Places for Struggling Teens TM “It is more important to get it right, than to get it first.” Published by TM Woodbury Reports, Inc. December 2006 Issue #148 SEEN ‘N HEARD... PARENTS IN THE LOOP NEW START TRANSPORT By: Lon Woodbury FOUNDER MARRIES... How important is the role of parents who CLINICAL DIRECTOR have a child in a residential school or NEEDED... program for struggling teens? Very important is the answer to which private YELLOWSTONE CELEBRATES parent-choice schools and programs are 50th ANNIVERSARY... coming. While parent involvement is still optional or minimal in most public funded JEPPESEN DIRECTOR OF programs (sometimes for good reason), most quality private parent-choice ALAMAR RANCH... schools and programs are expanding the ways parents can be part of the program. NUSSBERGER LEAVES WOODBURY REPORTS... When I first started with a private parent-choice emotional growth school in 1984, many of the staff still felt the parents were the enemy. The attitude FFS BLOOD DRIVE EXCEEDS seemed to be: “You screwed up your kid, give him/her to us and don’t bother us, GOAL... and we’ll fix him/her.” Despite this holdover from the general attitude of the 1970s, private schools began to realize that parents were the key to success. CHANGES AT ASCENT & NWA... Some started to initiate parent weekends, parent seminars and other ways to pull the parents into the healing process. That process has grown to where virtually every quality school or program for struggling teens has developed an ASPIRO WELCOMES WATSON... extensive program for the parents. Sometimes parents work a parallel program [For details on these and others, read Continued: Parents/ pg 3 SEEN N’ HEARD/ Pg 26] ONLINE... Inside... Extended Insights: www.strugglingteens.com AIM House/ 13 Ten Questions/ 17 Visits: Essays: Hyde School Holidays/ 4 Book Reviews: University Behavioral Center Finding Help/ 19 Vanguard School Visits: Waterfall Canyon New Leaf of NC/ 8 Interviews: New Perspectives: Ellen Behrens/ 21 Clarinda Academy New Perspectives: LifeLine Seven Arrows Academy/ 10 News & Views/ 24 Pine River Academy TimeOut Samoa/ 12 Seen N’ Heard/ 26 Extended Insights: Tavasi [Essays and articles appearing in this publication are the opinions of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the policy of Woodbury Reports, Inc.,TM or StrugglingTeens.com.TM We urge our readers to conduct their own investigation of the products and services identified herein.] Lon Woodbury - Publisher - 208-267-5550 - Fax: 208-267-9127 - www.StrugglingTeens.com Woodbury Reports™ is an information source to help Woodbury Reports, Inc.TM parents find the right school or program when their child has Pioneering the Referral Service behavioral/ emotional problems. We are specifically concerned for Schools & Programs. with children needing more intensive intervention than local resources or day programs can provide. The Parent Empowerment Handbook™ 2006/07 Our focus is on high quality and effective Emotional Growth A Self-published Directory of 100+ schools and and/ or Therapeutic schools and programs, which can include programs nationwide, screened for reputation, short- and long-term outdoor programs, family style living longevity and effectiveness. Includes Essays, arrangements, highly structured boarding schools, therapeutic Transport Professionals, Visit Reports, & boarding schools, RTCs or psychiatric hospitals. Educational Consultants. The Woodbury Reports, Inc.TM website award An important goal of these schools and programs is to teach TM for Schools, Programs, The Woodbury Reports Newsletter self-discipline through consequences, so the child will learn to be & Consultants included A monthly publication designed for more responsible for his/ her actions. How attitudes are changed in the Parent Empowerment professionals working with children and and who is successful is at the focus of each issue of Reports. HandbookTM - 2006/07 young adults that focuses on Emotional Growth Schools and Programs. StrugglingTeens.comTM Woodbury Reports™ is published monthly. Over 10,000 pages One year subscriptions are $33 USD. Website Design & Hosting Award Winning Sites Non-Continental US postal orders Online Since 1995 add $5 USD. Consultations Personalized help for Parents In Woodbury Reports™ is published Crisis: We offer Educational Lon Woodbury, MA Consultations to help parents think by Woodbury Reports, Inc.™ through the out-of-control behaviors their child is exhibiting Lon Woodbury, Publisher. and suggest appropriate placement options. All of our consultants have raised teenagers and helped TM Woodbury Reports is Copyright © 2006 many parents professionally. We by Woodbury Reports, Inc.™ believe that parents should be in charge in a responsible manner, All Rights Reserved. ISSN 1540-3718. Loi Eberle, MA and we believe in suggesting solutions rather than telling our Use of materials is allowed without prior clients what they should do. written approval if the proper author and publication attribution accompanies the Judi Bessette, EdD copy. Duplication or republication must Research Affiliate include the following information: [email protected] For More Info Contact: ™ Linda Zimmerman, LPCC WOODBURY REPORTS, INC. Kristie Henley PO Box 1107 • 7119 2nd Street [email protected] Bonners Ferry, Idaho 83805 208-267-5550 208-267-5550 (FAX 208-267-9127) 208-267-9127 fax [email protected] PO Box 1107 www.strugglingteens.com Bonners Ferry, ID 83805 Larry Stednitz, PhD www.strugglingteens.com “Some Children just need to be heard, not cured.” Lon Woodbury, IECA, MA, CEP, is an educational consultant who has worked in schools and programs for emotional growth, character education, and consulting for parents of struggling teens since 1984. Prior to that, he taught in public schools and was involved in public policy while working for the US Senate and the Executive Office of the President. Lon received his BS and MA degrees from the University of Idaho. His practice includes a referral service for parents and professionals, and the publication of this Newsletter and the PARENT EMPOWERMENT HANDBOOK,™ a resource of Places for Struggling Teens.™ Woodbury Reports, Inc.: December 2006: #148 2 208-267-5550 www.strugglingteens.com WE THANK THE ADVERTISERS AND SPONSORS WHO MAKE THIS NEWSLETTER POSSIBLE! Woodbury Reports, Inc.TM accepts advertising from a variety of schools and programs; however, inclusion in the Newsletter does not imply an endorsement of these schools or programs by WRI. Parents: Continued from page 1 is currently happening in the school, and answer all the general questions any of the parents might have. at home while their children are at the school so the entire family changes together. Other times, schools/ In the session I attended with all the parents on programs have parents visit to share part of the Saturday, the topics were wide ranging from program or to attend parent weekends, which are nutrition to academic curriculum to emotional developed as training and collaboration between the growth. One segment that generated a lot of schools and the parents. discussion was about meals the children are served. Understandably, parents are very concerned about Every year, more schools and programs initiate nutrition for their children. By allowing this topic, formal parent programs, and existing ones become the school was showing they were open to suggestions more extensive. This is very healthy in developing a and ideas to better serve their students and willing to team approach between the school and parents in listen to all parent concerns and respond to them. helping their child. It also encourages a more healthy This topic, more than any other discussed while I was view that these are family problems not just a child’s there, showed the extent the school was willing to go problem. to establish a true school-parent team in working for the healing of the children. As a representation of the expanding role of parents in schools, I had the honor of attending the parent One of the most important trends in private weekend at Valley View School in Massachusetts, residential schools and programs for children with October 13-15, 2006. An important part of the problems has been to bring parents into the loop. weekend was that parents took the opportunity to Family system work is now common among the visit with their sons. Many families went out for dinner in the surrounding communities. Parent Continued: Parents/ pg 4 visits to a school or program like this are almost a universal step in all quality schools and programs with special needs students and are vital in f your boy suffers from low self-esteem, anger problems, or is not reaching his potential reintegrating families and helping the healing in school, Tyler Ranch can help. Since 1978, process. When old disruptive issues come up during our staff and home-based program have these outings, school officials are there to help the achieved positive results and created successful family work through them. Throughout the weekend, futures for our participants. Don’t wait for families also met with counselors and school staff. the problems to get worse. The Tyler Ranch program can stop the downward spiral and These were opportunities to work with the family as bring hope to troubled boys and their families. a system and, again, this is an important part of the whole healing process for the boys and families For an informative brochure, contact: enrolled at Valley View. It is commonly used Tyler Ranch, Inc., throughout the national network of these residential 4921 West Rosewood Spokane, WA 99208 schools and programs. 509-327-6900 800-368-7159 Like many other schools and programs throughout the country, the parent weekend at Valley View had much more. There were several opportunities through the open house and scheduled parent meetings to allow parents and staff to communicate one-to-one and for parents to get to know each other as well. This not only allowed the parents to exchange phone numbers and emails to develop their own support groups but also but also gave the parents a chance to get to know all the staff who work with their child or would be working with their child in the future.