Brush Creek Academy’s Teen Challenge Therapeutic Boarding Program
Brush Creek Academy Helps Troubled Boys
Succeed Academically and Socially
Brush Creek Academy Christian boarding school for troubled boys is nestled at the foothills of the Ozarks near on a 900-acre picturesque and peaceful property. Our facility is a 12 to 15-month residential program accredited with Teen Challenge USA. The Cross Christian Academy is our private, accredited, year-round school that the boys attend while at Brush Creek. Our program offers a very structured environment to help foster growth in each of our student’s lives. We use a level system to help teach the students appreciation, gratitude, responsibility, submission to authority, self-control, leadership, time-management, and a strong work ethic. The first levels are very controlled but as the students improve and progress, they are awarded higher levels. The higher levels allow for more privileges, freedom and responsibilities. Brush Creek offers a unique animal therapy program, featuring horses and exotic animals, where boys can learn responsibility, trust, leadership skills and accountability through care for the animals in the therapy program.
The key to the success of Teen Challenge is the spiritual component. Brush Creek Academy students attend daily classes where they are taught Teen Challenge curriculum. Class topics include Anger & Personal Rights, Successful Christian Living and Growing Through Failure as well as many other character-building subjects. The students attend a local church on Sunday and attend chapels at Brush Creek throughout the week. Each student is required to complete course work that address specific issues the student may be struggling within his life.
Brush Creek Academy Staff and Administration are committed to ensuring that students understand God’s love, forgiveness and His ability to restore relationships. Our staff are deeply involved in the daily mentorship of students. Each boy is assigned a staff mentor to meet with regularly to discuss needs, goals and areas of personal growth. The relationships built through this process continue throughout their stay at BC and beyond. Staff mentors also stay in contact with parents in order to keep them updated and involved with the process. We believe that parental involvement through this process of healing is highly important.
The goal of Brush Creek is to help boys establish and grow in a relationship with God. Students are encouraged to learn how to make good boundaries and choices in life as well as learning self-discipline. We believe that through the commitment of staff, the structured and loving environment, and most of all Jesus Christ, that Brush Creek is helping put HOPE WITHIN REACH!
Troubled Boys Are Successful at Brush Creek Academy
Success of a student can be defined in many ways. In fact, each parent or family might have a different goal for their son because each student is unique in personality and each family has different dynamics and goals. Success here comes in many ways, but we have goals for each student and things that we like each student to achieve while they are here.
We strive to instill character into each boy. Personal responsibility is the character quality that we work to be a foundational quality in the student’s life change. Integrity, honesty and trustworthiness are also expected. As a boy’s time spent here at Brush Creek increases, we see positive change in personal relationships because of the character changes taking place in his life. Servant leadership is the key to this. Relationships with peers become noncompetitive and an attitude of serving takes over. Families become more appreciated by the student and the importance of having a quality relationship with parents is realized.
Through teaching leadership from the perspective of servanthood, authority is seen in a different perspective by the student. When he discovers Godly leadership, he no longer has to fear those in charge. He has experienced being in a leader’s role and comes to understand the importance of respecting those in authority and the difficult position they hold. Setting goals for the future is a dream of every parent. Brush Creek does everything possible to prepare our students to both set and to achieve their life goals. We want Graduates of Brush Creek go on to be successful in many areas.
Our Definition of Therapeutic–“having a beneficial effect on the body or mind; producing a useful or favorable result
or effect.” Webster’s Dictionary
Brush Creek’s Approach to Helping your Teen
Brush Creek Academy Teen Challenge is a 12 to 15-month Christian drug and behavioral recovery center that recognizes the unique needs of each teen. Every aspect of our troubled teen program: the structure of his day, individualized academic and growth plans, animal therapy, pastoral counseling, leadership training, and life skills projects are developed with intentionality, focusing upon your son’s personal growth and development.
Our five Level Therapeutic process focuses your teen’s time with us on discipleship and personal growth on every developmental level. We provide recovery assistance for drug and substance abuse, behavioral problems, self-harm, and many other life controlling issues.
Our 5 Therapeutic Levels
At Brush Creek Ranch Academy, troubled teens are encouraged to take ownership of their lives by demonstrating positive spiritual, mental and emotional growth. Our therapeutic methodology for teens is separated into 5 levels. As teens transition from one level to the next, they are rewarded with more personal privileges and responsibilities, thereby empowering them for the final transition home. Our 5 Level system is NOT a static formula that is applied to each of our teens in the same way.
Our levels, instead, provide a framework of developmental goals which allow us to tailor each teen’s program to meet their unique needs while achieving important developmental milestones. The initial “entry” level lasts four weeks, followed by levels one through five, which each lasts around ten to twelve weeks.
Entry and Level One: Know Yourself
When students arrive at Brush Creek Academy, their first task is to understand the choices that led them to their current situation. Students must admit the presence of negative issues, take personal responsibility for their actions, and begin to realize how their own choices have affected their lives and the lives of others around them.
Spiritually, we desire to see each student begin discovering, or returning to their identity in Christ. After defining their own core issues, students move toward identifying the triggers for those issues.
Level Two and Three: Choose Yourself
Building upon the knowledge gained in Entry and Level One, students then concentrate on recognizing behavior patterns and identifying those things that tend to initiate the patterns. Once students can recognize those triggers, they learn how to make different choices in response to those situations. Students learn how specific issues contribute to the building of a person’s character.
The final goal of Level Two and Three involves seeing problems as opportunities instead of perceiving them as trials. We teach the Biblical principle that our weakness allows the strength of Christ to be displayed in us.
Level Four and Five: Give Yourself
With much of their emotional growth work completed, Level Four and Five students shift their focus to giving to others. While still working through details of their individual issues, boys find opportunities to give back to the students coming through the program behind them. Students also take responsibility for daily aspects of the program as part of their leadership training.
Available components of Level Four and Five include Missions Trips and Community Service, along with a
project intended to leave a lasting benefit for students who will come behind. Also, during Level Four and Five, we place great emphasis on planning a successful return to the home environment, especially focusing on long-term results.
Aftercare
Upon completion of Brush Creek Academy, students return home with guidance for three months. This helps students and parents transition to living outside of a program.
The student and parents sign a contract, that they help develop, in which helps establish rules and expectations. When Aftercare is successfully completed, the student is now considered a graduate of Brush Creek and will receive a certificate.
