The Interpreted Rock

By Stephen C. Schultz I received a call from a friend the other day. She was sharing with me some changes that were taking place in her life concerning career and a move. She mentioned she was excited about new opportunities for work and that she would be moving closer to her extended family in Southern California where she was raised. She said, “I haven’t told my kids yet! They will go crazy…they love hanging out with their cousins!” In the course of our conversation, she made a comment about my blog. She said she loved the personal stories and some of the “lessons” learned. I jokingly said, “Well, things have been so busy lately, I haven’t been observant of my surroundings”. This is the back story that brings me to this moment, writing of family time, observations and lessons learned. I’m going to share a scenario that thousands of families across the country will probably relate to in one way or another. For the last three years, we have been season college foot...

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...

 By Stephen C. Schultz “English usage is sometimes more than mere taste, judgment, and education – sometimes it’s sheer luck, like getting across the street.” ~ E.B. White Oxbow Academy, a flagship Residential Treatment Center and Boarding School, enrolls students aged 10-17 and provides an excellent educational opportunity for foreign students who would benefit from an international experience. Oxbow specializes in providing academic and therapeutic services to bright underachievers who may also struggle with depression, anxiety, and problematic sexual behavior (PSB) issues. Many students may lack the emotional maturity or grades necessary to be accepted into a top-tier U.S. boarding school. Foreign students can graduate from Oxbow Academy with an accredited high school diploma and transition directly to American universities. Oxbow Academy has been certified through SEVIS to issue Forms I-20 and maintain current F-1/M-1 student records. This approval first occurred in 2006. In...

By Stephen C. Schultz I recently returned from a visit to California, where the clinical director of Oxbow Academy and I met with a family whose son had recently graduated from Oxbow. This meeting was intended to "check in" with the family, see how things were progressing, and assist in realigning any unmet expectations. One thing that stands out is the remarkable maturity and insight students gain during their time at Oxbow, often surpassing their peers. As we continue working with these families—who are truly pioneers in their persistence and dedication to their sons—we have observed some consistent trends. Key Trends Previous Treatment : Sixty percent of students have had prior treatment experiences, such as outpatient care, day treatment, partial hospitalization, or placement in a residential treatment center (RTC). Adoption : Similarly, about 60% of students at Oxbow are adopted. The Challenges of Addressing Sexual Issues Due to the shame associated with sexual...

Guest Blogger Jared C. Schultz, Ph.D., CRC, LVRC, HS-BCP I have witnessed both the unproductive and productive side of vocational assessment. I remember taking the Strong Interest Inventory in high school. My guidance counselor called me into his office and shared with me that I should be a “Mortician and Embalmer”. This is a great profession to be sure; but not a future that will attract the girls. I had a choice; I could either disregard the results of the test, or face a life of… well… you get the picture. Unfortunately, I think that many people have similar experiences. When vocational and career assessments are done in a fragmented manner or in isolation of the comprehensive process, it leads people to believe that these processes are generally useless. The process of providing a career evaluation is grounded in the task of matching a person to a vocation or career goal. We comprehensively assess aspects of the person and the work environment to determine the level of...

By Stephen C. Schultz The sky was blue and a gentle breeze fluttered through the aspens in a wave like motion. The truck strained a bit as it wound its way up the mountain pass at 9000 feet above sea level. Shawn Brooks and I were headed to the annual camp out for the students at Oxbow Academy . Each year, the students and staff head to the mountains for week of camping, hiking and fishing. While group and individual therapy still takes place throughout the week, it provides a more relaxed atmosphere for students and staff to interact.   We pulled off the highway onto a dirt road that wound up the hillside to where the camp was set up. As we approached, there was a group of students and staff playing a game of “horse shoes”. I got out of the truck and walked towards the big tarp that covered the cooking/food area. As I approached, four or five students came running towards me with a stringer of fish. They were so excited and a couple of boys started cleaning the fish whi...

By Stephen C. Schultz How is a parent to know if the concerns they have about their teenage son or daughter need to be addressed at a professional level? When is it time to seek the help of a therapist? How do you measure progress in behavior as well as maturity? Are they simply going through the turbulent teen years, or is there something more serious going on? Teens today face an unrelenting barrage of messages coming at them from many different sources. The media influences how they behave, speak, dress, and interact with others. Technology provides communication opportunities never before seen, yet there are few standards regarding the social implications of its use. Additionally, parental expectations regarding education and external pressure to excel in all aspects of life can create stress and anxiety. Listed below are some areas that parents should be aware of so they can intervene early and help their child navigate these challenges before they escalate. 10 Warning Signs P...