The In Balance Ranch Academy Program

Bridging the Gap to Success
Our program helps each young man obtain and value sobriety, academic achievement, and the skills necessary for continued recovery and success.

The combination of services we offer is designed to bring out the best in our young men. The interweaving of all the program elements creates a dynamic model that motivates, and challenges our students. They are encouraged to examine the core of who they are and to envision who they can become.

Therapeutic Services
Academic Program
A Positive Peer Culture
The In Balance Equine Program
Experiential Adventure-Based Therapy
Leadership and Motivational Therapy
Health, Fitness and Nutrition
The In Balance Work Ethic

Therapeutic Services (provided by In Balance, Inc. include: Substance Abuse Recovery, Emotional Growth and Developmental Maturity)
A comprehensive, integrated 12 Step-Based Recovery Program to include the following therapeutic services:

• Group, Indvidual and Family Therapy
• 12 Step study groups
• Individualized Academic Education
• Educational Classes on the Dynamics of Recovery
• Relapse Prevention Classes
• Regular AA meetings
• Community- Based AA meetings (at appropriate level)
• Bi-weekly Family Therapy
• Experiential-Adventure Therapy
• Equine Assisted Therapy
• Horsemanship and Riding Program
• Work Ethics - Chores, Personal Responsibilities
• Exercise and Nutrition – Life Skills for Independent Living
• Community Service

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Academic Program
The In Balance Ranch Academy academic program is tailored to meet the individual needs of each student. Upon enrollment, our Academic Director, Lynda Hendricks, works with the student and his parents to develop a detailed, individualized educational plan.

For some students this plan may include completing courses started at his home school, taking a blend of high school and college courses to best challenge his academic strengths, or may involve designing an accelerated program to help the student make-up missed credits.

Our experiential learning and one-to-one tutoring model ensures success for many students who have struggled in more traditional school settings. Our courses are fully accredited; students may choose to earn a high school diploma while they are with us, or transfer their earned credits to another school to complete their educational program.

For more information on the academic component of the program, please read through the Frequently Asked Questions page.

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A Positive Peer Culture
It is imperative that students in our program build on their recovery by connecting with other young men who share their experiences and hope for a positive and successful future. Unfortunately, many young people identify and "hang out" with a group that espouses negative values and behaviors (i.e. drugging and drinking). These negative values and destructive behaviors impair developmental skills so vital to the success of young people.

The Positive Peer Culture is a community-based model of positive change.
In accordance with the principles of a Positive Peer Culture, natural consequences for inappropriate behavior are determined by the peers and staff members.

The Positive Peer Culture empowers our students to not only accept total responsibility for their negative behaviors, but to also actively choose a new positive lifestyle that allows them to achieve the developmental skills necessary for success as an adult.

For more information, please see the FAQ page.

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The In Balance Equine Program
There are two major elements to our Equine Program — Equine Assisted Psychotherapy and the Horsemanship & Riding Program.

Although these two elements of the equine program are quite different, they share the common dynamic and engaging qualities that are developed by working with horses.

Equine Assisted Psychotherapy
Equine Assisted Psychotherapy is the process of learning about ourselves through challenge exercises and interactions with horses. Horses are powerful and strong animals, weighing 1,200-2,000 pounds. Horses are also prey and herd animals, which makes them inherently finely tuned-in to our emotional states, attention, focus, communication strategies and intentions. Horses mirror all of this information back to us through their responses and body language, giving the individual an opportunity to look at their approaches, attitudes, and behavioral patterns. 
       
Equine Assisted Psychotherapy helps students and their families to:

• learn about their family roles, rules, boundaries and difficulties in relationship
• reinforce the principles of sobriety
• develop relapse prevention skills
• improve communication and problem solving skills
• improve self-esteem, self-awareness, body awareness and emotional expression
• learn and practice mindfullness and self-calming techniques

Horsemanship & Riding Program
Students will learn daily horse care, natural horsemanship and horseback riding skills. The riding program is based on Secure Seat or Centered Riding skills, focusing the student on balance and safety in the saddle at any pace and in any riding discipline. 

Our equine staff members have extensive experience in riding instruction and Equine Assisted Psychotherapy.

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Experiential Adventure-Based Therapy
This modality combines traditional group therapy techniques and outdoor adventure activities such as hiking, rock climbing and working on ropes courses to enhance personal understanding and improve interpersonal relationships. Adventure-based therapies combine experiential challenges with group therapy dynamics, helping young men come to realizations and insights much faster than traditional verbal therapies.

Students learn to be part of a team, to be genuine, improve communication, and new ways to achieve success.

All of our adventure staff is highly trained, with years of experience working with young people.

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Leadership and Motivational Therapy
Two important elements integral to the success of our program are leadership skills and motivational therapy. There are several stages in the process of change and growth. These stages of change can be described as the precontemplative, contemplative, determination (action), and maintenance (relapse prevention) stages of change.

The In Balance program teaches people about motivation and drive, focusing on:

• the principles of positive psychology
• learned, realistic optimism
• finding one's passions
• mindfulness and being in the present
• teamwork and team building
• group dynamics, problem solving, and leadership roles
• negotiation and collaboration skills
• emotional intelligence
• effective leadership skills
• spiritual well-being

There are specific classes and group therapy sessions that address all of the above skills. The experiential application of these skills is found in all of the In Balance program elements and activities. In addition, group therapy explores the dynamics and important issues of: forgiveness, humility, empathy, gratitude, and the principles of the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous.

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Health, Fitness and Nutrition
Students are not only taught the benefits of good physical health and fitness, they are motivated, directed, challenged, and trained to develop an exercise and health discipline and routine. Many members of our staff are very active and accomplished athletes. For example, Lynda Hendricks, Academic Director, is an accomplished ultramarathon runner, winning the bronze medal in the 2003 US National 100 Mile Championship Race. Students are encouraged to develop a fitness goal while at the ranch, whether training for a half marathon, improving their cardiovascular conditioning, or simply striving to improve their body image, general fitness and physical well-being. Students are taught the importance of concentration and focus, emotional balance, performance enhancement skills, and developing their personal athletic and fitness skills.

Students learn the self-discipline of physical fitness and physical challenge and can then apply this to recovery from substance abuse. Many students who suffer from moodiness, boredom, lack of self-actualization, depression, and general lethargy experience a new awareness of the benefit and healing properties of a regular program of exercise, fitness and nutrition.

• Health, fitness, and nutrition activities include:
• Weight training and cardiovascular training
• Basketball, tennis, running, etc.
• Meditation and yoga
• Self-defense and martial arts
• Horsemanship
• Training for half and full marathon
• Nutritional education
• Culinary arts courses and instruction in healthy food preparation
• Wilderness training
• Recreational therapy programs

For more information on health, fitness & nutrition, please read through the FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) page.

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The In Balance Work Ethic (Chores, Personal Responsibilities and Community Enrichment)
Students at In Balance Ranch Academy complete daily responsibilities that help the community function efficiently. These chores assist the students to develop important life skills for independent living, instill a sense of pride in their living environment, and teach cooperative living skills.

In addition, students complete creative, community projects on the ranch that are designed to teach vocational education skills as well as enhance the students’ experience while at In Balance Ranch Academy. Examples of such student-designed and created projects are the creation of a Serenity Fire Pit for group meetings, a community garden, horse corrals and ramadas, and artistic elements to add to the ambience of the school.

Every two weeks, In Balance Ranch Academy students participate in a meaningful community enrichment experience. These experiences develop a strong work ethic, give assistance to those in need, raise the students’ self-esteem, and ultimately plant the seed for continued service to others as the young men become active members of their communities at home. Currently, the students are working with Habitat for Humanity to build homes on the Yaqui Indian Reservation.

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