Our academic program meets your son at his level. My personal experience here was horrible. Chad Ollinger and his brother, Duane, are gold prospectors in the Uintah Mountains of Utah. My mind sometimes uncontrollably cradles and turns to static when I hear the same radio noise as the staff used at DR. Learn about discovery -- the legal procedures used to gather evidence for a lawsuit. I understand that people need to help themselves and I cannot blame Discovery Ranch for my decisions but this environment definitely did not promote positive change in my life. Privilege to them is being able to sit on a couch, to be able to speak out loud, to be able to eat a single apple. It makes me fucking sick that this place, along with HUNDREDS of others, still exists, quietly protected under the umbrella of the state government of Utah, and that parents are paying hundreds of thousands of dollars for their children to be tortured and driven insane or into obedient, soulless sociopaths. Anonymous (Tales from the Black School), 7/8/2013: (SURVIVOR) DO NOT SEND YOUR CHILD TO DISCOVERY RANCH IF YOU CARE ABOUT THEM! In May 2018, the family that owns Blind Frog Ranch in Moab, Utah, filed a lawsuit against the Bureau of Land Management (BLM . They will dream about it years after, waking up in the middle of the night from nightmares about being back there. The boat bought with funds by Discovery Ranch was not once used for the kids, the owners just use it for personal use. discovery ranch lawsuit. I had to raise a baby cow for the slaughter to learn to deal with loss, exercise until I threw up blood, pick up cow shit every day, I could go on and on. My mind sometimes uncontrollably cradles and turns to static when I hear the same radio noise as the staff used at DR. 02-17-2016. They often cause way more harm than good. The school uses research to help create an individualized treatment plan for each teen. Discovery Ranch is an Ascent Company behavior-modification program founded on August 21st, 2005. I am a victim of emotional and physical abuse by Discovery Ranch. Also, I would sit there and talk to my therapist while he takes notes and this is a direct quote is that it? Then the session was over. (Check glassdoor reviews) In return, we have lots of untrained, unequipped young adults who arent prepared to deal with seriously mentally ill children. One small slip up, and you have all privileges taken away from a day to sometimes even a week. 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. I had repressed memories of the physical, sexual, and psychological torture i endured for five years until I watched a documentary on the stanford prison experiment in my psychology class. My cousin went to a place 2 years ago called Shortridge Academy and had a much better experience there. 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. THATS WHEN YOU KNOW THE PLACE IS TERRIBLE. Davinci (Google Reviews), 2018: (SURVIVOR) Beware the evil behind their smiling eyes! Any complaints about the program and the abuse kids witnessed would be brushed off by program coordinators and therapists. They are very abusive and they will lie to you. I dont know why but when i was there I never wanted to leave. I would estimate their rate of rehabilitation around 20%. At Discovery Ranch for Boys, we hold ourselves to the, We maintain professional memberships in research organizations, such as, . I still hear screams from my friends being restrained in the back of my mind. The reviews on their website are COMPLETELY weeded before theyre posted. I felt meaningless, worthless, like a pawn used to control my dads emotions, fishing out hundreds of thousands of dollars from him. They tear children apart, and they come out broken. My parents spent over $200,000 here before they realized I was not getting the help I needed. 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. If you have any logic in your brain in the slightest then you should realize how goddamn stupid it would be to send your kid to this shit hole. Derek (Yelp), 8/21/2015: (SURVIVOR) Its been about 8-9 years since I left DR; Im now 25 and although I dont dwell on what happened so much anymore, this place has had such a negative impact on my life. I can still hear the screams of kids being restrained and having their arms pinned behind them and blood flow cut off because they didnt follow simple orders. There are over 600 people in 2 different groups put together, and we are all in contact with many kids that just left. In addition to taking part in the equine therapy and horsemanship programs, he will have access to the fully-equipped music studio. The protocols here suck, and do absolutely nothing in the way of help. They do a terrific job at keeping kids quiet. We have the record and independent verification to prove it. The schooling they provide is a joke. I had never done drugs, drank, or even smoked a cigarette at this point in my life. I still have insomnia and night terrors of being at that place. 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. He began his career working in Admissions at Provo Canyon School, which is widely regarded as the birthplace of the WWASP organization. The reviews on their website are COMPLETELY weeded before theyre posted. 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. Although there are no support groups for people like us and since the program is so small & were from all over the country, it feels and looks very real that you may be alone, YOU ARE NOT. Seek other avenues for your child. , This is the worst place to send your child. Reading these reviews it is obviously a place that needs to make some changes if the accusations are correct. 9/17/2020: (SURVIVOR) Please do not send your child to this horrific and abusive program. Clinton Dorny is the Executive Director of Discovery Ranch. Plaintiff Diamond Ranch Academy, Inc. (DRA) operates a residential youth treatment facility in Hurricane, Utah. Your Call is Confidential. If you are in an urgent situation and need help call 911. (During my stay, a kid in a different house was repeatedly raped by another kid for days until he was caught.) It is NOT your fault and youre NOT a lesser being despite what DR drilled into you. Residential Treatment is an Intensive Healing Experience, Individual, family, and group therapy all take place within a residential treatment setting. Are they just being a teenager? You have tried outpatient therapy. 19K views, 49 likes, 17 loves, 159 comments, 10 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from FOX 13 News: UTAH RANCH LAWSUIT - A teen is filing a lawsuit against a Utah ranch where she says she was sexually. On top of that I was forced to study 7 hours straight on the weekends if I didnt meet academic requirements. DO NOT RECOMMEND AT ALL! , The Troubled Teen Industry: Commodifying Disability and Capitalizing on Fear by Catherine Kushan. They are very abusive and they will lie to you. The trauma Ive witnessed, and seen other kids witness was unbearable. I will never forgive Discovery Ranch for the damage they did to me, and the damage they continue to do to future generations. A court has maintained a number of claims the Granby Ranch Metropolitan District has made in a lawsuit against the owners of Granby Ranch. He also is the Executive Director of, . 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. Its heart wrenching to see how many families were deeply financially destroyed as well as personal connections being permanently damaged. 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. Listen to your child, what do they think they need? the villa pacific palisades, ca. The amounts of times I screamed out loud in physical/mental exhaustion from being undermined and unheard is uncountable. 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. 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. I suggest seeking different options for your child. 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. Caring, experienced professionals are ready to help your son. Paris Hilton just came out with a documentary on her experience at another abusive program just down the street from DR. Leslie Glies worked as the Residential Director of Discovery Ranch. Also they lie to the kids about the effects of marijuana, such as the claim that you can withdrawal from it, but I know that isnt true. Discovery ranchs idea of privileges is being able to sit on something other than hard wood chairs. 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. Although the system failed us, my peers and I have created somewhat of a little support group to cope and its helped us tremendously. Discovery Ranch has been a NATSAP member since 2005. I posted this exact review several times spacing itself out several months. But I fucking wasnt. Staff members are chosen at random, as the turnover rate is insanely high. 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. Please reach out to me for questions, I will do my best to educate you on what is happening and get you current information. Sanoy (Yelp), August 2020: (SURVIVOR) Kinda like a prison that just focuses on external behavior. You are a survivor of an abusive environment that is very similar to a prison. However, your teen is still troubled and your family is still in crisis. Regardless of what they were there for, NO ONE SHOULD EVER BE TREATED AS INHUMANELY AS CHILDREN SUCH AS MYSELF WERE. discovery ranch lawsuit. A kid was put in isolation for about 4 weeks before being moved to a different treatment center. But I fucking wasnt. We earned academic accreditation through Discovery Academy. Also a staff there named Matt polson threatened to restrain me several times. The kids come out shell shocked, traumatized and fearful. Michele (Yelp), 2012: (PARENT) As a father I was treated poorly. They emotionally and mentally compromise kids for fun. Staff parents "were expected to replicate a. He will be expected to maintain a healthy lifestyle which includes daily exercise and well-balanced meals. It sickens me that even after the kid is out of this place they threaten to send them back to this horrible place. Its another long, tough, painful battle after you leave DR and I havent known one other person who didnt suffer after getting out. When we have the opportunity to get together, its a very special and meaningful time for all of us, we reminisce about the little funny stories that helped us get through the day during our time, we think about about all the suffering we endeared and how we survived, and we always take the time to honor our close friends that didnt and have passed. We have created this bond because unless you went through a detention center such as DR, you will not understand. The average stay is OVER a year not under like they love to say. Listen to your child, what do they think they need? . Education was packets and computer testing only poor. Teenagers at Discovery Ranch have extremely limited contact with the outside world. The night staff was apparently fucked up on heroin, meth, pcp, etc the whole time and had virtually no training or qualifications, which I learned when a male staff member sexually propositioned me over Facebook when I was 18, so three years later, and told me what happened behind closed doors. 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 like most parents of Discovery Ranch students, you have been looking for help for a long time. Your family is struggling. He also is the Executive Director of Discovery Academy. Their motto is apparently Strength in the Struggle. Parents have no clue what they are getting themselves into by sending their children there. 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. We do all this so that you can know your son is safe with us. (Blood sprayed on me). I cannot even put into words the pain I feel even today when my experience gets brought up or when I read about other kids that are STILL suffering from having to go through this program. Discovery Ranch for Girls is a well run industry leader in residential treatment for adolescent girls. Your attorney should explain each step, but here you can learn basics on Complaints, Answers, and other motions involved at the beginning of a lawsuit. Im happy to say that she is leading a normal life and leaving DR was the best thing that happened. , I try to think positively about it but honestly this shithole gave me PTSD. My first treatment center was Redcliffe ascent, and I did really well there. Im scared to mention my real name because Discovery Ranchs aftercare program still controls my life. Their website lists the following conditions the program claims to treat: various mental illnesses including anxiety, depression, mood disorders, ADHD, and oppositional defiance the last of which is no longer listed in the DSM substance abuse and other addictions, eating disorders [] learning disorders and nonverbal learning disability [] social struggles, low self-esteem, adoption/attachment issues, and grief and loss The unadvertised conditions that I witnessed among detainees included being LGBT, Internet addiction, and one girl in particular was sent there for having a black boyfriend. Grand Ledge Courts. The pain doesnt just stop, they dont forget what you did to them, regardless of your intentions. ), 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. Research shows this is the best approach to help your son and family heal mentally, physically, and emotionally. I literally cant live with these memories. They left me more broken than they found me. Jackson (Yelp), September 2020: (SURVIVOR) Please do not send your child to this horrific and abusive program. In this, experiential, safe, and supportive environment. Paris Hilton just came out with a documentary on her experience at another abusive program just down the street from DR. They gave all the kids the same level of trust, none. At one point during my stay, I saw my friend stab his arm repeatedly with a pencil, spraying blood all over me and the windowsill we were sitting on. 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. BE CAREFUL OF THEM. , This place is sickening. 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. Your PRECIOUS child is NOT safe here! His step-father (my Dad) told me not to discuss it around him. There is overmedicating (including putting kids to sleep for doing nothing wrong. Until now I had remembered my experience there as a happy one- I literally only remembered what went on during the day. First, let me begin by stating that sending your kid anywhere is a traumatic experience they will have for the rest of their life. These programs are money makers. Although you move on and mature, its a wound that never fully heals and cuts deep. Our parents (his Mom and step-father) regret sending him there even all these years later. We found a traditional therapist that proved to be far more effective. Also they lie to the kids about the effects of marijuana, such as the claim that you can withdrawal from it, but I know that isnt true. 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. We would act like we loved the treatment center, and that there wasnt any abuse going on. Also the staff there (although there were some that I liked) were extremely rude. Even when I started feeling feelings again I realized on Wednesday that I had been experiencing emotions with maybe 50-75% of the intensity that I normally should, which was put into perspective when I finally accepted that these things truly happened to me and felt for the first time in my life the appropriate pain and humiliation that corresponds to being treated in such a way for such an extended period of time. Those goals are helping your son learn, grow, and heal so that your family can be a family again. 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. Reading these reviews it is obviously a place that needs to make some changes if the accusations are correct. Overpriced, over rateddo not send your child there if you care about them. I posted this exact review several times spacing itself out several months. This isnt how we should treat precious children The staff have no idea how much damage theyre doing as theyre just following orders This is a mess it needs to be shut down.. 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. Get Confidential Help Today, Call Us Anytime, Internationally-recognized Residential Treatment Center for Teen Boys Ages 13-18 Located in Utah, Top Residential Treatment Center For Teens, Discovery Ranch combines the power of traditional and experiential therapies to create a clinically sophisticated, relationship-based. The boat bought with funds by Discovery Ranch was not once used for the kids, the owners just use it for personal use. We were victims of abuse. We maintain professional memberships in research organizations, such as The Joint Commission and NATSAP. 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. On top of that I was forced to study 7 hours straight on the weekends if I didnt meet academic requirements. They do a terrific job at keeping kids quiet. The Residential Treatment Program is located on a beautiful 60-acre ranch. At Discovery Ranch for Boys, we hold ourselves to the highest professional standards. 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. My brother was at the Ranch over a decade ago. , There are plenty of articles that prove why Discovery Ranch is dangerous for the mental development of children. They would restrain kids to the point the kids arm was almost broken. For a year I was put down and felt stupid and inadequate and my opinion didnt matter and if I decided to express it I would be put on some protocol that restricted me from doing anything but sitting at a fucking desk and staring at the god damn wall. Youre parents will love that, Ha!). The entire facility is designed to create a rich therapeutic and healing environment. Privileges to some might sound like being able to talk to friends, or having free time. The tuition is reported to be anywhere between $6,500 to $12,000 per month. You will also be able to observe your sons progress through our secure, password-protected parent portal. . 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. The average stay is OVER a year not under like they love to say. This is my real name, as Im no longer afraid to write my review under an alias. After I graduated I was transferred to discovery ranch. Countless amounts of times seeing staff restrain kids in inhumane ways. The last few years of my life have felt unreal, Ive had migraines with frustration wondering how places like this exist, and how theyve gotten away with so much deceit. Discovery Ranch is reported by many survivors to be an extremely abusive program. 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. I had no contact with the outside world except letters to my parents which were censored, and observed phone calls once a month. The representative will help connect you with resources that can help your family--even if that help is not from us. You have tried community resources or other programs. Also a staff there named Matt polson threatened to restrain me several times. ), There is a significant lack of professional supervision/lack of training, There is a high turnover rate for employees, There is parent manipulation/lies on the programs part for $$, There is lack of necessary medical care to avoid the girls telling a doctor they are being abused, and they are never alone when with a doctor, Run like a bootcamp, zero free time for the kids, every day feels like a punishment, Mormons are running it and very religiously biased, Please. Discovery Ranch combines the power of traditional and experiential therapies to create a clinically sophisticated, relationship-based residential treatment center for boys ages 13-18. The parents believe discovery ranch and most kids have no hope of anyone listening to them because they think no one believes them and they wont talk and they lie about it. We were treated like we were in prison, and if we stepped out of line, we had our privileges taken away. They dont let parents talk freely to their own child. Let us help. This type of environment makes reporting abuse and neglect impossible for teenagers. We were victims of abuse. My parents spent over $200,000 here before they realized I was not getting the help I needed. 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. I was there almost ten years ago, and it feels like yesterday because of my PTSD. 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. The representative will help connect you with resources that can help your family--even if that help is not from us. Last year, Granby Ranch Metropolitan District, a homeowner-controlled metro district, filed suit against the group of entities associated with the Granby Ranch development. if I saw him today i would punch him in the face. 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.