Sorenson's Ranch School Equine Program Director Dianna Lovelady

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

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

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

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 ?

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.

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!

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.