Skip to main content

Why do we do what we do?

Blog Post

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 to complete 90 days at RedCliff and graduated with the Earth Name of "Singing Butterfly"

Last Friday, Singing Butterfly stopped by RedCliff to visit. I took her out to the field and took her picture where we stood 17 years earlier discussing laundry. We also visited the girls group where they asked her questions about her stay and her life since RedCliff. We've clearly softened the program up since she was here. She told the girls that RedCliff literally saved her life and she was so grateful for her wilderness experience.

Regardless of how much we get paid for what we do, moments like this are the real payday. She's beautiful, healthy and successful. More importantly she's grateful. So nice to have someone come back after all that time to say "Thank you!"

Cheers,

Schill

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, ...

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...

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...