Skip to main content

An Open Letter to International Educators

By Stephen C. Schultz


I’d like to share an experience I had at one of the International ICEF Conferences in Montreal. I was speaking with an educator from Canada, and she mentioned to me:

"I wish I had known about your services last year. I had a student from China who struggled with inappropriate technology use. We did all we could to assist him, but he was eventually sent back to China. He was embarrassed, his parents were embarrassed—it was not a good outcome for this boy or his family. Is this the type of student you can help?"

I responded, "Absolutely!"



Please feel free to review the link below to learn more about Oxbow Academy for teenagers and our evaluation and treatment process.

I am often asked by educators, consultants, and agents how we might work together. My hope is that we can be seen as a valuable resource when you have a student who needs this level of assistance. We offer a solution-focused option for both the student and their parents.

Students enter our specialized academic and treatment program through two primary pathways: referral from schools or recommendation by Educational Consultants. These students typically struggle academically due to depression, substance use, eating disorders, or sexual concerns related to abuse, trauma, or addiction.

I hope you find this information helpful. Too often, students struggling with emotional challenges become discouraged and drop out of school. However, there is an option for these students and their families to have an international boarding school experience without the failure often associated with emotional burdens.

You can learn more here: www.OxbowAcademy.net

Since 2007, we have been certified as an educational campus through SEVIS and approved to issue Forms I-20 while maintaining current F-1/M-1 student records.


Comments

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...

Treat People Like They’re Under Construction

By Stephen C. Schultz Five Ways to Support Others as They Grow I find it interesting that when someone is remodeling their home, visitors are very tolerant of improvements that are obviously underway. They understand that dust, mess, and exposed beams are part of the process. You might even hear comments like, “It’s going to be beautiful when it’s done!” or “I love seeing the progress!” Yet when someone is remodeling their character , we often don’t extend the same grace. Instead of supporting the process, we sometimes call attention to the “mess” in progress—or worse, we remind them of what their “house” used to look like, as if they’re not allowed to change the floorplan. But here’s the truth: our lives are all Design/Build projects. We learn as we go. We draft blueprints based on what we think will work, and then we tweak them in real time. There’s no perfect plan from the start—only vision, intention, and a whole lot of revision. So how do we show up for others in the middle of...