Discovery Ranch is reported by many survivors to be an extremely abusive program. I literally cant live with these memories. There was never any you can do it it was you better do it or youre going to be put on mc and never get out of here. They tear children apart, and they come out broken. In Season 1, Episode 2 ("Under Siege"), the Raneys went to Virginia to help couple Kim and Josh Zabec the owners of Revolutionary Roots Farm after pigs had ruined part of their homestead. Caring, experienced professionals are ready to help your son. DO NOT RECOMMEND AT ALL! Jeff (Google Reviews), HEAL Program Information Discovery Ranch, Family Alleges Bestiality at Alternative School, The Troubled Teen Industry: Commodifying Disability and Capitalizing on Fear by Catherine Kushan (mentions Discovery Ranch), Strength in the Struggle A Marketing Video uploaded by the school to YouTube, Discovery Ranch Secret Prisons for Teens. If you absolutely need mental support for your child, I suggest something that is close to home, and something that does not limit their ability to see and interact with the outside world. Before you would consider sending your son away, you need to know that he is going to a place you can trust. They strip you of everything, even contact with your own parents, and dangle it in front of you as motivation to do/act how they want. Education was packets and computer testing only poor. In January 2104, the boy was placed in a dorm at Discovery Ranch with three other boys, one who began grooming him and another resident for "sexual victimization" until he was "violently sodomized," the family says in the lawsuit. Your PRECIOUS child is NOT safe here! Listen to your child, and dont fall into the traps that programs make which lead parents to think their child is untrustworthy, a liar, manipulator, etc. It is reported by survivors that these calfs are later slaughtered, apparently in an attempt to teach the residents how to deal with loss. This practice is extremely cruel, and is reported to be very traumatic to many survivors. I will never forgive Discovery Ranch for the damage they did to me, and the damage they continue to do to future generations. They emotionally and mentally compromise kids for fun. When you try to induct real truths into the once a week, 1/2 hour, monitored phone call, the therapist redirects you to la la land. Your son will have the opportunity to build the strength and resilience he needs to thrive at home. If you are LGBTQ and need support, call the Trevor Project Hotline 1-866-488-7386, If you are having suicidal thoughts, call toll free 1-800-273-8255 or text HOME to 741741, If you are a child being abused or know of a child being abused call toll free 1-800-422-4453. This will provide him with the. You have been warned and I still have ptsd and Ive been going to therapy for 2 and a half years and more to come. Parents have no clue what they are getting themselves into by sending their children there. Your job as parents is to help your child, you guys are the problem not your kids. You are a survivor of an abusive environment that is very similar to a prison. Clinton Dorny is the Executive Director of Discovery Ranch. There is not enough research of the negative effects places like DR have on a young person, people dont like to talk or hear about places like DR, the system is extremely flawed, its a corporation that works very hard to keep you there as long as possible for obvious financial reasons while hiring unqualified staff. The program has a maxmimum enrollment of 60 boys, and the average length of stay is reported to be around 10 months, but this can be substantially longer if the boy is deemed resistant. I had been raped when i was 12 and was unable to tell my male therapist or parents about this happening because my family is very Catholic. Please reach out to me for questions, I will do my best to educate you on what is happening and get you current information. , Kinda like a prison that just focuses on external behavior. The trauma Ive witnessed, and seen other kids witness was unbearable. On top of that I was forced to study 7 hours straight on the weekends if I didnt meet academic requirements. And before you tell me that was a long time ago, I am a part of multiple survivor groups online for former students from DR and other abusive programs in Utah. They are there only to try and give the staff (who by the way have no training in psychology at all) an easier time. DISCOVERY RANCH FOR GIRLS Ripoff Reports, Complaints, Reviews, Scams, Lawsuits and Frauds Reported Your Search: Discovery Ranch for girls. The staff often used abusive behaviors and were very rude to us. They only allow astonishing ones to pass. But I fucking wasnt. I am a victim of emotional and physical abuse by Discovery Ranch. If youre a troubled teen thats reading this that just recently got out, or its been years and its still effecting you, please believe me when I say that YOU ARE NOT ALONE. It is run like a prison. Please save your child from this place. Jason (Google Reviews), 6/10/2016: (SURVIVOR) Terrible place dont send your child here. However, our neighbor whose son went there the following year had all good experiences. Kids are constantly getting restrained and put on drugs to keep them under control. ! Jack (Yelp), 5/28/2020: (SIBLING) A family member of mine attended this school so everything I have heard is 2nd hand. In fact, the administration at discovery ranch intentionally delayed my high school graduation by refuting me the right to do my classes in order to keep me there longer. It wasnt until he left the program that people even found out about this happening!! Non-Verbal Learning Disability including High Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD/ADD). DISCOVERY RANCH - 20 Photos & 27 Reviews - 1308 S 1600th W, Mapleton, UT - Yelp Restaurants Home Services Auto Services Discovery Ranch 27 reviews Unclaimed Counseling & Mental Health Edit Write a review Add photo Save Photos & videos See all 20 photos Add photo Location & Hours 1308 S 1600th W Mapleton, UT 84664 Get directions Edit business info Seek other avenues for your child. , This is the worst place to send your child. The discovery process was contentious, especially with respect to the Aaron Ranch Lawsuit, and went on for years in state court. They will dream about it years after, waking up in the middle of the night from nightmares about being back there. Individual, family, and group therapy all take place within a residential treatment setting. It is marketed as a Residential Treatment Center for teenage boys aged 13-18 with emotional and behavioral issues. DR does not accept transgender males. We will not share your information. Basically non-existent education. They are very abusive and they will lie to you. If you have a child with attention deficit disorder do not send your son here BECAUSE it is like water boarding to have a kid sit in a room for 7 hours straight and have them study all day even though they are trying. The reviews on their website are COMPLETELY weeded before theyre posted. It is degrading and disrespectful and I will forever hate this program as they manipulate people into spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to not help there kids. Therapy was more like brainwashing than therapy. The facility in Utah is run like a prison. He reportedly began working in the TTI because his brothers have worked at various other treatment centers. Staff unresponsive, administration unresponsive and kept to company line to detriment of my son. I didnt ask to see that.. It began with a lawsuit filed by Hannah Archuleta, who appeared on Dr. Phil in 2019 and then went to the Turn-About Ranch. June 7, 2022 . A free inside look at company reviews and salaries posted anonymously by employees. Any minor infraction is punished severely. BE CAREFUL OF THEM. , This place is sickening. I had no contact with the outside world except letters to my parents which were censored, and observed phone calls once a month. You can find much better treatment for a better price. discovery ranch lawsuit. He also worked for a time as the Director of, Teenagers at Discovery Ranch have extremely limited contact with the outside world. The reason I am writing this now is because I ended up becoming an alcoholic and drug addict once I went to college and had finally had complete freedom. For many parents, this focus on parental participation is the reason they choose our program. This is my real name, as Im no longer afraid to write my review under an alias. , family visits, and Parent Day Seminars. DIAMOND RANCH ACADEMY, INC., Plaintiff and Counterclaim Defendant, v. CHELSEA FILER, Defendant and Counterclaim Plaintiff. My first treatment center was Redcliffe ascent, and I did really well there. Listen to your child, and dont fall into the traps that programs make which lead parents to think their child is untrustworthy, a liar, manipulator, etc. My son, although he enjoyed his stay, refused to be brainwashed, and therefore got nothing therapeutical out of his stay; only resentment and anger, and he gained knowledge how to manipulate therapists to his benefit. My mind sometimes uncontrollably cradles and turns to static when I hear the same radio noise as the staff used at DR. Any complaints about the program and the abuse kids witnessed would be brushed off by program coordinators and therapists. able to inform their parents of abuse, their parents are manipulated by DR into believing that their child is lying and being manipulative in an attempt to be pulled from the program. These issues include: At Discovery Ranch for Boys, all the professional departments work together. They dont want to discuss whats actually wrong. The men have also come up against many dangerous physical hitches in getting to the treasure. After essentially being re-traumatized after remembering all this, I recently went on a five day bender started Wednesday where I got high and or drunk every waking moment, which culminated with me waking up on my bathroom floor on Monday morning covered in blood and vomit next to two empty bottles of wine and Xanax spilled across the floor with a five page suicide note on my computer that Id written in a blackout. We maintain professional memberships in research organizations, such as The Joint Commission and NATSAP. We had a close friend that took her life during our time there, we lost a friend to drug addiction that spiraled after leaving DR, and we had another friend who lost her life to cancer, which could have been detected in the earlier stages if DR didnt fail to seek proper medical attention (she was actually punished quite often for complaining about the pain and was either made to do hard manual labor or the staff would put her in isolation for days on end. If you are at all struggling and/or would like to talk to someone who can relate, please do not hesitate to contact me through this post and Id be happy to exchange information so we can talk. dont do this to your child We are all begging you. One small slip up, and you have all privileges taken away from a day to sometimes even a week. I had never done drugs, drank, or even smoked a cigarette at this point in my life. (only the higher rank kids would be allowed to do this). Chad Ollinger and his brother, Duane, are gold prospectors in the Uintah Mountains of Utah. Kids are constantly getting restrained and put on drugs to keep them under control. Lawsuit filed March 3rd against the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food, and Forestry (ODAFF). Listen to your child, what do they think they need? In addition, your son will experience many opportunities to explore Utah. Once a lawsuit gets underway, parties to the lawsuit or their lawyers start gathering information related to the lawsuit. Their motto is apparently Strength in the Struggle. Find out more about the assessment. If Im in the car with someone and they make a wrong turn or something I will flip out and start having a panic attack because all I can think about it oh my god where are they taking me theyre locking me up again. Our parents (his Mom and step-father) regret sending him there even all these years later. Regardless of what they were there for, NO ONE SHOULD EVER BE TREATED AS INHUMANELY AS CHILDREN SUCH AS MYSELF WERE. First, let me begin by stating that sending your kid anywhere is a traumatic experience they will have for the rest of their life. You will also be able to observe your sons progress through our secure, password-protected parent portal. Until now I had remembered my experience there as a happy one- I literally only remembered what went on during the day. The teenagers at Discovery Ranch as forced to adhere to a strict set of rules at all time. The decision you make for your child will stay with them forever. Staff refusing to let kid use the bathroom, and making him pee/poop himself. I suggest seeking different options for your child. I was forced to do the most humiliating and degrading things possibly conceivable; I was forced to eat a girls used tampon, lick cow shit off a girls boots, unclog a toilet with my bare hands adult male staff would masturbate to me showering, changing, and using the toilet while masturbating (keep in mind I was 15. I still hear screams from my friends being restrained in the back of my mind. We have all suffered enough, its time to heal and create a system that works. Carebear (Yelp), 2015: (SURVIVOR) This place is horrible. They dont let parents talk freely to their own child. However, it is also only 10 minutes from the urban hub of Cedar City, Utah. They will do everything to keep themselves looking like the best option at all costs just for money. Throughout your sons experience at Discovery Ranch he will have the support of caring, educated. They later sued the show, saying . , your son will confront his personal challenges with the goal of healing and increasing his capacity which builds his self-confidence and self-esteem. Although the system failed us, my peers and I have created somewhat of a little support group to cope and its helped us tremendously. If you absolutely need mental support for your child, I suggest something that is close to home, and something that does not limit their ability to see and interact with the outside world. I have maintained very close friendships with a handful of other patients that were there during my time (for a wide range of different reasons) and we even make it appoint to see each other each year. For example, in an employment law case, a fired employee will want to see their personnel file, and through discovery, an employer would likely be required to provide those documents. We would act like we loved the treatment center, and that there wasnt any abuse going on. My parents sent me there because I was depressed, doing poorly in school instead of getting straight As, got caught shoplifting a pack of gum from 7-11, spent too much time on the computer, and was too angry and defiant. My personal experience here was horrible. Reading these reviews it is obviously a place that needs to make some changes if the accusations are correct. As I walked away in shock he was tackled by staff.This was after I had already seen two separate suicide attempts. The website is misleading. Discovery ranch uses a merit system to punish kids. They report that in January 2104, the boy was placed in a dorm at Discovery Ranch with three other boys, one who began grooming him and another resident for sexual victimization until he was violently sodomized. The attacker used threats of violence, coercion, guilt, and the merit system of Discovery Ranch to manipulate (the boy) to avoid reporting increasingly deviant sexual behaviors, including discussions about sex, pornography, masturbation, and sexual violence. According to the complaint, Discovery Ranchs merit system also prevented (him) from reporting the assaults because he believed that his inferior status and past interactions with Discovery Ranch staff and administrators would result in him being punished if he attempted to disclose the assaults. The family claims the sexual assaults went undiscovered and unchecked throughout the months of January and February and were only revealed when he [the assailant] was transferred from Discovery Ranch after being discovered engaging in bestiality with a horse. The family says that Discovery Ranch failed to adequately investigate the assailant for psychosexually deviant and violent tendencies before admitting him to Discovery Ranch and placing him in the dorm. Additional Information: Family Alleges Bestiality at Alternative School, 9/20/2020: (SURVIVOR) Discovery ranch seems to actively try to remove as many negative reviews as they can, many were mine being removed over and over. Listen to your child, and dont fall into the traps that programs make which lead parents to think their child is untrustworthy, a liar, manipulator, etc. My mind sometimes uncontrollably cradles and turns to static when I hear the same radio noise as the staff used at DR. You get used to the screaming and pleading for help, it becomes background noise. In February of 2015, a former resident at DR and his family filed a lawsuit against the school reporting that the boy was violently and repeatedly sexually assaulted by another resident at the program. Please save your child from this place. . Discovery Ranch is accredited by the Northwest Association of Accredited Schools (NAAS), but it is important to note that neither the United States Department of Education nor the Council for Higher Education Accreditation recognizes NAAS as an accrediting agency for institutions of higher education. You Have Questions, We Have Answers. ), I witnessed a 15 year old boy be sodomized by a broom handle and have the living shit beat out of him because he tried to run away and watched a girl punch a window and slit her wrists in front of me because she couldnt take it anymore. I was told Control-freak parents often produce children who feel guilty and disloyal , fearing theyll disappoint their over-bearing parents. I couldnt believe he was blaming me for thisafter we could no longer afford to send her there she was abruptly released and told good luck. I am a victim of emotional and physical abuse by Discovery Ranch. Staff care about one another and take a genuine interest in the girls. Are they just being a teenager? They picked favorites and we were treated like garbage. When you try to induct real truths into the once a week, 1/2 hour, monitored phone call, the therapist redirects you to la la land. I had an IEP at my old school because I cant learn that easily but the program directors convinced my parents I was too lazy to do work that I had trouble doing. Blind Frog Ranch Lawsuit. They would restrain kids to the point the kids arm was almost broken. Are they just being a teenager? Its heart wrenching to see how many families were deeply financially destroyed as well as personal connections being permanently damaged. Case No. Let us help. Its sick and I hope in the future these places will be illegal and I will NEVER send my kids to one of these places. Privileges to some might sound like being able to talk to friends, or having free time. They strip you of everything, even contact with your own parents, and dangle it in front of you as motivation to do/act how they want. We also understand that every teen and every family is unique. They only allow astonishing ones to pass. (Yelp), 11/10/2013: (SURVIVOR) Link to Anonymous Survivor Testimony, 10/13/2013: (SURVIVOR) I attended Discovery Ranch 5 years ago when I was 15 years old. I suggest seeking different options for your child. Youre parents will love that, Ha!). Im in therapy, on medication, have been to three AA meetings in the past three days, and just feel like I am out of options and suicide or getting constantly fucked up is my only option at this point. First, let me begin by stating that sending your kid anywhere is a traumatic experience they will have for the rest of their life. In May 2018, the family that owns Blind Frog Ranch in Moab, Utah, filed a lawsuit against the Bureau of Land Management (BLM . The pain doesnt just stop, they dont forget what you did to them, regardless of your intentions. The pain doesnt just stop, they dont forget what you did to them, regardless of your intentions. In fact, the administration at discovery ranch intentionally delayed my high school graduation by refuting me the right to do my classes in order to keep me there longer. You have tried community resources or other programs. However, in 2013 DR moved their girls program to Cedar City, UT and began makerting theis program as, member since 2005. Parents have no clue what they are getting themselves into by sending their children there. Your child will be put in with kids that are older than their age group, that were in gangs, that are addicted to drugs, etc. The protocols here suck, and do absolutely nothing in the way of help. Youre parents will love that, Ha!). We were treated like we were in prison, and if we stepped out of line, we had our privileges taken away. They would yell at us and use excessive force. Your Call is Confidential. Phil McGraw is wrapped up in a new scandal after sending multiple young guests to a treatment facility that has been accused of abuse. This website uses cookies and third party services. We respect your privacy. Also the staff there (although there were some that I liked) were extremely rude. please if you are thinking of sending anyone or know anyone who is considering to send someone here, keep the kid far away from them. Every part of Discovery Ranch, from the amazing campus to the nationally accredited Academic Program, helps to promote growth and healing. I dont believe that the people who tortured me were innately evil; i think it was a situation similar to Abu Ghraib. He since has shut down and will not discuss it so no idea if it was accurate or something he said when first home to avoid being sent back. We have experience working with a variety of behavioral and emotional issues. The schooling they provide is a joke. We all cope in our own ways, but if we can help by sharing our experiences and what we learned, theres not a single one of us that would turn down a younger DR peer that is currently battling our same battles. I stopped feeling emotions and didnt for two years. The amounts of times I screamed out loud in physical/mental exhaustion from being undermined and unheard is uncountable. You might feel that you are all alone. My brother noted some of the staff was wonderful and he used their tips to get through challenges after his father died (my Moms 1st husband). When I came back to real life I had forgotten how to smile and had to train myself to make facial expressions that corresponded to the emotions I should have felt in various circumstances. This creates a streamlined experience for your son. In this experiential, safe, and supportive environment, your son will confront his personal challenges with the goal of healing and increasing his capacity which builds his self-confidence and self-esteem. Lawsuits, harassment then found him. Each part of his daily experience will reinforce his therapeutic goals. My parents sent me there because I was depressed, doing poorly in school instead of getting straight As, got caught shoplifting a pack of gum from 7-11, spent too much time on the computer, and was too angry and defiant. the licensed substance abuse counselor has obviously never touched a substance in her life. However, the abuse overshadowed it. Listen to your child, and dont fall into the traps that programs make which lead parents to think their child is untrustworthy, a liar, manipulator, etc. They report that in January 2104, the boy was placed in a dorm at Discovery Ranch with three other boys, one who began grooming him and another resident for sexual victimization until he was violently sodomized. The attacker used threats of violence, coercion, guilt, and the merit system of Discovery Ranch to manipulate (the boy) to avoid reporting increasingly deviant sexual behaviors, including discussions about sex, pornography, masturbation, and sexual violence. According to the complaint, Discovery Ranchs merit system also prevented (him) from reporting the assaults because he believed that his inferior status and past interactions with Discovery Ranch staff and administrators would result in him being punished if he attempted to disclose the assaults. The family claims the sexual assaults went undiscovered and unchecked throughout the months of January and February and were only revealed when he [the assailant] was transferred from Discovery Ranch after being discovered engaging in bestiality with a horse. The family says that Discovery Ranch failed to adequately investigate the assailant for psychosexually deviant and violent tendencies before admitting him to Discovery Ranch and placing him in the dorm. Additional Information: Discovery ranch seems to actively try to remove as many negative reviews as they can, many were mine being removed over and over.