The Interpreted Rock

By Stephen C. Schultz

(Editors Note: This is the written version of remarks and training I did as part of a workshop that included our residential, clinical and academic leadership. I work with a group of therapeutic residential programs. I thought it would be nice to share some of these thoughts with those who happen to view my blog. I hope this is helpful in some way.)

There is a trend in business where the latest language around customer satisfaction and word of mouth referrals is the term “Advocacy”. This is where a customer actually advocates for the organization they are doing business with.
I have chosen a career that specializes in teen residential treatment. Our clients include the student, their family, their therapists, their school educators and counselors and often many others just to name a few. The majority of our clients demonstrate this principle of “Advocacy” in one way or another.


We see this principle in different forms at all of our treatment programs. It comes in th…

By Stephen C. Schultz

Her steps were slow and steady. The red rocks below her feet and the azure blue sky overhead created a remarkably beautiful scene. She had a sense of peacefulness and a calm demeanor she had never felt before. This was an adventure she previously would not have appreciated were it not for her family recommending she get some help.


It's hard to believe it has only been three weeks. Usually she didn't like the wide open spaces. She craved the flurry of crowded parties, the nightlife of clubs and the excitement that social media afforded her. She was like a cat chasing its tail, always searching for the next thrilling experience, but never finding it. She found herself in more and more compromising positions and taking unnecessary risks. The feelings of embarrassment had long ago subsided and she numbly accepted each new day.
Her family was concerned. There were regular fights and hurt feelings. They painfully witnessed the twinkle in her eyes fade and a sad …

By Stephen C. Schultz

The sun glanced off the window and reflected at a strange angle to the floor and up the wall. As I looked outside, it was obvious that spring had arrived. There were bright green leaves having recently unfolded on the shrubs outside. Tulips and Hyacinths stretched upward, bending occasionally in the cool canyon breeze.


The boxed lunch from a local deli that included a ham sandwich on rye bread with potato chips, a cookie and a pickle stared back at me. There was the regular lunch time discussion with the laughter that rises up and then fades just as quickly. The room consisted of a large mahogany conference table with twelve plush captain’s chairs. The chairs were full of colleagues, all of us eating lunch after a morning training session.
We were the sales and marketing team from two private psychiatric hospitals. We had gathered at this particular location because Melody was in town training us on the latest skills associated with Professional Sales Skills (P…

Guest Blog
By Barbara Davis Senior Admissions Coordinator

Are you struggling with your son or daughter? Does it feel as though you are more and more disconnected from them, their friends and the life they are currently living? Are you concerned about their academics, friends, social media use and appreciation for all you have done as a parent?Many will say that this is simply the stages of adolescents. However, you kinda know it’s more than that.


I would like to reiterate that everything we do is to assist you in navigating this process. I would encourage you to fill out the confidential online application located on the website. This application process is specifically designed to help you organize your thoughts, identify key high risk areas and facilitate a productive and efficient conversation. Whether you enroll with us or choose another route, having your history and information organized along with the Youth Outcome Questionnaire (YOQ) results, will be beneficial to your success.
As…

By Stephen C. Schultz

Research Link – A Comparison Group Study (Time limited link) Highlights This comparison group study looked at the impact of Outdoor Behavioral Healthcare longitudinally on youth participants as reported by their parents.Findings showed that youth participant’s one-year post participation in OBH treatments were functioning significantly better than youth who remained in their communities.Regression analysis showed the only significant predictor of change was participation in the treatment group.

Dr. Steven DeMille
~Outdoor Behavioral Healthcare Model program offers long term positive results to teens and families~
In 2007, Dr. Steven DeMille found himself working as a field guide in the back country of extreme Southwestern Utah. He was in charge of the activities of daily living for a group of nine students who were enrolled at RedCliff Ascent. Steve, as well as two or three other staff members who were responsible for the student’s safety, tau…

By Stephen C. Schultz

The tears were running down her cheeks and dropping to the floor like small raindrops. There wasn’t the sudden heavy sobbing that accompanies truly despondent news, but there was some silent shallow breathing and the recognizable blurry vision that comes from the eyes slowly welling up with tears.
I stepped around the counter in the kitchen and asked my 16 year old daughter what was wrong. She was obviously in some distress. Like most teens, she simply stated;
“Nothing”
So, I pursued it a little more;
“Come on hon…what’s the matter? Obviously, something is bothering you.”
She responded;
“Nothing…really. It’s stupid.”
She eventually opened up and confided in me. It was some pretty normal teenage drama that most parents have seen and experienced many times throughout their lives, but to the teens it is new. I asked a few questions that included the old journalist mantra of “Who?, What?, Where?, When? and Why?”


During her explanation of the situation, she continued…

By Stephen C. Schultz

The “Nor'easter” was blowing in with reports of up to a foot of snow expected! The whining hum of the compact rental car was screaming at high RPMs just to stay ahead of the storm. The roads were wet and snowflakes hit the windshield in random patterns as the wind gust hit us broadside.

Springtime in the Northeast United States can be tricky with flowers and trees in bloom only to be hit with cold winds and a snowstorm.





Todd Spaulding, LCSW, CSAT and Clinical Director at Oxbow Academy was sitting next to me in the car. We were headed to western Massachusetts to visit with the clinical staff and students at John Dewey Academy. We had just wrapped up a visit to Chamberlain International School that morning.

The purpose of our trip to the Northeast was to visit the previously mentioned schools and provide staff training and workshops to two other schools about dealing with Problematic Sexual Behavior (PSB) from students in a residential and academic setting. La…