Diamond Ranch AcademyReviews 53

Eleven months ago our family was faced with what seemed like an impossible decision to make. Our 15 year old son was struggling with depression and had completely given up on school. His frustration and aggression were growing stronger with each passing month and outpatient counseling wasn’t enough to help him deal with his challenges. After a second stay in the hospital he was formally diagnosed with bipolar disorder. It was then that we realized residential treatment was needed and we made the decision to enroll him in Diamond Ranch Academy to get the help that we, his parents, could not give him. Today we are preparing for his graduation from DRA next week and are looking forward to our son returning home to start his junior year in high school on track. He has made tremendous progress, not only in school, but more importantly in his overall well being. He has a genuine smile on his face now that we haven’t seen in many years and it’s nice to spend time with him again. We love our son dearly and are grateful to the DRA staff and all that they have done for our family. We all have learned a great deal from their amazingly well rounded program that is focused on healing the entire family, not just the child.

I am an Educational Consultant and have been working with Diamond Ranch Academy for several years! I have placed many students at this facility with amazing results! I have personally been on the campus and have met many of the staff members. This is by far one of the most effective therapeutic boarding schools out there and I will continue to recommend families to their facility. Thank you Diamond Ranch for all that you do for these kids and families... You truly are saving lives!

Following a traumatic event for our family (suicide of wife/mother), our son became withdrawn, depressed, and truant. We explored many options, and narrowed it down to DRA with its impressive mix of therapeutic support and individualized academics. The Staff was marvelous to work with and calming. The decision to enroll our child in a distant residential treatment facility, though the correct choice, was heartbreaking. The indisputable proof is our son returning after a 9 month stay with a positive attitude, and miraculous change in his countenance, grades, and demeanor. He has been armed with the skills to deal with the challenges of life with a smile. We will forever be grateful for the miracle we call Diamond Ranch Academy.

You may be reading this review because you are the parent going through a difficult time with your child. I am truly sorry. I know what you are experiencing right now. If you are looking for hope, read on...

Discovery and Recovery...
We were in a serious situation with our 14 year old son who was making very bad decisions that included drug abuse. After going through years of the same thing with his older brother, we decided to take a different approach than we did with him as we had determined that outpatient and short-term inpatient rehab programs are not always effective for teenagers. After researching different options and doing a lot of praying, we decided to send him to Diamond Ranch Academy. We thought their program would give him the best chance at recovery and healing. It turned out to be one of the best decisions we ever made.

More to the Story...
My son had always had an interest in drawing graffiti and would dabble in it here and there. Realizing that he better make the best of his time at DRA (and to make his time go faster), he joined the art club. This turned out to be a life changing decision for him. During art club, he worked closely with the art director who began teaching him the skills needed to draw portraits. On our regular phone calls and in his letters home, he would tell us about his art. Honestly, I didn't think much about it after thinking back to the graffiti he had drawn on his bedroom furniture. I was satisfied that he was making good use of his time and seemed happy to be involved in the art club. Soon thereafter, he delighted in telling us that his art teacher actually said he had talent.

First Visit…
Our first visit to DRA was upon us and we were so anxious to see him and the art work he had told about for the past several weeks. The art director met with us and showed us the art room and some of the amazing work his students were doing. He then guided us to the cafeteria where on the walls my son's work had been framed and was hanging. We could hardly believe our eyes! My son had produced work that a serious artist with many years of experience would be proud of. His journey didn't end there. The art director went out of his way to get my son's work entered into contests and festivals. On our next visit, my son participated in a chalk art festival for which his team took first place. The art director at DRA is a talented artist and an amazing inspiration to young artists!

Homeward Bound...
My son's sudden strong interest and talent in art helped us decide to enroll him in a local charter school for the arts after his return home. I am proud to say that he successfully finished grade 10 last year which I believe would not have happened had it not been for DRA. For those who don't know much about drug use and addiction, the terrifying part about the recovery process is relapse. The bottom line is, no matter how much I wish it wasn't true, relapse is part of recovery! However, the way in which the addict deals with a relapse is paramount.

It's a Process…
As expected, my son experienced two relapses during grade 10. Fortunately, he bounced back from those with the positive energy and hope that he learned at DRA. Over the summer, he relapsed a third time. Unfortunately, he took a far different turn. Same friends, same environment, same drugs, different conclusion. He was unreachable again. So, we packed him up and sent him back to DRA for a 30 day 'refresher'. Spending nearly all his time again with the art director, in NA meetings and with his counselor, he quickly turned the corner and was back on track. He has since returned home, far stronger and more committed to his recovery than before. We are at the beginning of grade 11 at the art school, with high hopes and expectations that grade 11 will be an even better year for him and for our family.

I highly recommend DRA to families in crisis! The program is strong and the staff truly cares about these kids! The program works. If your family is faced with similar a situation and you and your child are crying out for help, DRA could be the place where you, your child and your family find recovery, healing, and peace.

All the best to you!

We love what DRA has done for our family and struggling teen son! They gave us the tools needed to shift from living a life in chaos and pain to thriving. Our teen son was struggling with low self esteem, anxiety, depression, ADHD, and beginning drug use, and we were at a loss for how to help him. DRA provided an safe place for him to grow in confidence and maturity while we were working on our healing at home. Nine months after graduation he is doing really well, actually missing the structure and many of the opportunities that DRA provided. We love and trust the staff very much who showed him respect and love. We, including our son, highly recommend DRA to any family who feels like things are spiraling out of control. Get help, the sooner the better! My rating: 4.5 stars

My son has been at Diamond Ranch Academy since May, 2014. It is without question the best thing I've ever done for my son. He was spiraling downhill fast and after months of research I decided on DRA.

My son recently turned 18 and he decided to stay at DRA to complete the program. He joined the football team and is doing great with his classes. I have had the opportunity to spend time at DRA and their staff is top notch. They are accessible 24/7 and truly care about the students. They stay in constant contact with the parents and give updates on the progress of the student constantly. My son's therapist has done an amazing job and has been instrumental in helping him turn his life around.

The staff takes the students off campus often for day trips. They do all types of activities and for my son's 18th birthday his program director took him and his friends to dinner and miniature golf.

I would highly recommend DRA to any parent who feels powerless over their struggling teen. The staff at DRA is amazing and your son, or daughter will benefit greatly from the experience.

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.

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.