Cherry Gulch,

5001 Cherry Gulch Lane, Emmett, ID 83617

"Cherry Gulch was a lifesaver for our family. Our son was there about 16 months and went all the way through the program, to Trail Boss. It really is an achievement to reach that milestone, not only for him but for our whole family. Before Cherry Gulch, we honestly didn’t know how we were going to handle him or get through the middle school and high school years. The program and staff at Cherry Gulch are top notch. Therapist Ryan Hale is the only therapist who ever made any progress with our son (several others we used before going to Cherry Gulch had told us we were wasting our time bringing our son and paying the them as they weren’t able to make any progress). And Ryan was able to help us even after our son returned home when we had some questions. We’ve used the Healthy Habit cards for the last 6 years — successfully when no other methods had previously worked. The family workshops at Cherry Gulch were the best times we had had with our son in several years, and it was also extremely helpful to be with other families who understood what we were going through. We recommend Cherry Gulch wholeheartedly!!"

"Before our son attended Cheryl Gulch, we knew nothing about therapeutic boarding schools. After our educational consultant recommended three schools for our consideration, only Cherry Gulch made the cut. Our first impression was of an incredibly dedicated and caring staff. That impression only grew over time as we got to know the founder, therapists, teachers, and support staff. It was particularly impressive to experience the caring of the non-professional support staff at Cherry Gulch—quite unlike other places we’ve visited before and after. There is a strong emphasis on evidence based methods and staff training in those methods. Parents are then brought on board through quarterly family workshops which equip parents to support the work our sons are doing at Cherry Gulch and to continue the work at home. We considered sending our son away from home was a failure of parenting, so we were very reluctant to do so. In hindsight, it would probably have been better for all of us if we had made the move sooner. Our son is now in college and doing well. In fact, his career goal is to become a therapist working with at-risk boys in an environment like Cherry Gulch. Quite an endorsement of his experience!! We are incredibly grateful for Cherry Gulch, even though it was one of the most difficult seasons of our life."

"When I sent my son to Cherry Gulch, we were at the end of our rope. He had been in local inpatient and outpaitent treatment centers with no results and his behavior was tearing our family apart. We made the difficult decision to try a therapeutic boarding school and chose Cherry Gulch. My son moved slowly through the program because he began the school so young. The transformation he underwent was amazing. Through Cherry Gulch he learned coping skills and how to monitor his thinking for aberrant ideas so that he could reconnect with his family. He has been home for six years now and still utilizes the skills Cherry Gulch provided him. Just as significantly, Cherry Gulch helped my wife and I learn about his conditions and the way his thinking differed from societal norms. It provided us tools to help him. The staff was incredibly caring and supportive throughout. My son is still in contact with fellow students and members of the staff. He is finishing high school and is looking forward to starting a local junior college in the fall. We never would have gotten here without Cherry Gulch."

"Our son attended Cherry Gulch for 2 and a half years. Although it was a difficult decision to send him to boarding school, we never once regretted our selection of Cherry Gulch. Every person on staff, from the therapists down through the handyman were "therapy humans." Each one valued and embraced our son's strengths and helped teach him how to overcome his weaknesses. The community of parents involved with the school was, and almost 2 years later continues to be, invaluable. It was a life changing experience for our son and our entire family."

"Our son attended Cherry Gulch for a year and a half. We chose Cherry Gulch because at our first visit we knew that the culture of the school was different than any other therapeutic boarding school we had visited. We had high expectations for Cherry Gulch and the staff at Cherry Gulch exceeded our hopes. All of the staff saw the good in our son, and continuously encouraged him to believe in himself. He is a different person because they believed in him and helped him to believe in himself. Our son is still on his journey of development, but he is a different person, and we are different parents, because of the support and encouragement of all the staff at Cherry Gulch."