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Something about work is good for the soul

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By Stephen C. Schultz

The banging on my bedroom door was sudden and loud. I was jolted out of my sleep, eyes wide open but seeing nothing. My head turned from side to side in an effort to make sense of the thunderous noise. No, this was not one of those slow, groggy wake ups. This was a fight or flight, increased heart rate, and covers flung off type of wake up!

Still dazed with confusion and now sitting on the edge of my bed, the door knob started to turn. Then my dad poked his head in the door and said,
“Steve, get up! Get up now! You’re going down to Oregon Rubber Company to work today!”
I thought I was going to spend the day in the back pasture cutting up fallen trees with my dad. I turned to look at the clock next to my bed and I had to wipe the sleep from my eyes before it came into focus.
Thoughts raced through my head,
“5:30am! 5:30am on a Saturday no less! Doesn’t my dad know that a sixteen year old adolescent boy needs his rest? Apparently not!”
As my dad stepped in the …
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When giving up on your teen is not the solution!

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By Stephen C. Schultz


We’ve all been there! Whether you have experience in a private therapeutic practice, a hospital setting, educational consulting or other residential treatment environments, we have all expended energy and additional resources in dealing with a student, patient or client who is headed toward a bad outcome. Every therapeutic environment has a certain percentage of their clientele that struggles.

One of the main culprits is the student's inability to connect...connect with peers; connect with parents; connect with adults and authority figures. Most importantly, they struggle to authentically connect with themselves through a healthy therapeutic process. These students are often considered “Treatment Resistant”. The students enrolled at Connections find themselves being transitioned from their current treatment program or environment and needing a higher level of clinical care.
For this reason, the “Connections” program administered through Discovery Academy was cre…
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Why do we do what we do?

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By Stephen C. Schultz 


(Editor's Note: This is an email I received from Scott Schill at RedCliff Ascent yesterday morning. It reminded me that a very wise man and co-founder of our organization once said; "...yeah, no one comes back to visit the company that helped them...they come back to visit the people!")



Hey Schultz,
In the fall of 2001, I went to the field with my little boy Colton. He was 5 at the time. I came to a group hiking near Mt. Springs and we stopped to go visit with them. Colton held my finger as we walked through the sagebrush to the group. A new girl in the group wanted to talk to me so we stepped aside and she said; 
"Mr. Medicine Bull sir, I've been here 4 days and no one has come by to get my laundry." 


It was hard not to laugh. I told her she would be ok and to stay positive. In those days, the only way a student got clean clothes was by taking them off and washing them or by wearing them out and getting new ones. 
This young lady went on t…
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Lessons Lived are Lessons Learned #2

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By Stephen C. Schultz




I stepped out through the door and noticed a crispness in the air. The leaves are changing, the evening light is slowly fading and we are left contemplating this last year.




I was on my way to visit Oxbow Academy with some therapeutic program admission professionals on a tour. We were engaged in the normal "Road Trip" banter and general conversation that makes its way into an hour long trip in the car.
The conversation turned to work, job responsibilities and company culture. One of my colleagues made a statement that stuck with me. It was a normal comment that is common at virtually every place of business. 




She said; "...yes, but they need to be held accountable."
I thought about this for a second and then responded;
"So...what is the difference between holding someone accountable and having a culture of accountability? Is there a difference?"
We went on and had a great conversation. In fact, this is a great principle to discuss not only a…
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"Good 'ol Days" - Fact or Fiction?

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By Stephen C. Schultz

The ’72-’73 school year was looking to be a good one! With the wind whistling through my hair, I coasted down City View Street on my green Schwynn Stingray headed to school at Westmoreland Elementary. Even though it had been a couple of weeks, I was feeling comfortable and getting settled in Mrs. Mansells third grade class.


I came to a stop at the corner of 18th and City View and waited for the light to change. The school was directly across the street.I stepped off the curb and into the cross walk. Once I was safely across, I rode on to the space behind the gym where the bike racks were.
I took the combination lock off my bike and rotated the tumblers to 9399 and pulled the green vinyl coated chain apart and ran it through the front tire and around the bike rack. I put the chain back together and rolled the tumblers to random numbers. This was the routine just about every day, rain or shine, for many of the students living in Eugene, Oregon.


There are young kids al…
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Lessons lived are lessons learned!

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By Stephen C. Schultz



Every once in a while, I like to go through and read some of my older posts. I've been posting some of my thoughts, experiences and parenting insights since 2008! Wow...where does the time go?

Throughout the years, I have seen my kids grow up, attend college, get married and become independently responsible adults. There have been trials, frustrations, joys and accomplishments.



I have tried to write these experiences in a way that makes them timeless. The term among writers is "Evergreen Content". The term evergreen certainly fits my articles. However, the term writer couldn't be further from the truth for me. I'm just a guy that writes stuff from time from to time hoping that someone else can be inspired by or learn something from one of my experiences.



With that said, here are a few of my favorite posts! I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I had writing them.

The Positive Influence of Books 

The Roller Coaster of Life

Personal Fulfillmen…
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Who “Owns” the client?

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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…
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RedCliff Recovery - Individualized Treatment for Young Adult Women

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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 …
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