Therapy begins the moment your child is introduced to the homeless component at Diamond Ranch Academy. Milieu therapy at DRA is a carefully planned treatment environment in which everyday events and interactions are therapeutically designed for the purpose of enhancing social skills and building confidence. Students also receive weekly group therapy while in the homeless component of the program. Individual and family therapy is introduced as soon as your child graduates from this first component.
Therapy at DRA is divided into 3 main types; individual, family and group therapy.
Student entering the program are assessed by the Clinical Director in the first two weeks of their arrival. Students are then assigned a primary therapist for the duration of the program based on personality fit, therapist specialty, and therapist availability.
All students receive individual and family therapy every other week with their primary therapist. Family therapy is generally conducted over the phone via teleconference. Students are placed in topic specific groups based on their individual needs. Intensive Group therapy is conducted weekly with each group led by one of our primary therapists. Psycho-educational groups are offered twice a week. Students may also choose to attend Narcotics Anonymous group held weekly.
Psycho-educational groups are held every other day. These groups are skill-based and help students develop an understating of themselves and their relationships. Therapeutic groups are held once a week and differ in topic depending on student need. These may include: addictions, grief and loss, social skills, anger management, relationships, etc. Narcotics Anonymous is offered weekly. This group follows a 12 step model and is peer driven. Therapists may initiate other on-going groups as deemed necessary. Those students participating in Equine Therapy have additional groups available to them.
NA groups are offered to the students on a weekly basis. These groups are in addition to the weekly topic specific groups and the psycho-educational groups. NA groups are optional and students are not required to attend.
Your student will complete many therapeutic assignments while at the ranch. With your student’s consent these may be made available to you.
Family therapy will begin when your student completes the homeless component. Your student and his or her therapist will call you every other week to discuss student’s progress and work through issues as needed. Please talk with your individual therapist to discuss format, people involved, and content of these calls. Family therapy can also happen in person as part of a visit when your student becomes eligible.
We take every effort to ensure the strict confidentiality of the students and families we work with. Your information will never be released unless you have given written consent to do so. Likewise, your student’s therapist may not inform you about information that comes out during therapy. Unless this information is life-threatening to the student or others the therapist will most likely encourage the student to share information with his or her parents but will not disclose the information themselves. This allows the therapist and student to continue their trusting relationship upon which therapeutic change takes place.
All therapists have a phone extension and access to email. Please connect with your individual therapist to discuss ongoing communication about your student.
Each student is allowed a 5 minute phone call when they graduate the homeless component of the program. Your child’s primary therapist will be in touch with you shortly after they complete homeless to begin scheduling your bi-weekly family therapy phone calls.
Students become eligible for a visit when they have completed 2 successful weeks at the supervisor level. The quickest a student could reach this stage is 10 weeks. The average length of time it takes students is 3 or 4 months. Once they are eligible for visits students may have a visit every month.
It can be difficult to tell at first. Your child’s therapist will cultivate a relationship that will make this process become easier to discern. As the length of time in the program increases it generally becomes easier to see where a student really is in terms of overall progress. As a general rule we want to be positive and encouraging of successes that the student is achieving in the program. Please consult with you’re student’s therapist if you have questions in this area.
Each youth completes an intake assessment with our clinical administrative assistant when they are in the homeless component of the program. This assessment includes a biopsychosocial history and various measurements including the Y-OQ-SR and Adolescent SASSI-A2. Additional psychological testing or assessments are optional and completed based on the student need. Psychological evaluations are completed by our contracting psychologist Dr. Roby. Medical evaluations are completed by our contracting psychiatrist Dr. Jeppson. Psychological and medication evaluations are optional and provided at an additional cost.
All of our therapists are master’s level or above and are licensed by the state of Utah in mental health counseling. Our therapists are hand selected based on their areas of specialty and their ability to connect with adolescents.
EAP is experiential in nature. This means that participants learn about themselves and others by participating in activities with the horses, and then processing (or discussing) feelings, behaviors, and patterns. This approach has been compared to the ropes courses used by therapists, treatment facilities, and human development courses around the world. But EAP has the added advantage of utilizing horses, dynamic and powerful living beings.
Not all programs or individuals who use horses practice Equine Assisted Psychotherapy. For one, licensed clinical professionals need to be involved for it to be considered "psychotherapy". The focus of EAP is not riding or horsemanship. The focus of EAP involves setting up ground activities involving the horses which will require the client or group to apply certain skills. Non-verbal communication, assertiveness, creative thinking and problem-solving, leadership, work, taking responsibility, teamwork and relationships, confidence, and attitude are several examples of the tools utilized and developed by EAP.
EAP is a powerful and effective therapeutic approach that has an incredible impact on individuals, youth, families, and groups. EAP addresses a variety of mental health and human development needs including behavioral issues, attention deficit disorder, substance abuse, eating disorders, abuse issues, depression, anxiety, relationship problems and communication needs.
The benefits of work ethic, responsibility, assertiveness, communication, and healthy relationships has long been recognized. Horses naturally provide these benefits. The use of horses is growing and gaining popularity with the rise of new approaches in working with the horses, including the field of Equine Assisted Psychotherapy.
We are often asked, "Why horses? Why not other animals?"
Horses are large and powerful, which creates a natural opportunity for some to overcome fear and develop confidence. The size and power of the horse are naturally intimidating to many people. Accomplishing a task involving the horse, in spite of those fears, creates confidence and provides for wonderful metaphors when dealing with other intimidating and challenging situations in life.
Horses are very much like humans in that they are social animals. They have defined roles within their herds. They would rather be with their peers. They have distinct personalities, attitudes, and moods. An approach that seems to work with one horse, does not necessarily work with another. At times, they seem stubborn and defiant. They like to have fun. In other words, horses provide vast opportunities for metaphorical learning. Using metaphors, in discussion or activity, is an effective technique when working with even the most challenging individuals or groups.
Horses require work, whether in caring for them or working with them. In an era when immediate gratification and the "easy way" are the norm, horses require people to be engaged in physical and mental work to be successful, a valuable characteristic in all aspects of life.
Most importantly, horses have the ability to mirror exactly what human body language is telling them. Many people will complain, "The horse is stubborn. The horse doesn’t like me," etc. But the lesson to be learned is that if they change themselves, the horses respond differently. Horses are honest, which makes them especially powerful messengers.
