Rocky Mountain Frontier, near Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, is a boys ranch with wilderness treks that take the boys into some of the most beautiful mountains in America. It serves boys ages 10-17 who are struggling socially, academically, or behaviorally. The rustic and back-to-basics program takes troubled boys out of their comfort zone to teach them deep-standing life lessons that will help them flourish for a lifetime. The environment plays a pivotal part in the program for at-risk boys.
Founded by a Catholic family, RMF intentionally uses wilderness opportunities, with rugged mountains and a 55,000 acre ranch as a backdrop, to heal troubled youth. Your son will experience pristine nature on his journey toward restoration and recovery. The boys ranch will build dignity, self-respect, and responsibility in your boy as he experiences living off the grid in the Rocky Mountains.
Your Boy Will Gain a Whole New Perspective on Life at Rocky Mountain Frontier
Rocky Mountain Frontier boys ranch and wilderness program will help strengthen your struggling boy through ranch responsibilities coupled with amazing back-country wilderness expeditions. Your son will experience pristine nature on his journey toward restoration and recovery. We will build dignity, self-respect, and responsibility in your boy as he experiences living off the grid in the Rocky Mountains. The wild frontier is a school that will help push the boundaries of your boy’s knowledge and skills. Character-building situations will abound, teaching your boy to overcome obstacles within himself and his environment. He’ll also learn things about life management and what matters in life, absent the typical distractions youth have today.
Ranch and Outdoor Expeditions Your Boy Will Love
RMF helps young boys step outside of time, unplug from negative distractions, and wholly live each new day connected to God and His glorious Creation with their distinctive outdoor experiential expeditions and education program.
Young boys ride horses to a lake or creek to fish, accompanied by experienced staff who teach them important survival skills. With safety as the #1 factor in outdoor learning, we train boys to leave no trace behind at campsites or trails, and we always avoid camping trips in bad weather or other dangerous conditions.
Working together to survive while camping, troubled boys begin to build trusting relationships with staff and each other. Back at base camp, routine tasks like gathering eggs, working with horses, and chopping wood for indoor cabin fireplaces let boys consider their place and purpose in the world. And as the healing power of the great outdoors unlocks memories of trauma, and brokenness, mentors encourage each troubled boy to see who he can become the man God created him to be!
We work with boys struggling with:
Gambling or Gaming
Anger
ADD/ADHD
Educational Failure
Lacking Confidence
Rebellion and Defiance
Disrespect
Impulsivity
Feeling of Abandonment
Lacking Social Skills
Asperger’s
Anxiety
Pornography
Poor Peer Choices
Social Media and Internet Addiction
Back-to-Basics Ranch Living and Amazing Wilderness Treks Change Everything
Give your son the immersive ranch and wilderness experience of a lifetime. More than a ranch program, Frontier’s wilderness expedition aspect is an amazing and effective way to help preteen and teen boys reset life values, purpose, and priorities. The boys ranch serves young men 10-17 who are struggling socially, academically, or behaviorally. It takes them out of their comfort zone to teach them deep-standing life lessons that will help them flourish for a lifetime.
Experiential expeditions have long been acknowledged as an amazing and effective way to help preteen and teen boys reset their values of life. Because wilderness learning takes boys out of their familiar home and comfort zone, each young boy experiences challenges that push the boundaries of his personal skills, and what he knows about himself. In these opportune moments, RMF staff will provide him with the knowledge and tools he needs to overcome obstacles in the wilderness, and within himself.
The interventions performed by the RMF staff promote growth in the areas of self-worth, and dignity that will allow struggling boys to do the painstaking task of looking inward. We understand that wounded youth are at times too vulnerable to do this type of radical interiorization, however, with the character growth that occurs through the program/ranch activities, he will naturally develop the skills to confront and challenge his idealized perception of self.
Struggling teens are constantly battling for a sense of identity, purpose, and of “belonging to something”. The deviant culture that teens who have low self-esteem gravitate towards are drugs, porn, opioids, vaping, Jules, gangs, cliques, and social media cults. The cost of conforming to groups that exhibit high-risk behavior is changing our client’s values and moral beliefs. Boys desperately need something or someone to believe in and, conversely, someone to believe in them. We will gently guide our clients into a relationship with God/Higher Power and help them open their hearts to kindness, mercy, and serenity. Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous have demonstrated, and proven, that the only approach for long-term success in overcoming behavioral issues starts with surrendering to a Higher Power.
Each boy will learn how to identify his shortcomings and weaknesses, their behavioral effects, and how to grow the opposing virtue which will help him eliminate his destructive behaviors. They will learn to listen to their moral conscience and to be more attuned towards ethical promptings that require the courage to say “no,” thus resulting in strength and integrity that results in impulse control.
Wilderness expeditions helps a young boy leave negative worlds behind, and take root in a positive, healthy environment, where he can learn and develop new ways to think and behave.
His wilderness experience disrupts dysfunctions, changes perceptions, and provides valuable opportunities to work with and rely on one another. Wilderness expeditions allows time for young boys to think and explore who they are, and who they can become.
As boys share this challenging adventure together, new friendships build a sense of community and improve their self-esteem. Ultimately, our wilderness learning program helps each boy reflect on how he thinks, feels, and behaves in difficult situations. And with experiential learning and support from mentors, young boys can heal and improve their emotional, mental, and physical health at RMF.
A Needed Change of Culture:
The at-risk teens who come to RMF are immediately immersed in a culture that is based on honesty, work ethic, faith, dignity, and respect. In an attempt to simplify the lives of young men used to so many technological distractions (cell phones, tablets, TV, etc.), the rural location of our program is an ideal place for clients to redirect with self through nature and to develop alternative, outdoor recreations that urban environments do not have. Our boys are given a chance to hike, fish, camp, and hone their horsemanship skills, not only in the manner of an “equine therapy” which has gained recent popularity in many youth programs but also in “Cowboy Horsemanship” that is learned in authentic, real-life, working situations.
RMF is a privately owned, Christian-based group home for at-risk teenage boys, whose employees are dedicated to an “Apostolic Paternal Teaching” designed to strengthen the body, educate the mind, and elevate the spirit of its clients. Employees recognize diversity in our society and embrace a cross-cultural approach in support of the worth, dignity, potential, and uniqueness of each individual.
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.
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.
The interventions performed by the RMF staff promote growth in the areas of self-worth, and dignity that will allow struggling boys to do the painstaking task of looking inward. We understand that wounded youth are at times too vulnerable to do this type of radical interiorization, however, with the character growth that occurs through the program/ranch activities, he will naturally develop the skills to confront and challenge his idealized perception of self.
As boys share this challenging adventure together, new friendships build a sense of community and improve their self-esteem. Ultimately, our wilderness learning program helps each boy reflect on how he thinks, feels, and behaves in difficult situations. And with experiential learning and support from mentors, young boys can heal and improve their emotional, mental, and physical health at RMF.
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.
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.