RedCliff Ascent Research - for those who want the best

By Stephen C. Schultz

As I sat down to write this post, my mind wandered back to some special moments at a place we call Outpost. For those who may not be familiar, Outpost is a section of private land in southwestern Utah owned by RedCliff Ascent, a respected Outdoor Behavioral Healthcare treatment provider—what many people simply call a wilderness program.

Outpost is a meaningful place. It’s where families gather for graduations, often after months of hard work and growth. There’s fresh water, shelter, and emergency supplies, and even a beautifully crafted replica of an ancient Native American kiva. (If you’d like to learn more about it, I wrote about Outpost in this article: An Open Letter to Parents Researching RedCliff Ascent.)

When I considered what parents truly want to know, I realized this wasn’t the time for a backcountry story or a hiking adventure. When you’re in the middle of researching a program for your child, you don’t want fluff—you want facts. You want reassurance that your child will be safe and that the treatment really works.

That’s why I encourage parents to look closely at research. RedCliff Ascent has been conducting outcome-based studies for more than 15 years. The program isn’t just built on good intentions—it’s informed by data and results.

To see some of this work, I invite you to explore The Wilderness Advisor, a publication that shares findings and insights from years of research at RedCliff. When you’re seeking the best care for your family, make sure to ask about the evidence behind the program.

Click here to access The Wilderness Advisor.

Comments

The Rocky Landscape of Teen Sexuality

By Stephen C. Schultz (Editor's note: This is a very sensitive subject and may be uncomfortable to read. The information in this post is essentially focused on schools and therapeutic programs that have a residential component.) The chairs were all in a half-circle. There must have been over fifty, all filled with students. Banners from various colleges and universities hung from the rafters. The dull roar of multiple conversations, all happening simultaneously, cut through the air and echoed off the walls. I stood in front of the crowd and waited. The conversations and dull roar slowly faded, like a train disappearing into the distance. All eyes were now on me. I asked one question: “Who can tell me what grooming is?” I have spent my career working with families and teens through some very difficult times. I am a partner in a specialty care facility called Oxbow Academy. Oxbow specializes in treating teenage boys from across the globe who are burdened with the socially sensi...

Lessons I learned from a childhood experience with bullying

By Stephen C. Schultz The dew around the window was starting to bead up. In a classic case of chaos theory, the little beads of water gave way to gravity and randomly bounced and bumped their way to the window sill like a steal marble in a pinball game. There was a small pool of water in the cracked and peeling beige paint. I sat facing the window, staring at the small engraved stone nestled in the flower beds. There weren’t many flowers at this time of year. Mostly rhododendrons and Oregon grapes reaching skyward from the damp bark mulch that covered the planter area. The month of January in Eugene Oregon was filled with days and days of mist and fog. In fact, pretty much from October through June was filled with fog, rain, mist, showers, freezing rain and occasionally snow. The local weathermen didn’t bother with predictions about the chance of precipitation; they took pride in developing new adjectives to describe the type of precipitation and how much you can...

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, ...

The Interpreted Rock

Search This Blog