unable to remain focused, ADHD, (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder)
• Boys who display signs of early rebellion, refuses to obey, shows argumentative behavior,ODD (Oppositional Defiance Disorder),
• Boys who simply need a change of environment, separated from the negative impact of internet addictions, and harmful relationships.
Whetstone Boys Ranch Helps Troubled Boys
We focus on issues adolescent boys struggle with, including introductory misbehavior (vaping, negative video game-technology/pornography), anger, depression, low self-esteem, trauma related issues, attachment and adoption disorders. Whetstone is an opportunity to intervene now, before these issues grow deeper. Boys receive therapy based on their needs, after going through a screening process.
Therapy and counseling includes individual 1 hour sessions, once a week, led by a LPC therapist. Individual treatment includes EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) –originally designed to alleviate distress associated with traumatic memories. It is a psychotherapy that enables people to heal from the symptoms and emotional distress that are the result of disturbing life experiences…and helps activate their natural healing processes. (EMDR.com)
Group counseling occurs 2 times a week.
Family therapy includes an intensive 2-3 day session during a boy’s stay at Whetstone with our licensed therapist.
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.
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.
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.
TCAR is Accepted by Many Insurance Providers — Our program is a fully licensed treatment center, eligible for insurance funding.
An Advisor Who Works Directly with You and Your Boy — Your advisor will be available to communicate with you and your family about your child’s progress, the challenges that he is facing, and other matters of importance while he is at Teen Challenge.
Strong Academic Program — TCAR has had tremendous success in helping young men further their education. Boys who were not able to progress in other learning environments often make great advances at Teen Challenge. The private Christian school offers fully accredited classes which can be transferred to other public or private schools after completion of the Teen Challenge program. They also have a GED preparation track. So far, all of the students who have completed their GED preparation classes have obtained their GED on the first testing.
Relapse Prevention — The staff have special training and certification in order to help your child be successful after he leaves Teen Challenge. Staff members work with parents to develop the best possible aftercare plan. Emphasis is placed on developing a plan that prevents relapse and maintains positive future momentum.
A Christ-Centered Approach — Teen Challenge is a faith-based, Christ-centered organization. Its curriculum, teaching, program format, and style of intervention are all biblically-based. This is the reason for the incredible history of success that Teen Challenge has had over the years.
An Experienced Team of Quality Staff Members — TCAR’s team has approximately 150 years of combined experience in working with troubled individuals and their families.
An Established Program and Organization — TCAR was the very first residential Teen Challenge center for teenage boys. They have been helping young men and their families for over 40 years.
A History of Success — Based on federal and university studies done on various Teen Challenge centers across the United States, the Teen Challenge Program has been shown to have one of the highest success rates in the world. Success rates are regularly 20 times higher than other similar type programs.
Low Student to Staff Ratios. — In order to provide the best possible intervention to your child, Teen Challenge maintains low student to staff ratios. The organization requires that at least one staff member be present for every 9 boys during the hours that students are awake. It is common practice to have one staff member present for every 5 boys.
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.”
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.
We work best with boys with anger and related behavioral issues. Most of the boys in our care are those diagnosed with RAD, ADD, ADHD, or are self-destructive. Many of the boys that we work with were adopted — referred here for our help and care from adoptive parents. We also work with boys who have gotten into trouble with the law but clearly have a good heart and just need a new start and direction in life. For the safety of the staff and other boys, we do not accept violent offenders, arsons, sexual offenders, suicidal boys, or boys with severe psychological issues requiring regular psychiatric care.
Resolution Ranch Academy in Cameron, Texas (near Austin) is a place where addicted or at-risk boys age 13-17 can can solve their issues and gain a new perspective on life. Nature has a way of bringing us down to earth and rekindling meaningful introspection. Outdoor activities like fishing on the lake, hiking the trails, and horseback riding, help students reconnect with the world and the people in it.
Founded in 2004, by former NFL player Scott McGarrahan, Resolution Ranch Academy is a therapeutic boarding school that helps teenage boys struggling with behavioral issues, life failure, or addiction. Boys get back on track toward a brighter future. For an average of six to nine months, students experience a positive, nurturing environment focused on guiding personal growth through responsibility, gratitude and open communication. 
Resolution Ranch clinical therapists are specialists in treating boys who are headed for trouble. To help foster trust and collaboration between each boy and his therapist, our approach focuses on open, honest communication in a supportive and nurturing setting. During your son’s stay here, his day will be structured around multiple types of therapeutic services, including Individual Therapy, Group Therapy, and Family Therapy.
Resolution Ranch is accredited through SACS, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, which uses an Index of Education Quality to measure overall performance based on a comprehensive set of indicators and evaluative criteria. The overall and domain scores range from 100-400. Resolution Ranch is proud to have attained an Overall Score Average of 325.00—well above the average Overall Score of 282.79—and a Leadership Capacity Score of 340.00. .
A Character-Building Program 
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.
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.
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.
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. 
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. 
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: 
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.