Skip to main content

“Good Samaritans” are among us...

By Stephen C. Schultz


I have never felt as helpless as I did this morning. I was stopped in traffic in a left hand turn lane. Traffic was humming by in all directions, people were busy...I was heading to work.

I looked to my right and there was an elderly gentleman, probably in his eighties, walking across the street towards the bank. He was dressed nicely, like he was out to run errands. He shuffled deliberately and with purpose as he approached the curb. Then, without warning, his toe stubbed along the pavement and he went down head first to the gutter. He lay there, shaken a bit, struggling to get up.


I wanted to rush over and give him a hand up. However, I was in the middle of a busy intersection. Do I turn my flashers on, leave my car and rush over? No, that could cause yet another accident. Fortunately, another man who saw this happen, jogged from the bank parking lot and assisted this elderly man to his feet. As I finished my turn, I glanced in the mirror and the “Good Samaritan” was brushing him off and checking to make sure he was ok. Although it was only 15 seconds or so, it seemed like an eternity.

While it disturbed me that I felt so helpless in that situation, I was thankful to live in a community where others reach out to help those in need.

My hope is that by sharing this experience, we can all be reminded to be observant of the activities going on around us everyday. May we recognize those opportunities to serve others and be encouraged to reach out when needed.

I'm interested to know of others who have witnessed acts of kindness. Please share your stories.

Comments

Thank you so much for sharing that experience Jennifer! You're right, it does your heart good to see people react with kindness without a second thought!

Popular posts from this blog

The Young Boy and the Rattlesnake

By Stephen C. Schultz (Editors note: This is a story used in a Wilderness Treatment Program. Many come to this program having struggled with depression, anxiety and substance use.)   Many years ago there was a young Native American who lived in the very land you are residing in. He decided to seek wisdom by journeying to the top of Indian Peak. As he approached the base of the mountain he came across a rattlesnake that slithered beside him. The snake coiled as if to strike and the young boy moved back quickly in fear of being struck by the snake’s deadly venom. At that instant the snake spoke to the boy saying, “Don’t be afraid of me, I mean you no harm. I come to you to ask a favor. I see that you are about to traverse to the top of Indian Peak and was hoping that you may be willing to place me in your satchel so that I don’t have to make the long journey alone.” The young boy surprised by the snake’s request quickly responded by turning down the offer, stating, ...

Measuring What Matters: Oxbow’s Edge in Predicting Progress

By Stephen C. Schultz Therapists are highly trained to guide, support, and assess progress. Yet, research continues to show that even experienced clinicians have mixed results at predicting which clients will improve, drop out, or struggle in therapy. This isn’t a critique of therapists—it’s a reality supported by data. And for those who place trust in residential treatment programs—families, school districts, educational consultants, and Managed Care Organizations (MCOs)—this insight is critical. At Oxbow Academy , we take this seriously. That’s why we use validated, research-backed tools to supplement clinical intuition and track meaningful progress in real time. Research Shows: Intuition Isn’t Enough In a foundational study by Hannan et al. (2005), therapists failed to recognize which of their clients were likely to experience treatment failure—even when objective outcome data pointed to risks. Similarly, Hatfield et al. (2010) demonstrated that therapists tend to overestima...

When Emotional Pain Looks Like Manipulation: Oxbow Academy

By Stephen C. Schultz The teenage years are often full of complexity—especially for young people who struggle with impulse control, social understanding, or emotional regulation in relation to Problematic Sexual Behavior (PSB). For some, this difficulty is compounded by co-occurring conditions like Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), ADHD, or Nonverbal Learning Disorder (NLD) . These teens may unintentionally find themselves caught in compulsive, confusing, or embarrassing situations—sometimes involving inappropriate behavior with siblings, neighbors and friends or accessing dark corners of the internet. As these patterns continue, parents are often left feeling overwhelmed, frightened, and unsure of what to do next. Some worry that law enforcement or government agencies might get involved. Others have already experienced the fear of having electronics confiscated or home environments scrutinized. In the midst of this chaos, many parents recognize that their child’s behavior isn’t just a...