Success Stories From Parents

The dramatic transformation that so many of our students experience and achieve during enrollment in a Premier school is nothing short of miraculous. Here are but a few of thousands of success stories:

We are happy to recommend these schools and programs to parents. We are so thankful that we found this program when we did. Our daughter was running away, using drugs, skipping school, and was just out-of-control. After exhausting all of our local resources, we fortunately found this program for our daughter. There is no doubt in our minds that it saved her life and assisted her in areas where other programs had failed. The program encouraged her to get to the root of her problems, deal with them effectively, and start loving herself again. We had tried other programs, but they merely dealt with the symptoms. This program dealt with the issues that were driving those symptoms. The processes allowed her to build her self-esteem and self-confidence. Today, our daughter is a powerful, happy, healthy young woman who is a joy and a delight to be with. She has been clean and sober for more than three years, works two jobs, has graduated from high school and looks forward to her future. Since returning home, she has chosen to remain involved by staffing seminars, and has traveled to Seattle and Miami to staff youth seminars, having paid for those trips herself. Recently, she also began working for one of these programs, which had been an important personal goal to her. When we enrolled her, our hope was that she would be able to stop using drugs and become a successful adult. Honestly, we weren’t very positive at the time, due to past failures in other programs. Yet, the results exceeded our greatest hopes and dreams! We got our beautiful daughter back. We are very proud, honored and privileged to recommend this program.

-Christy V.

I have a B. A. in nursing and a B. S. in sociology and psychology. I am married and the mother of two boys, one of which is in the program. This program saved our son and also our family. Our son Eric was very difficult to diagnose with any one particular problem. We knew at birth that something was wrong because of his continuous crying, but the doctors that we took him to could not really give us any definitive answers. By the time he was 16 he had been on several different medications and through several different counselors. He even went through a wilderness program at 14 years old. The wilderness program helped somewhat but it just wasn’t long enough. We found this program through an educational consultant. We called in a last effort to save our son, who was becoming more impulsive, angry, and violent. He went on his own free will because he knew he needed more help then anyone yet had given him. He didn’t want to be angry anymore but he didn’t know how to break the cycle and we didn’t know how to help him. Our son has turned 18 while he is in the program and chose to stay and graduate the program for himself. In the past he has been able to outsmart counselors, his parents, and outsmart the juvenile courts, but he has not been able to outsmart this program and he is growing and discovering new ways of behavior that work for him because of it. The peace and the smiles we see on his face are worth every cent that we have spent. My husband and I have been through all of the parent seminars and have learned a lot about ourselves and our family dynamics. I have even helped staff the seminars three times. I wish I had been through one of these seminars years ago. I have seen this program change families and individual lives for the better.

-Linda C.

Our son was a former student in the program. He is alive and well because of it. The time spent at the school was good for him. It provided him a structured safe environment surrounded by individuals that were focused on his growth and development. What can I say! We began to see changes in our son toward the end of his tenth grade year. He was not the same boy. We assumed his changes were related to puberty or just growing pains. We trusted him to make the right choices, because we had raised him to make the right choices. Well, he had not. The choices he was making were under the influence of drugs and alcohol. His grades were falling. He no longer took interest in his appearance. He lost interest in sports. He found himself in fights. He was driving while drinking. He was very angry with his family. This sir was not our son. We sought the guidance of a family therapist for approximately three months. But still, he continued to spin out of control. We realized that the only way he was going to have a chance at the life of his dreams was to remove him from the environment he had created for himself. To get him away from his support – The support that encouraged his lifestyle… It worked. And you better believe we missed our son, but we did not miss the hell in which we were living as we watched him fall apart. The program allowed him to continue his education as well as evaluate his life and the choices he was making. He received guidance that will remain with him for the rest of his life. Positive guidance and positive experiences. Granted he did not appreciate being pulled away from his home and friends. But so what, at the time he was not thinking properly. His mind was under the control of the drugs and alcohol. In the six months since graduating the program, our son has graduated high school and holds a full time job. He plans to attend the community college this fall.

-Lynda D.

We are an in-tact, loving family. My husband is a pastor, and we were the type of parents who volunteered to be the room parent, coach the baseball team, and never missed a school or athletic activity. No parent of an out-of-control teen needs to have anyone criticize them, for they are already their own worst enemy. You lie in bed at night, rehearsing the tapes of where you must have gone wrong. You try to find solutions, as you desperately watch their lives spin out-of-control. You don’t sleep or eat well and your heart leaps each time the phone or doorbell rings. You wonder, “is it the police again, the principal, the teachers, another furious parent yelling at you to keep your child away from their child?” We lived this hell for three years. We tried counseling, which was great for us as parents, but all the counseling in the world will never change someone’s heart that doesn’t want to change. We were desperate. We knew that our son was at risk of dying any number of ways. It was pure insanity. We knew we had to shock him out of his comfort zone, to help him see what his choices were doing to him and to us. This experience was just what Jacob needed. To get completely out of his comfort zone, and really take a look at his life and choices. I never thought I could say this, but I would go through all three years of hell again if I knew it would turn out as sweet as it has with our Jacob. We are so proud of him. Anyone meeting him today is immediately impressed with the depth of his character and the lightness in his spirit. We are eternally thankful for this program and the wonderful compassionate people who have poured themselves out for our son.

-Elyse R.

Our teenage daughter ran away from home. Prior to this event, she was incorrigible, seldom did what was asked of her, always gone, angry and nasty to us, cruel to her little sister, failing in school and so forth. The day she ran away we made it our business to find out everything that was going on! What we discovered was our daughter was an excellent actress and had fooled the school, her therapist, us and all her ‘clean’ friends too! She had been leading a hidden separate life! We realized that if we didn’t get her help immediately, the next time we saw her would probably be on a slab in the morgue. We were scared to death. We began researching different programs. A friend told us about the program. They had a program that made sense, instilling integrity, honesty and self-esteem. All very important characteristics that were missing for our daughter. They were compassionate and caring. They also are committed to the child continuing to do well once out of the program by offering follow-up programs. Our daughter graduated the program. We are so proud of her! She now possesses honesty, integrity, self-esteem and is a caring, warm person. Not anything like the stranger she had become before. She also finished high school, on the Honor Roll, the year after returning home. We are very grateful to have our daughter back better than she was before. This experience has changed our family in such an incredible way. We are so much closer and happier that we ever were before.

-Tom L.

When we enrolled our daughter in the program, it was our last ditch effort, before she turned 18. We had been through the usual counselors, AA meetings, three different treatment centers, reporting her as a runaway, and finally filing an “At-Risk-Youth” petition with the Juvenile Court. None of those changed the course of the self-destructive behavior our daughter was exhibiting. We had to take drastic steps to get her to turn her life around before it was too late. From the beginning of her program she wrote to us stating that she knew she needed to be there, that we saved her life, that she wished she had been sent there sooner, and thanking us for sending her to treatment. She has since turned 18, and due to the value she has created for herself, has chosen to stay and complete her program. Not only does the program work for her, but for our entire family as well. The graduates of these programs that we have come in contact with are so vibrant and enthusiastic and confident in their ability to take responsibility for the choices they will be making in their futures. We want that for our daughter. The people on the other end of the line at the program were so wonderful, helpful and understanding during that most stressful time in our lives. They presented the facts and the options in a supportive and caring way. They even called to see how the family was doing once our daughter was in treatment. We are all doing this for our kids. We love them and want only the best for them. This is not a punishment for them. This is saving their lives.

-Barbara H.

When Eric entered the program he had very low self-esteem, did not want to work and lived without future goals or objectives. He was extremely immature, self-centered and hateful of life, people and himself. Even though we put him into the program against his will, by the time his eighteenth birthday came, he made his own decision that he needed to complete the program for himself. Today Eric is a very strong person who is caring and loving towards him self and his family. He has a strong faith and belief in the soul of man. He enjoys life, is employed and setting goals, and is a peaceful, happy man. Our family has also found ways to communicate and relate to others; a direct result of the seminars we attended. We firmly believe that the basis of the program’s success is in dealing with the family as a whole. It not only changes the individual, but all family members for the better. To affirm how strongly we believe in this program, we emphatically believe that if our son had not been enrolled in this program he would be dead today. We have nothing but praise for this program.

-Steve A.

We made the agonizing decision to have our daughter, Krissy, escorted to her facility. We had discovered just two weeks earlier that our “A” student was drug addicted. After researching every possible outpatient, inpatient and tough love option, we elected to make this decision in order to give Krissy an opportunity to live a happy, productive life. Krissy graduated from the program having rediscovered self-esteem, respect, love for her family and her incredible talents. We all have dreams for our children, but Krissy surpassed anything I could have imagined. We are forever grateful to this program for having given us back our daughter, who has such potential to make a difference in this world. Please research the successes of these programs and speak to the graduates. This program saves lives and heals families!

-Susan M.

My daughter is a graduate of the program, and it saved her life. Sending my daughter to the program was one of the hardest things I have ever done in my life. The consequences of NOT sending her were too terrible to even think about. After much research I chose this program because they would treat my daughter with a great deal of love and respect. It was highly structured; her choices created her results. In order for her to move up through the phases she had to prove herself to the staff, and to her peers. They also have parent seminars. This isn’t a program to “fix” your kid. This is a program that heals the family. The program deals with real change, internalized changes. I had seen the results of Vanessa’s friends that went to the 30-day wonder programs locally. There was no positive change that I could see. My daughter graduated over 2 years ago and is doing great. Our family operates much differently now than it did before. We treat each other with respect. We are more honest and accountable. We communicate with each other. This is a crazy time we are living in. The problem is not going away. When does it stop?If it is going to change, it will change one kid at a time. My daughter was once part of the problem and is now part of the solution. This program saved my life, my daughter’s life, my marriage and my family. If you are reading this, you probably have a child that is heading for disaster. Having “been there, done that,” I can tell you our greatest adversity has truly become our greatest blessing.

-Barbara R.

A friend of mine told me about the program. We had tried everything we knew how to do to help Bill, but nothing was working. My son was totally out of control, living in Golden Gate Park and generally headed for big-time trouble. It wasn’t hard sending him to the program, as I knew he was now going to be safe and would get the help he needed. This is a program for change, and it has changed, and greatly enhanced our entire family’s life. Finding the program saved my son’s life and has brought my whole family to a new level of trust, understanding and love. Something we never thought could be possible. I have participated in all the seminars the program has to offer, and so have my two daughters. As a result, they are both making better choices which have enhanced their lives as well. The bottom line is that calling the program saved our family’s life and I am thankful every day that I found it.

-Carol G.

When we made, what was then, the agonizing decision to send our son, we wanted to save his life little did we realize all of our lives would be forever changed, as well. Our family wasn’t a family. Our marriage wasn’t a marriage. Everything was a mess! By putting myself last, I let my life be in turmoil. It was what I had created. We looked at our lives and relationships, confronted issues, and quite frankly, got over them! We have never been happier or closer in our relationship, than we are now. With all the love and support at the seminars we discovered the opportunity to begin anew, and we have also many life long friends along the way. We look to the day when our family will all be together, using the tools that will assist us in our journey as a working family in unity.

-Diane J.

It was a hard decision to intervene in my daughter’s life, deciding to send her to the program. But the lost and discouraged girl we sent now describes herself as a beautiful, loving, worthy, energetic, giving, real and inspirational young woman. We agree! I am a nurse and psychotherapist with a private practice in New York, and working at a private rehab for teens in trouble. I saw my daughter in those kids. She had just discovered boys and we could see her falling into the hands of people she was trying to please. She stood on the sidelines of life, neither engaged in schoolwork or sports. As parents we felt powerless. We have gained a lot of strength from the seminars and support from staff and other parents. We have grown within ourselves and our marriage. We write to our daughter and are blessed with letters like I never thought I’d receive in this lifetime. And then came the phone calls, and our visits, all have been as sweet as honey. That nasty, defiant, ugly behaving girl is dead. My angel is back, and she is finally loving herself.

-Susan H.

Bryan was a struggling 6’3″13-year old who didn’t think much of himself. He began quitting sports, gave up on his grades and became more and more addicted to computer games and fantasy games like Magic and Dungeons and Dragons. We saw him withdrawing into his own little world. He was very depressed and isolated. We knew things would just get worse if we didn’t take steps to assist him. So we began the process of placing our son in the program. The entire program is structured towards family healing. The time our son spent in the program turned out to be as valuable for his dad, Danny, and myself as it was for Bryan. Bryan is home now, and I can’t possibly explain the joy he brings to his father and me. We laugh, play and cry together. This is the family I’ve always wanted. We aren’t perfect, nor do we want to be. Being human is more fun! Bryan is loving, patient, respectful, powerful, kindhearted and truly the magical child I remembered him to be many years ago. If had to do it all again, I would! This has been the greatest gift we’ve ever received.

-Nancy I.

Words cannot express enough how thankful I am that such programs exist. Before entering the program my daughter had no self-esteem, or awareness of how much she was hurting herself and her family. She got involved with the wrong crowd and headed down a destructive path filled with truancy, drug abuse, dishonesty and running away. Yet only a couple of years prior, this same child had been president of her class, an all star soccer player and a solid B student. We tried everything to get her back on track; increasing consequences for bad behavior, tough love and counseling…nothing worked. She now values herself and family. The letters I receive from her are assurance that I did the right thing. I feel as though I’m getting my old daughter back; the caring, thoughtful and loving child she once was. I am grateful that these programs exist, and so is my daughter. She thanked me for saving her life after being there for just one and a half months. She realized that she was on a downward spiral and needed help getting out.

-Julie K.

Our journey began when our 13-year old daughter boarded a plane with three of the most wonderful people we have ever met. We had arranged for these people to escort our daughter to the program. The decision was reached after our hopes ran out that our daughter was “just going through a phase. ” As we raced to the emergency room one evening, after she decided to “run away and live her own life,” with her feet severely frostbitten and in danger of losing parts of them, we finally realized that we needed help. It was either that, or let our daughter continue to make choices that were threatening her mental and physical well being. The program provided her a safe place where she was given the opportunity to find out who she is, what she wants in life, and the tools to create what she wants. It was a long journey, but the rewards have been great. The staff that work with the children all have one thing in common. LOVE. The wonderful thing about the programs is that they are not just for the child, but for the entire family. New skills are learned to restructure the family. At the time we thought our world was coming to an end. Now we realize that it was only the beginning. As far as all those that assisted our family, we will never be able to fully thank them for what they have done. They were there when there was nowhere else to turn. In looking back over these past years, the pain, the tears, the laughter, the happiness all mixed together as we look into the eyes of our family, we would do it all over again if we had to. We would recommend the program to any parent whose child is in jeopardy.

-Kim W.

For those considering this program, I would like to say we hesitated when we enrolled our child. We asked, “How could anyone be able to turn around a son who was defiant, arrogant, rude, and mean?” A child we loved dearly, but a child that had been thrown out of five schools in the last two years, both private and public. A child who laughed at all of our efforts to get him back on track. Right before he left for the program he was required by the courts to go to counseling. On the drive to the psychologist, he told me he wasn’t going to say anything, which he held to. My resentment was growing, along with my anger. As an educator who has seen many kids take this destructive path, I knew we had to do more than place him in a day program. We knew that it would take a 24/7 behavior modification program with a strong positive peer culture environment to bring our son face to face with his non-working behaviors. These schools provided us that type of program. There are many things that I appreciate about this program. Foremost is the fact that the program requires all family members to participate. When our son agreed to go, I agreed to work my program at home. I can’t tell you how helpful the tools acquired from the seminars have been for me and my son. No longer does my son refuse to talk seriously about his life. He has goals and he is working with his family to reach his greatness. He is coming to terms with his past and is putting his life back together. Instead of arrogance, now he tells us how sorry he is for what he put us through. Instead of defiance, he wants to know if the Focus seminar was as powerful for me as it was for him. Instead of the hateful remarks, he tells us he loves us. It is truly amazing how this program has supported our family’s efforts to heal and move forward. I sincerely believe that it could do the same for yours.

-Orval F.

When we finally made the decision to enlist the help of the program, we were facing possible juvenile detention and court ordered removal from our home. We felt placing him in a state run facility, minus any systematic program for behavioral modification, might be detrimental to him. The program offered us a safe and loving environment. After about four months into his program, my son told me that he knew that he could never have made the changes he made, living at home. He said that he constantly lied to the psychologist he used to see weekly, and even went there “high. ” We once sent him to a private school thinking we could get him away from drugs. He even sold drugs there. I am a stay-at-home Mom. I spent countless hours trying to redirect his behavior with golf, tae kwon do, service work, chores, piano lessons, monitoring, punishing, loving and grounding this boy, but to no avail. You name it, we tried it. Nothing made a lasting difference. Bottom line, this program has changed my son and our family. My entire family has embarked on an incredible journey of healing. The seminars have been life affirming and extremely positive. I feel I have my family back. Not just this child, but extended family too. My family did not undertake this huge emotional and financial burden blithely. We investigated our options and found that these programs offered a safe and loving environment. The results have been heartening. Our son is home now, getting excellent grades in high school and has chosen to involve himself in community service with our local church. It is a joy to spend time with this caring, focused, hardworking and honest young man. I want to stand firm as one family who can’t thank the program enough.

-Elizabeth R.

Are you sure you have sent me the right child???We sent you a 15 year old scrawny, dirty, self-centered, long haired, rude, defiant child. A child with not an ounce of self-respect nor integrity. We picked up a clean cut, muscular built, high school graduate, family oriented, with high self esteem, who now has goals for his life. Even after all this time since his return home things are better than we could have ever imagined. Nick is 19 years old now, and has been home for nearly two years. He has proven over and over again that he can be trusted and will do whatever he states he is going to do. He is a joy to be around. He has completed his college classes now at a local community college and will be transferring to a university soon. Our son is a wonderful young adult and is an asset, and a joy to our family.

-Maria T.

Defiant. Failing in school. Heavy metal music. Self-indulgent. Middle of the night disappearances that lasted several days. Middle of the night phone calls from the police and trips to the police station. Angry silence punctuated with blinding rage. Locking our bedroom door at night in fear. This was the story of our lives some two years ago. My husband and I stood by helplessly and watched in horror as our 14-year old son went down in flames. More than anything, we feared that final phone call telling us to come to the morgue to identify our boy’s body. We found this association of schools at a time when our family was at its absolute rock-bottom, lowest point. These good people accepted us just as we were—bleeding, broken, and war-torn. In an amazing way that was both loving and tender, yet firm and no-nonsense, they provided us with a couple of keys: First, a safe, non-judgmental environment in which we could “let it all out. ” Second, we were offered tools for us to use in making healthy choices for ourselves and our relationships. Wonderful tools to get us on the road to family health and keep us moving forward. This program is unique in its commitment to healing the entire family rather than just intervening with the teen in crisis. When you think about it, that makes a lot of sense. What exactly is the point of “fixing” a kid, only to return him to the same old environment he was in when he was “broken?” The program helped my son in a way that I was incapable of doing. Would I do it again?In a heartbeat.

-Bonnie W.

The power of love led Edward’s father and I to make the decision that placed our beloved, youngest son in the program. Edward was angry, and he was hurting himself, and us, by his actions and words. In short, our spoiled baby was out of control and we felt helpless to stop it. Not being able to create a solution ourselves was something we were not used to. Talking to him now is like listening to a new young man who is no longer hurting. He is healing in so many ways. He is able to express himself to us, and share what he wanted and needed from us. To top it all off, he wrote letters to us in which he stated that he “is having fun” and thanked us for finding it! I want to say thank you for giving our son and family a much needed second chance to live.

-Ina W.

A son is born into this world. Mom is beaming with happiness. I am bursting with a Father’s pride and joy. My big guy is so handsome, healthy, and built like a linebacker. He’s simply perfect. At 2-1/2 years old, he must be wondering what in the world has happened to his family. He lives with each parent, but at different homes. Mom and Dad try hard to live with the anger and frustration of the non-working marriage. Overcoming their need to blame each other for the lost chance for a happy family, will be the challenge for the next 14 years. Boundless love and dedication from both parents. Genuine attempts to cooperate and be civil. Continuous support at school and ball games. Shared holidays. Trying to do all the right things surely would compensate for the ill effects of the dreaded broken home syndrome. We all learned a hard, painful lesson: sometimes the effects of divorce and the negative influences of the powerful, non-working friends can overrun all the love and good intentions in the world. It’s ironic . . . we gave our son this program for success and happiness, but he gave us this opportunity to be better parents and people. The four parents of his extended family worked their way through Discovery, Focus and Visions in the very same seminars, which did much to heal the past and bring all the parents together. This was no picnic, but we were determined to deal with the past issues of the divorce and heal our family. We’re going to do our best to learn to be better people, and to live as the most healthy, secure family possible, which is what Vic always wanted and deserved. We are all getting another chance to be happy again. We finally realized it is the entire family system that requires healing, growth and effort. Thank God for the program, and the wonderful people involved who care about our kids, and our families! The staff are a collection of the most dedicated, insightful, patient and loving people I have ever seen in my life. The students were the most powerful, special and intelligent young men I have ever met, while at the same time hanging their hearts out to each other. I hope these thoughts may assist you in your journey. My best wishes to your family’s success and happiness.

-Phil W.