The Interpreted Rock

By Stephen C. Schultz My hope is that this information can be helpful to parents, allied health professionals, educational consultants and clinicians. I have been asked numerous times; “How do we know when Oxbow Academy is appropriate for a student?” and the next question is inevitably “How do we discuss these issues with families?” Please feel free to use this document as a resource and foundation for discussion with families as well as colleagues. I recently had the opportunity to speak with an educational consultant. He called to see if there was anyway we could figure out a way to admit a 19 year old to Oxbow. He went on to share with me that this boy was adopted, had some LD issues and was functioning emotionally on a 15 year old level. The current residential treatment facility, where this young man was receiving treatment, was in a cycle of “cops and robbers” with this boy because of his sneaky and manipulative sexualized behavior. This particular educational consultant ...

Adapted from Adult Children of Alcoholics By Janet G. Woititz, Ed.D., 1987. 1) We guess at what normal behavior is. Because of our environment, we had no role models for normalcy, so we acted the way we saw other people act, people we thought were normal, and continue this performance into our adult lives. 2) We have difficulty following a project through from beginning to end; we procrastinate. Procrastination in the usual sense is the result of laziness. Adult children of alcoholics have never been taught how to solve a problem in systematic, manageable amounts. It was always all or nothing. Consequently, we don't have adult life skills. 3) We lie when it would be just as easy to tell the truth. Lies, specifically lies of denial, were used to benefit the alcoholics and para alcoholics of our homes. 4) We judge ourselves without mercy. Since there is no way for us to meet the unattainable standards of perfection we have internalized from childhood, we are always falling...

By Stephen C. Schultz There is a particular kind of ache that emerges when a child reaches young adulthood and begins to push away the very people who have loved them longest. Many parents describe it as disorienting: the rules have changed, authority has softened, and conversations that once felt collaborative now feel adversarial. Often, the language young adults use sounds mature and self-aware. Parents may hear phrases like, “You’re too close to this,” or “You don’t have the right perspective.” On the surface, these statements can seem thoughtful and independent. But parents who have walked this road—and professionals who work with families—often recognize something deeper at play. These moments can reflect a struggle with accountability rather than a true dismissal of parental wisdom. Late adolescence and early adulthood are unique developmental stages. Young people are forming identity, testing independence, and separating from family systems. At the same time, it is common for...

By Jennifer C. Jones There are no bells, no lockers, no football teams or cheerleaders. But that is not what makes school at Discovery Ranch different from other academic institutions.             “One of the great strengths of the ranch is the ratio of adults to students,” says Clinton Dorny, Executive Director.   “In the classroom the ratio is five to one, or less.   There is a lot of one on one instruction and all of the programs are self-paced and individualized.”             Dorny  says a traditional classroom setting of 30 students is extremely difficult for what he calls “lost or troubled students.” “If they’re with that teacher for an hour, the most the teacher could spend is about a minute with each student.”             “We have an opportunity for students to bond with a variety of adults who offer them encourag...