Diamond Ranch Academy

While our daughter has only been at DRA for 4.5 months, my wife and I can see a dramatic improvement, and can't wait to see how she'll progress over the next 6+ months. Before coming to DRA, she was in and out of juvenile detention, failing high school, involved with the wrong crowd, self esteem was low and her passion for sports had disappeared. After years of counseling, in-school and out-of school help, we felt we were out of options until discovering DRA. Our latest visit was this past weekend, and what a blessed weekend. Our daughter's passion for life is back. She is consistently getting A's and B's in school; she is succeeding in her favorite sport of soccer, and even now is talking about college. This is the same young lady who just 5 short months ago didn't care if she graduated from high school. While her and our journey has just begun, it is looking incredibly bright thanks to the DRA program. They have not only given us hope, but also provided a clear vision of the future our daughter can have. DRA's program addresses the overall health of the student from therapeutics to academics to athletics to faith. Simultaneously, DRA provides family counseling to help the family heal, and prepare for the road ahead once the student comes home. Helping students realize their potentials, and healing families is DRA's mission. A mission that we are eternally grateful for, and thankful for the help we are all receiving. My hope is that DRA's program can be duplicated and grow beyond Utah to provide the means to help many more families having similar challenges. If you have a troubled teen, and feel you are alone in what you and your family are facing, don't hesitate to reach out to DRA for assistance. You'll learn that your family situation is not unique, and DRA is very well equipped to help. Yes, it's a painful decision to make, but a decision for the well-being of your child and a means to give them a bright future. We are so thankful for what DRA has been able to do for our daughter and our family over these past few months, and look forward to progressing toward her graduation.

Professional staff really care about the students and their wellbeing, and the hands-on efforts from Dias family members are apparent throughout DRA. They are vested with their hearts, and that isn't commonplace. Athletic facilities and opportunities are tremendous, as are the arts. Infrastructure throughout the facility is new and well kept. Meals, schooling, and extra-curricular activities are done well and are truly enjoyable experiences.

We asked a lot of questions of Admissions and Management staff after reading or hearing of situations that may have been cause for concern. No different than all the other programs our son has attended with the positive marketing from DRA and negative rumor mill churn on blog sites, but we wanted to ask anyway, and we were straight up about it. Not only were all the very frank questions well handled, with explanations that have since been confirmed through our positive experiences over 6 months, but there was also an honest acknowledgement of how the programs and methods have progressed from years ago to a new campus with more effective processes for working with students and parents than in the early years.

Speaking from firsthand experience as a parent, DRA has exceeded expectations where several other similarly structured programs serving similar clientele fell short in comparison. A level of structure and respect is maintained without having to exercise unusual discipline, resulting in a productive environment for all. Parents will feel an authentic sense of family and students will have opportunities to excel similar to attending a well run private school. We have "been there and done several", but DRA has been the best.

Before we decided on Diamond Ranch Academy (DRA), we were desperate parents. Our son was on a downward spiral, and we had to make a quick decision. We took a leap of faith, and decided on DRA having only spoken with staff. It was difficult, but we are certainly thankful for our conversation with Dan, and the ultimate decision we made to send him to the school.

We cannot say enough about our teen's experience at Diamond Ranch Academy (DRA). From the transport to the campus, to the graduation celebration 11 months later, the experience was beyond what we had expected. While there are many, many aspects of DRA that are worthy of discussion, the one aspect of the Academy that underlies all the others is the quality of the staff. The moment our son entered DRA he was greeted by and thereafter interacted daily with individuals who were one-hundred percent committed to his success. The therapeutic experience at DRA is second to none. But, equally important is the availability of extracurricular activities in which the students are encouraged to participate. Many teens, our son included, would have never been able to enhance their self-esteem through theater or athletics in a regular high school setting. However, DRA makes available to students a wide variety of activities that allows them to grow in strength and character. It is only up to the students to decide where and how they would want to participate. Watching our son compete in wrestling, perform a solo, and have a key role in a play, may have been the proudest moments of our lives. His achieving these milestones were only brought about through the dedicated work of the staff in building his self-esteem and his confidence. For that we will be ever grateful.

For those considering a therapeutic boarding school for their teen, we would highly recommend Diamond Ranch Academy. We believe in the program, and more importantly, we believe in the staff. They are second to none.

Diamond Ranch Academy is truly a PREMIER therapeutic boarding school for troubled teens. I cannot express within a short writing how much we appreciate this school and it's outstanding, dedicated staff. Our precious daughter was spiraling downward in school performance and behavior and there was no where to turn after we tried every avenue available. It was tough making the decision to enroll her at DRA but I cannot tell you how relieved we are that we intervened to this extent. It is virtually impossible to get and hold the attention of a teen in their present environment to convince them to make positive changes - the distractions are limitless. Unless one can cleanly break the cycle of events and separate them from harmful influences then one cannot expect them to make changes for the better. The staff is well trained, personable and a professional team working on our child's behalf and our family unit. We appreciated them keeping us informed and alleviating anxieties those first days and weeks. As expected, she was not happy about being taken out of her environment and placed in one where she was forced to be accountable for her decisions and actions before privileges were earned. Those first phone call visits weren't from a grateful child. It took a couple of months for DRA to teach her to recognize and alter self-destructive patterns. She is now making good grades, she's developed a strong positive self esteem and DRA has taught her far better means of coping and handling problems, withstanding peer pressure and setting healthy boundaries. Had she remained under the same influences as before I shutter to think of the problems we'd be dealing with now. Instead of watching our relationship deteriorate we are enjoying a pleasant, confident daughter who is self motivated, considerate and looks forward to accomplishing positive goals. Would I make this decision knowing all I know now? You better believe it - and I'm very thankful that we intervened as early as we did. Your child is safe at DRA.

We chose DRA as an alternative school for our 12 year old granddaughter because she was headed in a very negative direction. She is a bright child, with an IQ of 140+, but she was consistently defiant towards her teachers and other adults. She had started a pattern of lying about her responsibilities in school, not doing her homework, failing her studies even when we supplied her with a qualified tutor.

Our child needed structure and needed to learn self-discipline, and needed to get out of her "me, me, me" attitude. She needed to learn respect for authority, needed to learn to be polite to her peers and her teachers, and her peer's parents when visiting their homes.

We researched several schools, and one of the most important feature of DRA is that their program is a 10 month or longer program, and counselors told us that therapy is most effective if it is long term, not just 30-60 or even 90 days.

We also read negative reviews on the internet, but we conducted our due diligence, and we contacted the Utah State Department that oversees all private schools in Utah. They regularly and at random show up and inspect these schools for compliance and safety. Their report to me indicated that the DRA staff is very open about allowing the inspector to talk openly with the kids and staff members. Their report, completely unbiased and truthful, indicated that DRA is exactly as advertised.

Our child has been at DRA for 6 months, and the turn around has been remarkable. She is positive, upbeat, cheerful, grateful for her family, and is learning to be self confident without being self centered. DRA teaches kids to builds strong self-esteem, maintain a positive attitude, and to develop self respect, make good choices, and feel good about themselves through hard work and realistic accomplishment in academics, sports, and in making good choices.

I highly recommend DRA, and today I can't understand the negative comments I've read, because my experience with my child and DRA has been very positive.

It will not be an easy decision to send your child to the Diamond Ranch Academy. Certainly, I had not experienced many things more painful than to see my son leave in the early morning with two strangers, and to realize that I was entrusting him to the care of an institution and people that I had researched but not seen personally.

I cannot assure you that your child will have a positive and successful tenure at the Diamond Ranch Academy. But I can assure you that there is one individual there, Rod Peterson, the director of the art program, who helped my son to realize a talent that no one (not even my son) realized existed. For that I will be forever grateful.

Mr. Peterson mentored my son. He advised my son. He remained steadfast in his belief in my son, and he directed him responsibly, patiently, and with genuine care. Even after my son left the DRA, after the faculty and staff's responsibility toward my son had terminated, Mr. Peterson continued to address my son's interests, potential, and needs. He attended a Utah State High School Art Awards Ceremony in Springville, Utah, with my son. He later entered one of my son's paintings in a separate competition in St. George. He demonstrated through his actions that he believed in my son, and I fervently hope that because of these actions, my son will believe in himself.

Mr. Peterson's art program at the Diamond Ranch Academy is a site of safety and creativity, work and self expression that provided my son with that one link that he needed with "life" to continue at the Diamond Ranch Academy, and ultimately to have some success. The DRA Art Program is a testament of the value and the importance of art as a medium to touch the soul of a boy who closed off other media. Mr. Rod Peterson is a testament of the value of a caring professional who knows how to reach those individuals who may feel abandoned and alone. He is an example of all that is good in the beauty and wisdom of art.

My son's academics have improved because the teachers take the time to cater to his learning style and see what supports are needed. He feels successful for the first time in a long time in school. He has the option to join extra-curricular activities, sports and clubs. The facilities are brand new and provide the setting of a private boarding school. The natural beauty that surrounds the school is majestic.

I didn't send my son to DRA because he was doing well at home. I wasn't looking for a ‘fun' boarding school where he could have leisure time and hang out with friends. I sent him to DRA because he was in desperate need of redirection. I sent him to DRA because it's a ‘hope' away from home. I am one of those parents who needed support to educate my son because he made wrong choices at home and was spinning out of control. I was enabling my son without knowing.

I'll spare you the details of why or how we arrived to the decision of going to DRA. I will let you know that if you are reading my comment it is because you are seeking a place where your son or daughter could be guided in the right direction. Daily, as adults, we must face our realities head on…as teenagers this is a very difficult process. Usually, parents can cope and have systems in place to support their teenagers. But when we lose this thin line, this thread, we could lose our son or daughter. There are many schools advertised on the Internet making it a difficult choice to send our children away. Perhaps many are good intentioned institutions and perhaps they are not the right choice. When looking for a place away from home, it's not easy…first because we don't want to send our children away from us, it gives us a feeling of failure and second, we are taking a leap of faith.

Today, DRA gives me hope that my son will have a better future. Although it is completely up to him if he turns the page and goes in the right direction, I couldn't think of a safer place to have a teenager who needs support away from home. Ultimately, he is being taught to rethink, to empower himself out of the mess he got into in the first place. The program is comprehensive. I'm not sure it's for all children; I recommend you ask admissions if it is the right program for your child. Personally, this is one of the most difficult decisions I have had to make. It's the partnership, the weekly glimpses of hope that let's me know I made the right choice.