Boarding Schools for Girls

About 30 years ago, Ann Gilbert, her husband, Bob, and a family friend purchased a 173-acre ranch in southern Oregon, just outside the town of Riddle. Two months ago, Ann began bringing at-risk girls onto the ranch to benefit from the inspiring experience of riding and working with horses.

A June 27 Associated Press article featured Gilbert's equine therapy program A Place of Promise:

Respect for others, accountability, resourcefulness, resilience, the virtue of right and the consequences of wrong, love of the outdoors and the importance of having fun in keeping with the spirit of the American cowboy, this is what the Gilberts teach at A Place of Promise.

Since the newly established nonprofit opened on May 18, nine children have experienced the horsemanship and the freedom of country life at the Gilberts' ranch.

"Not only do the children gain from this program, but the horses love the attention the children give them. Their whole demeanor changes when the children are around them," Gilbert said. "They come to their gates in hope they will be the one brought up to the barn to be brushed on and loved."

Animal-assisted therapy has proved to be a highly effective component of many programs for troubled teens and at-risk youth. For example, at New Leaf Academy -- a private boarding school for middle-school girls in Bend, Oregon -- students participate in equine therapy sessions at a nearby stable, and also participate in a rabbit-raising program on the New Leaf campus.

Labels: animal-assisted therapy, equine therapy

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Debby Dobson has seen the positive effects animals can have on troubled and at-risk youth. As an experienced youth counselor, she’s had her share of tough clients – and some respond better to animals than people. Dobson was featured in an Aug. 20 article on the website of Arizona's Verde Independent:

“She saw this first hand years ago while working with a teenage girl client. The girl was withdrawn and communicated only with one-syllable words: yes, no. Not knowing what to do during her time together with the girl, Debby took her to a local animal shelter. Debby says she watched with amazement as the girl’s ‘whole demeanor transformed the moment she stepped in.’”

Dobson now includes animals as a regular part of her counseling sessions with young people, and she’s recently started an animal therapy business. She says the unconditional love offered by animals is just what troubled kids need.

Animal-assisted therapy -- often using horses insead of dogs -- has proved an effective means of reaching youth in crisis, and has been included in programs in many boarding schools for girls, including Copper Canyon Academy in Rimrock, Arizona and New Leaf Academy in Bend, Oregon..

Labels: animal-assisted therapy

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