Program Overview

Program Overview

Oak Hill Boys Ranch has been providing residential services to young people and their families for over forty years. Over these years the program has invested in the development of programming and infrastructure that makes Oak Hill Boys Ranch a site of service excellence in the area of residential treatment for boys between the ages of eleven (11) and sixteen (16).

The program places great value on the historical development of Oak Hill Boys Ranch whilst capturing the strengths of progressive therapeutic approaches, current research and practice trends in residential treatment and Alberta’s Children’s Services.

Oak Hill Boys Ranch has a capacity of thirty two (32) young males (11 – 16 years). These young people will live in one of four residential components that are specifically designed to meet their individual needs. They are:

• Kicking Horse Lodge: 12 young males who present with one or a combination of physically aggressive, mental health issues, substance misuse, sexually deviant (not sexually aggressive) and developmental delays.

• Athabasca: 6 – 8 young males diagnosed with FASD, organic brain disorder and severe developmental delays.

• Jasper: 6 – 8 Pre Substitute Family Care/ Family Reunification.(young people challenged with physically aggressive, mental health issues, substance misuse, and (mild) developmental delays.

• Whitehorse: 4 transitioning to Supported Independent Living, Substitute Family Care or Family Reunification.

Note: Within these four residential components Oak Hill Boys Ranch can accommodate thirty two (32) young males. This provides the flexibility to meet the changing needs of referrals through adjusting capacities across categories within the constraints of the living units.

The services at Oak Hill Boys Ranch are grounded in principles of cognitive behavioral theory, social learning theory, ecological theory and postmodernism. These theoretical perspectives are characterized differently through a three phase service framework that is integrated with the four residential components. The service framework provides a continuum of support and supervision that ranges from intensive supervision and support, utilizing a high level of external control systems, to supervision and support that utilize empowering processes and facilitates internal decision making and problem solving. In addition, Oak Hill Boys Ranch offers a full range of therapeutic services that draws on these four perspectives.

The therapeutic services currently offered at Oak Hill Boys Ranch are:

• Milieu Therapy program that uses the total environment by establishing a therapeutic community through promoting Safety, Affect Management, Behaviour Management, and Emancipation.
• Family Services that include collaboration and participation in the milieu programming, Parent Orientation and Parent Resource Groups.

• Family therapy and In-home family support: This will be a coordinated effort based on family systems approach, and integrated with on ranch services. Family services will include: Family Involvement in the Milieu, Parent Orientation, Parent Resource Group(s), Family Therapy and In-home Family Support.

• Individual therapy that facilitates a process where the young person can experience positive self regard and develop the confidence and skills to make positive, responsible and safe choices for integration to their families and community.

• On site Psychiatric Services provided by consulting psychiatrists one day per week and funded by mental health on a fee for service basis through the psychiatrist.

• Educational Program an on site Junior High School program operating in a state of the art school facility with focus on both behavior and education.

• Recreational Programming is a large component to the milieu programming. Residents are expected to participate in recreation every day. The facilities provide opportunities to develop skills in a broad range of activities, sports, and athletics.

• Aboriginal Services focus on identity development and cultural practices such as weekly Sweat and Pipe ceremonies, teaching in the circle, medicines (sweet grass, sage and cedar) and spirituality. In addition to our current cultural practices we also provide traditional healing approaches and reconnecting youth to their community of origin.

• Farm and Animal Programming fosters skill development in farming and caretaking, and an equestrian component fostering safety, teaching horsemanship, and promoting relationship development.

• Life Skills through milieu programming and individual service planning we teach a broad variety of practical life skills. For young people who are transitioning to independent living we offer an Independent Living Skills Model for assessment and skill development that prepare young people for independent living This program has been adopted from Casey’s Family Services in Seattle.

• Through Community Integration, young people are integrated into community activities, community organizations, and community schools to levels that meet their individual needs.