Sorenson's Ranch School

Sorenson's Ranch Activities

2012-03-14T07:51:00.002-07:00

Last Fall, some staff from Sorenson’s Ranch took 16 kids to the Shakespearean Festival at Southern Utah University in Cedar City, Utah. We went to see “A Midsummers Night Dream.” The Festival is world famous and even won a Tony Award a few years back.
We try to give our students opportunities to attend activities/performances such as this for two reasons: first, we want them to be exposed to culturally significant events that coordinate with the subjects we teach in the classroom; second, we want them to have opportunities to demonstrate their trustworthiness and practice new behaviors that they are striving to master in connection with their overall therapeutic goals.
When we arrived, we had the opportunity to go to a lecture, conducted by festival staff, that helped the kids understand what the play was going to be about, why the actors speak the way they do, and why they dress the way they do. The students were allowed to ask questions and tour the outdoor theatre.
We got to sit in the balcony of the indoor theatre. As the play started, we thought the kids might start acting up, but we were pleased to see their eyes glued to the stage. By the time the intermission arrived and we went down to look at the Shakespeare displays, we heard the kids trying to predict what was going to happen next and saying how they couldn’t wait to get back to the play.
All of the students acted like perfect ladies and gentlemen. After the play, we went to the library and viewed a display of Shakespeare’s writings and other materials associated with the plays. We saw an original folio from the 1600’s that contained the works of Shakespeare. It was in a special display, maintained at a certain temperature and guarded by a security officer. It was so interesting and the kids felt privileged to see it.
Finally we went to lunch a Taco Bell, which they all loved and then we took them to A&W for root beer ice cream. We discovered that 80% of them had never had root beer ice cream which was fun also.
Our day was wonderful, and we are always getting requests for a return visit to the festival in 2012.

Sorenson's Ranch School Teacher Highlight

2012-03-13T09:05:00.003-07:00

My name is Steve Nielson. I am the science and math teacher here at Sorensons Ranch School. I have been teaching at Sorenson’s for 20 years now and have a lot of much-needed experience with our type of student. Patience becomes a key word regarding reaching children at Sorensons. I believe in tolerance (to a point) and building rapport in order to help students reach their potential academically. We walk a fine line at Sorenson’s with regard to our patience as teachers. Most of our students have not been successful in public school environments because of discipline problems. We have to balance the need for patience and tolerance with the need for respect for other students’ learning opportunities and the necessity for hard work.
I believe that peer tutoring is a key in helping me reach students in the classroom. It has been working for me as of late, and I believe that many times the brighter students can be used as an asset with academically challenged students. Using this type of teaching technique allows me to spend more one-on-one teaching time with the middle of the class students and the accelerated students. I find that when I teach to the middle and higher performing students, the rest of the class will rise to the level of expectation. This simply has proven itself time and time again in my teaching experience.
I also believe that touching each students life in my classroom is very important. Just a simple statement such as, “Do you need my help?” or,”How is it going today?” can make a big difference in the teaching process. Students simply perform better in this type of environment. Success begets success, and true teachers make sure success is felt daily.

New Data-management Program Streamlines Record Keeping at Sorenson's Ranch School

2012-02-03T13:39:00.001-08:00

The combination of therapeutic and academic goals common to facilities such as Sorenson’s Ranch School causes challenges not found in regular, September-to-May types of educational institutions. Our open-enrollment, individually-paced program necessitates a greater amount of flexibility and an accompanying amount of complexity. Along with this flexibility and complexity come correspondingly complex record keeping problems. To try to meet these needs, the management of SRS contracted with a computer firm in Salt Lake City to design a custom program for the school which would work in concert with the behavior management tracking software already in place.
The new program allows the school staff to have all academic records at their fingertips. Gone are the days of separate roll books, grade sheets, registration records, class change forms, and transcript files. All previous academic data is entered into the program when a new student enrolls, and this foundation information is then updated whenever a change is made at SRS. The new program automatically calculates days in class, grade point average, and credits earned. Our old system required us to type each transcript using word processing software. The new program will allow us to generate and print a transcript with a key stroke. With the old system, the monthly report card process was very labor intensive with each teacher having to manually enter the current number of days enrolled, assignments completed, grade, and comment code. Now, the only information items entered manually each time are the teacher comment codes.
The switch to the new program has not been without its problems, but such is the nature of the process when any new system is adopted. The teachers have spent many hours transferring the data from their old record keeping formats into the new program. Some of our faculty have been employees of other schools when new programs of this nature have been implemented, and they have reported that the number of glitches (or “bugs” as the computer professionals call them) with our new package has been less than what they have experienced before. Our requirements are much more complex than those schools which require only an academic data program, as ours must coordinate with our “tracker” program as well. The head programmer on our project has been very responsive to our “bug reports” and has made every effort to have us up and running in time to meet our deadline of February 1st for doing report cards for the first time on the new system.
Even though the changeover process has been very labor intensive and somewhat frustrating at times, the teachers are reporting satisfaction with the new one-place-for-everything approach. We will be adding some new features in the near future which should make it even simpler for us to meet all of our students’ needs.

Mathematics at Sorenson's Ranch School

2011-10-18T14:09:00.000-07:00

There are two questions every math teacher answers repeatedly. “Why do I have to do this?” and “When am I ever going to use this?” At times it is difficult to help students understand why we do difficult things, and it is even harder to help them understand when they may use math in life.
Let’s start with the “why mathematics” question. The purpose of mathematics is to train the brain for critical thinking and problem solving skills. Mathematics requires that creativity and common sense work together to solve complex problems. Mathematics follows the basic, real-life model for problem solving below:
1) Explore
Examine problem.
What do you know? What do you need to know?
2) Plan
How do facts relate to each other?
Make a plan to solve the problem.
Estimate your answer.
3) Solve
Use your plan to solve the problem.
If your plan does not work, start over.
4) Examine
Is my answer reasonable?
Does it make sense?
If not, try again.
Although we use mathematics to teach this problem solving strategy, it is clearly a way to approach any problem one may encounter throughout life. From financial decisions to fixing a car, the decision making process learned from mathematics is critical to productive living.
Now let’s look at the “when” question of mathematics. It is true that many people will not use many of the things that they learn in mathematics after graduation from high school or college. We will use the basic math skills and problem solving abilities forever, but not many of us will need to know how to write the standard form of an equation of a hyperbola. This is what makes the “when” question difficult to answer. Truthfully, unless you are going to be an engineer, computer scientist, actuarial scientist, doctor, business administrator, or many other high-paying jobs, you won’t need higher level mathematics. Nineteen of the twenty highest paying and highest demand jobs rely heavily on math. One of the comments I like to use is: “If you don’t learn something, it is certain that you will never have the chance to use it.” Those who know more are able to do more, especially knowing mathematics. Encourage students to do well in all subjects, even if they don’t like them or feel that a given area of study is too difficult. There will be opportunities for them to use the knowledge they gain, and they will thank you later.

Science at Sorenson’s Ranch School

2011-09-12T07:36:00.000-07:00

My primary purpose as a science teacher at Sorenson’s Ranch School is to make science and technology go hand in hand. Field trips and hands-on experience helps me tremendously to accomplish this task.

Science teaches thinking skills which control our ability to succeed in life. Without these critical thinking skills, the ability to become successful is greatly decreased. So many new technologies are springing up everywhere. It’s my job as a science teacher to create the opportunity for learning in this space-age environment.

I also desire that students feel a learning atmosphere in my classroom. They always need to feel free to ask any question that they desire. Learning should be a life-long skill that enhances life.

Mastery learning is rapidly becoming a necessity as a part of today’s and tomorrow’s workforce. Skills are becoming more specialized and students need to know how to be self-directed learners.

Science can teach them to think and analyze problems through the use of the scientific method. This method teaches them to become that self-directed learner. Students need to feel that their instructors care about their learning. Once they feel that caring atmosphere, they will actually begin to care about their own learning.

In summary, teaching at Sorenson’s Ranch School is rewarding, challenging, and fruitful as we see students change and grow.

Steve Nielson
Spanish & Science Teacher
Sorenson’s Ranch School

Sorenson's Ranch School New Technology!

2011-09-07T08:43:00.000-07:00

New computers and a new program! The Technology Department here at Sorenson’s Ranch School recently updated its computer lab, complete with new Dell flat-screen computers, loaded with Office 2010 and Windows 7. We also have new workstations and an updated curriculum. Due to this update we are now teaching Windows 7 to our Computer Literacy students. Over the years, our students have left this program having learned many things that will help them in both educational and occupational pursuits. In order to continue that tradition, our administrators felt that it was time to update our program to reflect the most current computer systems that our students will likely be using when they leave.
Another phase of this transition, due to some personnel changes, was the inclusion of a new instructor. Ross Franks has been on our faculty for some time, in several capacities, and now will add Computer Literacy to his daily teaching schedule. Ross will maintain teaching assignments in other areas as well and is a welcome addition to this subject area. Ross understands the importance of technology in our modern world and the positive effects that a current and consistent syllabus can have on the learning environment in the classroom.
The new text-manuals we are using are interactive. Activities and lessons are broken down into the steps of the operation. Students are able to see, practice, experiment, and learn through a variety of activities that are designed with real-world application. Many of the steps have pictures of what should be appearing on the monitor as students progress through the lessons, so that they can check their work for accuracy as they go. The new program is complete with templates of many of the activities that students can open from a read-only disk, save the file to their own profile on their computer, and then complete the activity as outlined, saving it for future reference if needed. Students are able to experiment with not only manipulating the data in a given program, but also integrating programs and using the same set of data for a variety of applications in different programs. These text-manuals start with an overview of basic computer systems and then cover various other programs such as Windows Navigation, Word 2010, Excel, Access, and PowerPoint. The new manuals are well organized, detailed, and easy to understand for most of our students. The copyright date of 2011 ensures that they are current with industry standards and Utah State Core Standards as well.
Our students are adjusting quickly to the improvements in the program and seem to be pleased with our commitment to help them experience educational success. We realize that many of our students have struggled with academics in the past for various reasons. It is a focus of our program to help them have positive experiences during their time with us.

Mastery Learning

2011-08-08T08:33:00.000-07:00

Here at Sorenson’s Ranch School, we have worked hard over the years apply curriculum and instruction techniques which have been demonstrated through research to be effective. Because we are a non-traditional school operating within a residential treatment facility, our challenges in providing an adequate education to our diverse student body with its inherent diverse needs are many. One of the ways we try to ensure that we meet the needs of our students is our focus on Mastery Learning.
Mastery Learning is defined as an instructional model which presumes that all children can learn so long as they are provided with a learning environment and accommodations that are commensurate with their learning needs. A foundation principle of Mastery Learning is that in order for a student to move on to more complex learning objectives, he or she must demonstrate ability to apply the current objective with eighty percent proficiency.
The nature of our facility and the diverse nature of our students require us to operate on an open enrollment basis. Our students come to us from almost every state at varying levels of educational accomplishment. Frequently they are more than one year behind schedule for graduation due to causes which include Reactive Attachment Disorder, drug and alcohol abuse, depression and anxiety, and poor family dynamics. All of these factors make it very desirable for us to be able to provide a way for our clientele to “catch up” in school. Mastery Learning is the mechanism that allows us to meet this need.
In a “regular” school setting, credit is earned in lock step with the other students in the class. Assignment due dates don’t change, no matter how far in advance a student completes the required work. Within a Mastery Learning environment, once the student demonstrates proficiency at the eighty percent level, he or she can move on to the next assignment. Mastery Learning does not guarantee that a student will earn credit at an accelerated rate, but it does provide that opportunity.
Another integral part of the student experience here at Sorenson’s Ranch School is the level system which rewards appropriate student behavior with increased privileges and opportunities for enrichment activities. The level system is organized according to a number system with level 1 at the bottom and level 5 at the top. No student is allowed to progress above level 2 unless he/she is on schedule for credit in all classes. This reinforcement of academic achievement through the level system provides extra incentive for students to stay current in school.
Not every student who attends our school will make up all of the credits that he/she is behind, but many do. It is almost always necessary to get a student’s behavioral issues under control before he/she will buy into the system and start to progress adequately in school. The real issue is that once the student experiences a change in behavior and begins to have success in the program, school progress at an accelerated rate, without the necessity of extra school days, becomes a possibility.

Learning About Nutrition

2011-08-02T08:08:00.000-07:00

Over the past few years there has been a lot of controversy on whether or not classes in the family and consumer education area (formerly known as home economics) are important in high school.
Classes such as foods and nutrition are becoming more and more important. The steady rise in obesity in the Nation’s youth population has come to the forefront of our awareness. Obesity in youth has become a top priority for health professionals in the U.S.
A big percentage of obesity in childhood and adolescence can be related to poor eating habits. One effective way to manage obesity is to change eating habits. Making students more aware of dietary needs helps them learn what goes into foods, and the best ways of cooking healthy recipes to benefit them in their later years. Besides being a basic life skill, cooking can instill a feeling of accomplishment and pleasure.
Learning to cook their own meals can help students make more nutritious choice rather than always defaulting to fast food or junk food. High school students are at a stage where it is crucial to learn about the importance of proper nutrition. Teens often do not follow recommended dietary guidelines; they consume many of their calories from sweets and fats.
Nutrition should be an important part of a high school curriculum to teach students eating habits that will benefit their health. Teaching nutrition as part of standard curriculum can help students understand how to make good choices.
In our foods and nutrition class, we teach a balanced mix of nutrition and basic cooking skills that will come in handy later in life. The students aren’t always thrilled about the nutrition portion of the course, but definitely like the cooking labs!!
Teaching students to make good nutrition choices and how to cook are skills that will improve health, save time and money at the grocery store, and promote good health for the rest of their lives.

I Hold My Reins

2011-07-08T16:16:00.001-07:00

As Equine Program Director at Sorenson’s Ranch School I observe the changes that take place in the students from the time they begin the Equine Program until they complete it. It is a remarkable change. The following is written from the point of view of the new Equine student:
When I arrived, my direction was unclear. My past, my present, and my future were like a twirling cloud of dust. Confused, scared, lost, mad, angry, and out-of-control, a young life not knowing which way to go.
Half a ton of muscle, guts, bone, hair, and flesh, how was this beast, foreign to my world, going to be any use to me? Yes, this creature was beautiful, powerful, and enchanting, but what does it have to do with me? When I was introduced to dusty saddles, smelly blankets, confusing halters with lead rope, headstalls with bits, reins, chin straps, throat latches, cheek pieces, and browbands, I was so bewildered. Too many parts, too many names, too much work. Why should I even try? Yet, something new and strange was calling me towards the muddy, pungent corrals. Was it because I wanted to be outside in the cold wind, rain, hail, and snow? Don’t know why, but I started going to the barn.
Horses! Who needs them? They’re scary! They stink! They’re dirty! They step on your feet! They’re a responsibility! They poop a lot! They’re frustrating! They pass wind all the time! They’re stupid… …they’re fun, challenging, calming, soft, stimulating, beautiful, powerful, fast, strong, alive, real, aromatic, tranquil, exciting, and most of all, they’re amazing. Oops, was that my outside voice? Shhh, don’t tell anyone. I think horses are teaching me something about me.
Positive energy, stirrup, cannon, soft hands, breast collar, stifle, toe up and heel down, cinch, pole, pressure in the stirrup, offside billet, withers, sit up straight, tender loin, body language, shirt, frog, projecting direction, hats, cowboy boots, spurs, long-sleeve shirts (even in the summer), sometimes I think these people speak a different language and are truly from a different planet. How can this be fun? What if I fall? Other kids will make fun of me. Yuck, that green stuff is on my shoes again!
I’ve gone from fighting to controlling, from no whoa to WHOA, from a walk to a trot to a canter, from a saddle to no saddle, from a small pen to a big pen and back again. Watch out world! I’m ready. I’m not scared. If I can be as one with a thousand pound animal, I can handle life’s challenges with the same control.
My reins are split. I’m not afraid. If I drop a rein, I can still control my life with one until I get hold of both once again. You may not see my reins move, but I am in control of my destiny. I steer towards the unknown with confidence and direction. The dust has begun to settle. The trails I‘ve learned to ride take me from my past towards my future. I hold my reins.

Sorenson's Ranch School Teacher Answers: "What is taking so long"

2011-05-12T08:16:00.000-07:00

During the years that I have been teaching mathematics, I have noticed that many students complain about the number of problems in an assignment or the amount of time it takes to complete an assignment. I decided to look at the situation and see if the assignments I give are too long. I started by doing all of the assignments myself. I found that the average time it takes me to do the assignments is about 10 minutes. I worked every problem out completely, read all of the instructions, and checked my answers for correctness. I thought that if I could do an assignment in 10 minutes, then the students should be able to do it in 50 minutes. I decided that the assignments were not too long and should not require much time to complete.
I still needed to figure out what was taking so long for the assignments to be completed. While I was presenting to a class a few days later I asked the students what eight multiplied by seven is. I waited for a response, none came. I turned and looked at the students to see that they were all entering 8 x 7 into calculators. After a while the students started to give me the answer I was looking for. I thought that answers to questions like what is eight multiplied by seven should be automatic at the high school level. Having to use calculators was costing students time and making assignments seem longer. I decided to observe how often students use calculators on a problem and try to get a feel for the extra time spent entering things into them that they should already know. I had students work a multi-step problem on the whiteboard as I watched. I found that students seemed to know what to do, but used the calculator to perform all calculations. I observed that using the calculator to do simple calculations cost students from one to two minutes on every problem. If each assignment has around 25 problems, this is taking students an extra 25 to 50 minutes to complete an assignment.
I saw that students were using calculators to do simple addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Due to the time that this was taking my students to complete assignments, I decided to implement a “mathematics daily basics” program. Each day, students are given five minutes to answer the questions on the whiteboard. These exercises are designed help students understand the basic rules for each of the four basic operations and learn to do simple operations quickly. I have noticed students completing work faster, and seem more confident in their answers. I feel that understanding the basics of mathematics, or any subject, is vital to understanding more advanced concepts. When students understand, their attitude changes toward mathematics, and they begin to enjoy it.
I’m not saying that calculators have no place in the classroom. Calculators open the door to solve more advanced problems and can enrich student learning. The goal of technology is to make life more efficient, not to make problems take longer. The debate on when it is appropriate to use calculators in a classroom is still going on, but professionals on both sides agree that students need to be able to perform basic operations without a calculator.
Bradley Shaw
Sorenson’s Ranch School
Mathematics

Sorenson’s Ranch School Participating in the Wellness Works Utah Program

2011-04-14T13:09:00.000-07:00

Sorenson’s Ranch School is participating in a 4-H program called “Wellness Works Utah” for the next ten weeks. The program promotes healthy living through fun and educational programming. It does this by the use of team-work skills, pro-social activities, nutrition education, and physical activity. There was an assembly on Monday, April 11, in the Sorenson’s Ranch School gymnasium to explain the program and to sign up teams. Students and Sorenson’s Ranch staff are participating in teams of two to five people. The teams are same sex and are all students, all staff, or a combination of students and staff.
The program consists of taking some pre-test measurements (such as heart rate, blood pressure, body mass index, percent body fat, and weight), tracking exercise for ten weeks, and then taking a post test on the same measurements. An additional element of the program is the “Walk across Utah.” The teams will be figuring their virtual mileage each week and tracking their progress on a trail across Utah. Teams can earn bonus miles for such things as not drinking any soda the first week, doing 20 sit-ups in one minute the second week, sleeping a minimum of eight hours per night the third week, and so on. The areas of focus in the Bonus Mile System are aerobic, strength, balance, flexibility, nutrition, sleep, stress and life skills. There will be a variety of prizes at the end for winners in different categories.
Sorenson’s Ranch School staff and students are excited to be participating in this program. Being a team-based program brings a fun level of competition that supports motivation. Most everyone needs a little motivation when it comes to getting and staying in shape.

Sorenson's Ranch School

2011-03-16T09:41:00.000-07:00

Sorenson's Ranch School has been helping youth for over 50 years. Sorenson's Ranch is family owned and operated and was one of the first treatment programs for youth. The staff is dedicated to helping parents and teens better relationships and family bonds. The qualified staff consists of therapists, counselors, teachers and many other well qualified individuals. To learn more about Sorenson's Ranch School visit http://www.sorensonranchschool.com or visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7xa-3QmnNc to view a video on how Sorenson's Ranch School can assist students with depression.

The Truth about Tobacco Assembly at Sorenson’s Ranch School

2011-02-08T09:38:00.000-08:00

Adam Bromwell, who is employed by The Truth, an anti-Tobacco organization which is funded through money that was received in a law suit against tobacco companies, visited Sorenson’s Ranch School on Thursday, February 3rd, and gave a presentation entitled, “The Truth about Tobacco”. All of Sorenson’s students attended this dynamic presentation and were given the opportunity to ask questions and interact with Adam as he talked about the dangers of tobacco products and the marketing that the tobacco companies use to target the younger generations.
Adam shared many interesting facts with the Sorenson’s Ranch School staff and students about tobacco, some of which I will share with you. One out of three people who smoke will die of a tobacco related disease. Twelve hundred smokers die per day worldwide from tobacco diseases, which is five million per year. Tobacco kills more people then AIDS, car accidents, suicides, and homicides combined. There are 500 chemicals in each cigarette and 43 of those are known to cause cancer. Cigarettes are as addictive as marijuana and cocaine, and they change the way a teenager’s brain looks and works. Chewing tobacco has 28 cancer causing chemicals and has serious health consequences as well.
Adam focused on how tobacco companies target the younger generations in their marketing campaigns. Tobacco can be purchased that is flavored to taste a lot like candy, and some of the packing resembles the packing of candy. This is disturbing that a product that is manufactured for adults is being made to appeal to our children, to get them addicted, which in turn puts money in the pockets of the CEO’s of these tobacco companies. There is 12.4 billion dollars per year being spent on tobacco advertising. These ads are being seen by minors and are appealing to them as well. Four thousand kids a day try their first cigarette worldwide.
Adam’s message was strong and well received by the students. The students asked many questions, became involved in this presentation, and thanked him for sharing his message. As you talk to your teenager, ask them about this presentation and find out what interesting things they learned.

Sorenson's Ranch School Equine Program Director Dianna Lovelady

2011-01-31T12:42:00.000-08:00

Utahn through and through, Dianna has enjoyed the beauty that Utah holds via horse, mule, snowshoes, skis, 4-wheelers and a foot. Always accompanied by at least one 4-legged friend, she shares her world with many who are in envy. At Sorenson’s Ranch School, Dianna loves her job where she teaches young people more than just to ride a horse, she teaches them how to ride life. Bringing her dog to work daily, taking care of the ‘The Hen House’, working on leather projects and doing many outside activities with the students is all part of it. A famous quote that lives true in her world, “There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man” (Winston Churchill). To expand on this quote, Dianna believes that things with life and energy, whether it’s a horse, dog, chicken, tree, flower, mountain, or sky, are good for the inside of a man, a woman, and a child. She is honored to share her love for life with all here at Sorenson’s Ranch School.
Dianna has ridden 30+ years in northern, southern, eastern and western Utah deserts, valleys and mountains. She enjoyed competing with an all ladies equestrian precision drill team for eight years because it was something to do with her horse. Living two years on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, she guided mule trips in and out of an amazing place lost in time. She managed a working cattle/dude ranch for seven years, hosting foreign guests, family groups, and large youth groups(up to 300 kids). Dianna worked for 15 years in the restaurant industry for a company that employs mostly teenagers and young adults,. She was in management, and for four years she taught all their training classes and ran their Human Resource Department.
Dianna lives 30 miles to the south of Sorenson’s Ranch in the tiny town of Antimony, where she owns and operates a Bed & Breakfast, another avenue where she shares her world. To live in a small town is a choice that she has chosen. She is a city kid that ran to the country and decided to stay.

Sorensons Ranch

2010-12-17T14:28:00.000-08:00

On December 15, Jody Brand and Marlene Hatch took 13 girls to Snow College South for a tour of the cosmetology department. They were able to see the classroom where the students do all their bookwork. They also saw the different rooms where the students practice cutting hair on mannequins, practice doing nails on each other, both acrylic and gel, and of course where they do manicures for each other. We went to a huge room where our girls watched the students at the college practice cutting hair on real people. The college students were all laughing, and having a great time. They made going to school there look like so much fun.
Chad Price our tour guide and head of the cosmetology department, told the girls that there is 1 hour of bookwork for every 5 hours of practical work.
Our girls were each assigned one of the students going to cosmetology school to give them a manicure. They were able to talk to them one on one and ask them all the questions that they had about the cosmetology program. The main thing that seemed to make a big impression on our girls was that you can get a great job that is fun, and pays well, while you continue your education.
It was great for our students to be introduced to new ideas and see some of the opportunities available to them.

Troubled Teens and Consequences

2010-12-16T16:04:00.000-08:00

The problem with a lot of troubled teens is that they haven’t made the connection between their behavior and the outcomes of their behavior. Why is this so? For many it is because they have been rescued by their parents and not allowed to experience the consequences of their actions. This is usually not because their parents are over-indulgent, but because of their deep concern and care for their children. If a child does not learn to put the two together, though, when they are young, then they are heading for trouble by the time they reach adolescence.
There are two types of consequences that parents need to be aware of, natural and logical. In years past, when children grew up on farms natural consequences were an integral part of their lives. If a child was given the chore of feeding the chickens each morning before going to school and didn’t, the natural consequence would have been that the chickens would suffer and their egg production would dwindle, affecting the whole family. The child learned that their actions had consequences beyond just that of being disciplined for not doing a job.
Logical consequences are consequences that have been set in place by the parent or person in authority, such as, “If you don’t eat your dinner, you can’t have dessert.” Here at Sorenson’s Ranch School we have a program in place to teach troubled teens that their actions have consequences. The program is based on a point system. The students learn that certain behaviors lose points and certain behaviors gain points. Based on the number of points a student has, they can be on level one, two, three, four, or five. Each level, going up, has additional privileges for the students.
Initially, teens arriving at Sorenson’s Ranch School with little or no prior experience of connecting their actions to consequences struggle for a while. As they gain experience in managing their own behavior, they are able to gain privileges by moving up the levels. They are able to see the results of their good behavior as well as their bad behavior. Teaching a struggling teen that their actions have consequences not only for them but also for those who are concerned for their welfare is a process that takes some time and is not something that can be changed overnight.
Sorenson’s Ranch School augments its behavioral modification program with a quality education, excellent therapeutic services, and experiential learning opportunities that one can only get on a working cattle ranch. Troubled teens find a place away from the hustle and bustle of modern life where they can concentrate on learning and changing maladaptive behaviors.

The Holiday Season for Those with Troubled Teens

2010-12-07T15:03:00.000-08:00

The holiday season is a time of excitement and anticipation as families plan for get-togethers, holiday meals, and gift-giving. It is a time of year that families usually look forward to with happiness and joy in their hearts. However, for some families there is a shadow hanging over them as they anticipate the coming holidays. For families who are struggling with a troubled teen that is out of control there is the hope that the holidays will go well and as expected, but also the fear that everything may come apart at the seams. Will their adolescent join in on the family functions and be congenial with family and friends? Or will their teen be surly, flippant, or even obnoxious to those around him, ruining the festivities for everyone present?
Many parents of troubled teens hope that if the holiday season goes well, it will mean that their teen has made a turn for the better, and that what they feared most will not have to come to pass. No parent wants to have to send their child away, even if they know it may save their life. We all want to think that we can do this ourselves. We are good, capable, and loving parents. And yet, for some of us, all the love, care, and concern that we have been giving to our troubled teen just gets thrown back into our faces. Rules are ignored and scoffed at. Behavior is beyond unacceptable. There is a feeling of a loss of what to do in order to stop the downward spiral.
Sorenson’s Ranch School has helped parents faced with the agonizing decision of what to do for their troubled teen for over 25 years as a residential treatment center for troubled youth. Before that we were a seasonal camp for troubled inner-city kids to get away for the summer. Over the years we have grown into a fully staffed and JCAHO-accredited residential treatment center for troubled youth as well as an accredited high school, grade 7 through 12. We have licensed therapists trained in dealing with the most difficult problems, such as RAD, BPD, and addiction issues.
If you are a parent with a troubled, out-of-control teen this holiday season, let us give you some hope with some words from other parents who also faced the difficult decision of what to do for their troubled teen:
“While we are fully aware that we must be diligent in our efforts to remain drug free, we feel the people at Sorenson’s Ranch have helped tremendously by developing our daughter’s love for animals…We are in awe of the changes she is making daily.”
“When our son came here, his future was dim and small. Now, thanks to you, it’s bright and big.”
“Last year at this time was very lonely for me and for my husband. Our son was with you for just over two months and we were trying to adjust to his being in someone else’s care. It was so hard and uncertain as to the outcome. Today I am relieved and loving every bit of being a mom. My husband and I are both so thankful for your love and care of him.”

ADOLESCENT MENTAL HEALTH DIAGNOSIS BIPOLAR DISORDER OR BORDERLINE PERSONALITY TRAITS ?

2010-11-15T12:52:00.000-08:00

There is a fair amount of confusion among lay people about the difference between these two particular disorders in teenagers. In addition to having names that sound similar, they both involve a fair amount of emotional disregulation. However, they are quite different. Bipolar Disorder is a biological disorder comprised of periods of depression, mania, and normalcy. It requires medication to manage it over the course of one’s lifetime. Borderline Personality Disorder is a complex of traits or tendencies that are dysfunctional and problematic, creating difficulty in many areas life. While it may be helped by medication, medication is not required. Talk therapy, particularly DBT (Dialectical Behavioral Therapy) that focuses on learning a set of coping skills to assist with regulating mood and behavior, is the treatment of choice. In addition, teenagers with Borderline Personality traits or tendencies, tend to get somewhat better just with age and maturity, even without treatment. However with treatment, they can overcome the disorder. With both Bipolar Disorder and Borderline Personality Disorder, education about the disorder as well as how to manage it is extremely helpful.

One of the diagnostic criteria for Borderline Personality Disorder, and all of the personality disorders in fact, is that it cannot be diagnosed until it has exhibited itself for a number of years. For that reason, most clinicians wait until an adolescent is eighteen or older to make this diagnosis. However, if someone under eighteen has clearly exhibited the symptoms for a number of years prior to the age of eighteen, the diagnosis can be given.

Diagnosis for Bipolar Disorder is often difficult, because no one ever sees the entire disorder at any given time. Since it involves longer episodes of depression or mania and often periods of normalcy in between, a person with Bipolar Disorder is sometimes misdiagnosed with having a Major Depression instead. For that reason, it is important to get a thorough history of the teenager’s symptomology including any earlier periods of depression or mania. It is also important to look at family history since Bipolar Disorder has a genetic component to it. One reason it is important to have a more accurate understanding of whether a person is experiencing a Major Depressive Disorder or a Depressive Episode within a Bipolar Disorder, is the fact that an anti-depressant medication alone can trigger a manic episode in someone that has Bipolar Disorder. If someone has a history of Bipolar Disorder in their family and are experiencing a Major Depression, it would be important for them to have a mood stabilizer in addition to an anti-depressant medication to avoid the possibility of triggering a manic episode.

According to the DSM-IV TR (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders) the criteria for the depressive and manic episodes of Bipolar Disorder are:

Major Depressive Episode:

1) Depressed mood most of the day, nearly every day, as indicated by either subjective report (e.g., feels sad or empty) or observation made by others (e.g., appears tearful). Note: In child and adolescents, can be irritable mood.
2) Markedly diminished interest or pleasure in all, or almost all, activities most of the day, nearly every day (as indicated by either subjective account or observation made by others).
3) Significant weight loss when not dieting or weight gain (e.g., a change of more than 5% of body weight in a month), or decrease or increase in appetite nearly every day. Note: In children, consider failure to make expected weight gains.
4) Insomnia or hypersomnia nearly every day.
5) Psychomotor agitation or retardation nearly every day (observable by others, not merely subjective feelings of restlessness or being slowed down).
6) Fatigue or loss of energy nearly every day.
7) Feelings of worthlessness or excessive or inappropriate guilt (which may be delusional) nearly every day (not merely self-reproach or guilt about being sick).
8) Diminished ability to think or concentrate, or indecisiveness, nearly every day (either by subjective account or as observed by others).
9) Recurrent thoughts of death (not just fear of dying), recurrent suicidal ideation without a specific plan, or a suicide attempt or a specific plan for committing suicide.

Manic Episode:

A. A distinct period of abnormally and persistently elevated, expansive, or irritable
mood, lasting at least one week (or any duration if hospitalization is necessary).

B. During the period of mood disturbance, three (or more) of the following
symptoms have persisted (four if the mood is only irritable) and have been present
to a significant degree:

1) Inflated self-esteem or grandiosity
2) Decreased need for sleep (e.g., feels rested after only three hours of sleep).
3) More talkative than usual or pressure to keep talking.
4) Flight of ideas or subjective experience that thoughts are racing.
5) Distractibility (i.e., attention too easily drawn to unimportant or irrelevant external stimuli)
6) Increase in goal-directed activity (either socially, at work or school, or sexually) or psychomotor agitation.
7) Excessive involvement in pleasurable activities that have a high potential for painful consequences (e.g., engaging in unrestrained buying sprees, sexual indiscretions, or foolish business investments).

C. The symptoms do not meet criteria for a Mixed Episode.

D. The mood disturbance is sufficiently severe to cause marked impairment in occupational functioning or in usual social activities or relationships with others, or to necessitate hospitalization to prevent harm to self or others, or there are psychotic features.

E. The symptoms are not due to the direct physiological effects of a substance (e.g., a drug of abuse, a medication or other treatment) or a general medical condition (e.g., hyperthyroidism).

Note: Manic-like episodes that are clearly caused by somatic antidepressant treatment(e.g., medication, electroconvulsive therapy, light therapy) should not count toward a diagnosis of Bipolar I Disorder.

According to the DSM-IV the criteria for Borderline Personality Traits are:
1) Frantic efforts to avoid real or imagined abandonment. Note: Do not include suicidal or self-mutilating behavior covered in Criterion 5.
2) A pattern of unstable and intense interpersonal relationships characterized by alternating between extremes of idealization and devaluation.
3) Identity disturbance: markedly and persistently unstable self-image or sense of self.
4) Impulsivity in at least two areas that are potentially self-damaging (e.g., spending, sex, substance abuse, reckless driving, binge eating).
Note: Do not include suicidal or self-mutilating behavior covered in Criterion 5.
5) Recurrent suicidal behavior, gestures, or threats, or self-mutilating behavior.
6) Affective instability due to a marked reactivity of mood (e.g., intense episodic dysphoria, irritability or anxiety usually lasting a few hours and only rarely more than a few days).
7) Chronic feelings of emptiness.
8) Inappropriate, intense anger or difficulty controlling anger (e.g., frequent displays of temper, constant anger, recurrent physical fights).
9) Transient, stress-related paranoid ideation or severe dissociative symptoms.

The Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) group.

2010-11-15T11:27:00.000-08:00

The Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) group at Sorenson’s Ranch School has been busy. Students recently finished the interpersonal relationship section and have been demonstrating skills to assist them in being compliant and less defiant in their relationships with others. Skills included learning direct ways to communicate and to listen to others in communication, as well as learning to problem solve and negotiate.
Students in the DBT group are currently on the Emotion Regulation Unit. In this unit students learn about how their emotions are experienced and influence their behavior. For the past three weeks students have been learning about different emotions and how they are experienced. Students have participated in small group activities in which they have been able to role play different emotions and use specific emotion words to describe their emotions instead of using broad categories of happy, sad, and depressed.
During the Emotion Regulation Unit students will be learning how to reduce vulnerability to negative emotions by learning techniques to stay out of the emotional mind. These techniques are basic, but powerful and include taking care of oneself by treating physical illness, balancing their eating, avoiding mood altering drugs, balancing sleep, getting proper exercise and building mastery. Building mastery is a skill that helps students to gain control through developing new skills and talents as well as strengthening their abilities.
Students have been completing homework assignments, which are designed to assist them in learning to identify and express their emotions appropriately as well as learning to identify the aftereffects and functions of their emotions.
Learning to identify emotions and understand the ways emotions are experienced and the impact they play in the individuals life are key in students learning to handle behavior problems including defiance, conduct disorder as well as being able to understand and work through issues of depression and other mood disorders.
For parents who have students in DBT group be sure to ask your student about the skills they are learning and using, and how these skills are helping them to reach their treatment plan goals.

Life Skills Activity Nights Are Back at Sorenson’s Ranch School!

2010-10-27T13:50:00.000-07:00

Beginning in November at Sorenson’s Ranch, Rhonda Robinson and Tina Somers will be bringing back Life Skills Activity Nights for both the boys and girls. On Monday and Thursday nights, the students will be attending classes that will offer them some much needed skills. Troubled teens tend to be lacking in many skills that are needed in life.
In November they will not only learn to read a recipe, but also how to make the recipe. We will be making Rice Crispy treats, and we will begin creating our own recipe books. Each week the teens will add a new recipe to their books. When they get out on their own, they will have a collection of recipes they can use.
Some of the other activities will include crafts, learning to do laundry, learning to keep track of finances, learning how to place orders for items, learning how to budget money in order to live on their own, as well as other life skills. The students really enjoy these activities, and they learn many valuable lessons.
Many teens that have experienced behavioral problems while going through adolescence drop out of school and enter the “real world” without a clue as to how to do any of the things that will be taught in these activities. Along with these types of activities, Sorenson’s Ranch School offers troubled teens a wide range of experiences that help them grow into well-rounded adults capable of facing the challenges of a complicated, busy world.

Changing Negative Thought Patterns

2010-08-19T09:22:00.000-07:00

Sorenson’s Ranch School helps troubled teens learn how to change negative thought patterns. We all have that little voice inside our heads that attempts to hold us back through the use of self-despairing statements. Whether the statements are about our looks, abilities, or the core of who we are, these statements become part of who we are and keeps us from becoming who we can be. These negative self-talk statements are worse for people who have depression and for those with low self-esteem, because these statements keep the person trapped and do not allow them to move forward easily.
Replacing negative thought patterns is addressed through the use of the DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy) and in individual therapy. The Sorenson’s Ranch School DBT group addresses identifying negative thought patterns by introducing the idea of cognitive myths and teaching the students to challenge these myths that they say to themselves. An example of a myth that students learn to challenge is: “It will kill me if he does not talk to me.” A possible challenge is: “I won’t like it, but I will move on if he does not talk to me.” Other myths include, “It does not matter; I don’t really care.” This one is generally used to avoid sharing feelings and managing emotions. Many students challenge this one with “I really do care and this is why.” Students are then taught to identify their own myths and challenge these and use these challenges every time that myth comes to mind. They practice replacing that thought with the challenge.
The next step in the Sorenson’s Ranch School DBT group is to learn about cheerleading statements. Students are taught to make their own cheerleading statements to give themselves encouragement and to empower themselves. These statements are particularly helpful for overcoming fears and helping the student to feel better about their self and to build upon their strengths.
Learning to change negative thought patterns is a very powerful tool in learning to feel better about oneself and in turn change behaviors. Remember our thoughts are directly related to our behaviors.

Anger and Therapy

2010-08-04T13:20:00.000-07:00

At Sorenson’s Ranch School we are finishing up another 10 week course of our anger management course. Do you have angry teenagers? Here at Sorenson’s Ranch we seem to have a lot of angry teens. Why are they angry? What is anger? Our goal is for our students to understand that anger is a normal feeling or emotion, to teach them that anger is often confused with aggression, and to help students identify when anger becomes a problem.
Students work as a group in workbook. We teach that conflict has three steps that we call the ABC’s of anger. People that express their anger inappropriately have “apparent” payoffs, but long-term negative consequences outweigh the short term gains. We discuss how anger can become a habit. We also teach the correct way to make a complaint, which is our first skill-streaming skill. Students are encouraged to use the skill during the week. Students are provided a forum where they identify and share with each other their own triggers. This helps them to begin to realize that they are responsible for how they respond to different situations.
Teens at Sorenson’s Ranch School are also taught how to recognize and listen to their own warning signs that they are becoming angry. They are encouraged to listen to their own warning signs and to become more aware of what other people might be feeling. Teens are learning to express anger through appropriate verbalization and healthy physical outlets. Our goal for the teens who attend Sorenson’s Ranch School is to understand and apply the basic concepts of anger management that have been presented in the group.

Session 2

OBJECTIVE: To identify general events, and red-flag events and situations that trigger anger for each individual student. To become aware of external triggers as well as internal triggers.

INTERVENTION: Students were provided a forum where they identified and shared with each other their own triggers. Helping them to begin to realize that they are responsible for how they respond to different situations. Also discussed how to recognize and listen to their own warning signs that they are becoming angry. Teaching the steps to understand the feelings of others. Which is the 2nd skill-streaming skill. They were encourage to listen to their own warning signs and to become more aware of what other people might be feeling this week.

Session 3

OBJECTIVE: To identify anger warning signs (cues) so that the students can start to make use of anger reduction techniques and increase self control and personal power when they notice that they are getting angry.

INTERVENTION: Learning to express anger through appropriate verbalization and healthy physical outlets.

Session 4

OBJECTIVE: For students to know reminders (self-instructional statements) that can be used to help increase success in pressure situations of all types. Also to learn skills that will help them deal with someone else’s anger and to learn relaxation through breathing.

INTERVENTION: Studying a list of reminders and encouraging the students to come up with their own personal reminders that would be effective in helping them to stay calm. Discussing different techniques that can be used in dealing with someone else’s anger and teaching them how to breathe in order to relax.

Session 5

OBJECTIVE: To understand that when someone violates your rights the best way to deal with that person is to be assertive, not aggressive or passive.

INTERVENTION: To read about the differences between being assertive, aggressive, or passive and fill out a worksheet. To read about and discuss the Conflict Resolution Model, which is one method of acting assertively.

Session 6

OBJECTIVE: For students to understand that self-evaluation is a way for them to (A) judge for themselves how well they have handled a conflict, (B) reward themselves for handling it well, or (C) help themselves find out how they could have handled it better.

INTERVENTION: Reading and explaining self-evaluation and filling out a worksheet. Discussing different aspects of self-evaluation and asking students to give some examples of how they can use it in their lives.

Session 7

OBJECTIVE: For students to understand and apply the basic concepts of anger management that have been presented in the group.

INTERVENTION: The basic concepts of anger management were reviewed and summarized. Students were able to ask questions concerning what we have learned so far.

Session 8

OBJECTIVE: For students to learn how anger and other emotions are expressed in their family and analyze how past family interactions affect current thoughts, feelings, and behavior.

INTERVENTION: Students filled out a worksheet asking them different questions such as: Describe your family? How was anger expressed in your family? How did each member of your family express anger? Where you ever threatened with physical violence? Was your father or mother abusive to you or each other? How were other emotions expressed? How were you disciplined? What role did you take in your family?

Students also drew a picture expressing how anger is shown in their family.

OBJECTIVE: Continued for students to learn how anger and other emotions are expressed in their family and analyze how past family interactions affect current thoughts, feelings, and behavior.

INTERVENTION: Students filled out a worksheet asking them different questions such as: Describe your family? How was anger expressed in your family? How did each member of your family express anger? Where you ever threatened with physical violence? Was your father or mother abusive to you or each other? How were other emotions expressed? How were you disciplined? And what role did you take in your family? Students also drew a picture expressing how anger is shown in their family.
They shared with the group and talked about seeing the cycle and unless they change could continue into their own families.

Session 9

OBJECTIVE: For students to understand that anger is a normal emotion and needs to be handled in appropriate ways. Mishandled anger includes: Displacement, Passive Aggressive, Suppression, Denial, and Repression. People with chronic anger are mad most of the time and are extremely unhappy. Violence is not a solution, it only compounds the problem. Ways of managing anger includes: Expressing your feelings, Cooling down, and Being constructive. Attack the problem, not the person. When you can acknowledge your anger without resorting to destructive or aggressive behavior, you can turn your anger into a positive experience that makes life better for others and yourself.

INTERVENTION: We watched anger management video. Students were able to identify the different types of behavior they use in expressing their anger.

Session 10

OBJECTIVE: To be able to recognize what we do or say that makes other people angry and try to change these problematic behaviors that could lead to conflicts.

INTERVENTION: Students shared three ways that they anger others and we discussed how they could change these behaviors.
Session 11

OBJECTIVE: For students to understand and remember all that we have learned in group and prepare for the test next week.

INTERVENTION: We reviewed all the basic concepts of anger management that have been presented in the group.

Session 12

OBJECTIVE: For students to remember everything they have learned in-group and be able to apply it in their own lives.

INTERVENTION: Students took a final test for the group. If they don’t pass the test, they may have to repeat the group.

Special Group

Salt Lake Bees Game

2010-08-02T10:59:00.000-07:00

On July 23, 2010, Sorenson’s Ranch School staff took all the Level 4 and 5 boys and girls to a Utah Bees minor league baseball game as a reward for their good behavior. The Bees played the Denver Sky Sox and lost 12-1. It was a very disappointing game, but I don’t think the teens minded much. They were just glad to be able to participate in such a fun activity away from campus.
We arrived at the ballpark in Salt Lake City at 5:00 p.m. and enjoyed a picnic lunch of all you-can-eat hotdogs with condiments, chips, beans, watermelon, and soda pop. We sat in a shaded area of the ballpark where we ate and had a great time talking with each other. This was a good time for the teenagers to relax and interact with each other in a positive way.
At 6:30 p.m. we went into the game, and our seats were perfect. We were right behind home plate and also in the shade. The first Bees batter got up to bat and on the first swing, the bat broke. It was amazing. It's not very often you get to see a bat break in a game.
After the game was over, the teens watched an outstanding fireworks show! It lasted about 30 minutes, had great music, and the adolescents’ faces were glued to the sky. They were more like little kids again, instead of troubled teens that had been sent to Sorenson’s Ranch School for intervention.
These activities are great because they reward the kids for their good behavior and hard work. It is a great motivator to keep them on the right track. They look forward to such activities here at Sorenson’s Ranch School. Special activities such as this augment our regular activities of horse riding, camping, fishing, etc. When higher level students return to campus and excitedly tell their friends what they did, it gives the lower level students incentive to keep their behavior in check so that they can get to a level to be able to go the next time.

Holly McCulla
Sorenson's Ranch School

THERAPY DEPARTMENT HOSTS OUTDOOR CHALLENGE DAY

2010-07-23T09:28:00.000-07:00

The Sorenson’s Ranch School Therapy Department held another fun day of outdoor challenge activities to assist students with creative problem-solving and teambuilding. In June the Therapy Department facilitated a low ropes course day for our adolescent students and it was a big success. In the second week of July, we did another challenge day for the girls, as well as a day for the boys with all new challenges. The students moved in small teams of approximately eight to ten students from one activity to the next. All challenge activities were facilitated by a therapist or group leader. The students had a lot of fun with these challenges and tended to get very involved in solving or completing them. After the completion of each challenge, the leader facilitated a discussion to assist the teens in relating their approach in the challenge to broader issues in their lives either here at Sorenson’s Ranch or back at home. Students related the challenges to a variety of challenges in life that teens have to deal with such as staying clean and sober, working through their treatment program successfully, getting along with and supporting their peers, improving their relationship with their parents, meeting their academic goals, making positive plans for the future, etc.

The Sorenson’s Ranch School therapy challenge day was set in a picturesque mountain setting approximately seven miles from campus up a wooded canyon. A beautiful stream lined one edge of the site where the event took place. The students made their lunch up in the mountains in a picnic area near the stream. We also made homemade ice cream, which everyone enjoyed. There was a little bit of free time at the end to enjoy the creek. It was a hot day and students enjoyed cooling off in the stream, as well as playing tug of war across the stream.

PARENT ORIENTATION TO SORENSON’S RANCH

2010-05-28T08:27:00.000-07:00

The Treatment Team

Sorenson’s Ranch School has adolescent clients with a variety of presenting concerns including Oppositional Defiance, Substance Abuse, PTSD, behavioral problems, school problems, Attention Deficit Disorder, mental health problems, Bipolar Disorder, Depression, Borderline Personality Tendencies, and unresolved adoption issues, including Reactive Attachment Disorder. Because of the variety of presenting problems that our adolescent students display, it is important that we individualize their treatment. Each student has a treatment team that consists of their parent(s), their therapist, case manager, and her/himself.

The therapist is designated as the leader of the treatment team. The case manager will serve as the parents’ primary point of contact. They will speak to the parent(s) each week about their child in order to provide an update on how their child is doing in the program: including how they are doing following rules, interacting with staff and other authority figures, interacting with peers, performing in school and other extra curricular activities, and working in individual and group therapy. The case manager will be aware of how the student is doing in therapy due to the fact that the case manager and therapist “crossover” about how the student is doing in the program each week. However, the therapist will also contact the parents on an approximately every other week basis in addition, to provide some more detailed information regarding how the therapy process is going and to elicit useful relevant input from the parent(s) to assist in the therapeutic process.

There are times when students get caught up in comparing what their case manager, therapist, or parent(s) is/are doing. For example they may say “why is my case manager doing such and such when somebody else’s is not, or why is my therapist requiring this of me when someone else’s is not. It’s important that the treatment be individualized to the particular student. We encourage students not to worry about what any other case manager, therapist, or set of parents is doing, but to focus on their own work here at Sorenson’s Ranch. It should be noted that although the primary adolescent treatment team consists of the parent(s), therapist, case manager, and student, every staff member here at Sorenson’s Ranch is an important part of the student’s treatment. Group leaders, teachers, residential staff, cooks, ranch and maintenance workers, and administrative staff are all essential in playing their specific roles in assisting the students who have behavioral, substance abuse, and/or mental health problems.

It is natural for the student in treatment to want to know how long they will be in the program. Although parents are tempted to give their child a clear answer in hopes of motivating them, it has been our experience from working with thousands of troubled adolescents over more than two decades that how this question is answered can make or break the student’s motivation to actually engage and apply themselves fully to working on themselves and making real progress in the program. We feel strongly that the best answer to this question is to tell them that their length of stay is dependant on their actual progress in the program and that you are relying on their therapist to let you know when they have completed the program. The therapist will develop a treatment plan that includes treatment plan goals and objectives/interventions to assist in meeting those goals. It’s been our experience that if students do not believe that their discharge date is completely dependent on their actual progress, they will not work as hard, instead hoping that their parents will discharge them prematurely or at a designated point of time, or that their parents will “run out of money and discharge them regardless of their actual progress.” If you have any questions about what to tell your child about discharge, it is recommended that you talk to the child’s therapist about it before speaking to your child about it.

In addition to individual therapy, students receive group therapy weekly. We have groups on a variety of topics: including Teenage Substance Abuse Intervention/Prevention, Anger Management, Adolescent Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Adoption, Grief, Sexual Abuse and Rape Survivors, and Yoga/Meditation. Students may be participating in anywhere between two and five or more groups at a time depending on their specific needs and inclusion in the categories mentioned above, such as being adopted or being a sexual abuse or rape survivor. As therapists and case managers, we need and appreciate the participation and input from parents as one of the key members of our treatment team. We are open to questions and/or feedback regarding how we are working with your student and encourage you to work with us collaboratively on helping your child. Any questions or concerns are welcome.