| New
Perspectives
- Aug, 1993 Issue #23 |
HILLCREST SPRINGS
(formerly Wilderness Recovery Center)
Redding, California
Ross and Jan Carter
916-246-0117
by: Lon Woodbury
This is a 12-18 month program
for boys ages 14-18. Established in 1990, the optimum size
is 24. Although their primary focus deals with substance abuse,
from the length and focus of their program, they work with
all the other issues that usually are addressed by Special
Purpose schools and programs. They have a educational and
rehabilitation program that seeks to resolve developmental
problems such as antisocial behavior, depression, anger, anxiety,
learning disabilities, and behavioral issues. Certified by
the California State Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs,
counseling for substance abuse is staffed by trained and experienced
people. Their policy is to get the whole family involved in
the treatment process, and an aftercare plan will be developed
during the course of treatment. They point with pride to a
high recovery and rehabilitation rate, and claim many graduates
have continued on to higher education or to a specific vocation.
While many of the boys have come from county referrals and
funding, Hillcrest Springs has the ability to reject county-referred
children who are not appropriate, and the program focus is
now tending toward private pay children.
A full curriculum of educational
courses is offered by credentialed teachers and teachers'
aids on campus from the local school system. Each boy receives
individual instruction and tutoring based on his current academic
level and learning abilities.
Located on a 200 acre working
apple ranch in Montgomery Creek, approximately 35
miles east of Redding in northern California, the
program involves each boy in daily ranch work and recreation,
together with daily group and individual counseling. Each
boy learns to live a structured, disciplined and goal oriented
life mixed with the fun of many outdoor recreation activities
including extended wilderness trips of up to 14 days in the
nearby Trinity Alps, Mt. Shasta, or Lassen
Park areas. They also have a facility in the Trinity Alps
Wilderness area for three day retreats where families and
participants can explore complex family issues in an environment
of beauty and solitude.
I made a short visit on my way
to the IECA conference in San Francisco last May, and liked
what I saw and the people I met. I think the program has potential.
Especially helpful for the family who has a child in trouble
with the legal system in California, that child may qualify
for county/state funding at Hillcrest Springs.
Copyright
© 1993, Woodbury Reports, Inc. (This article may be reproduced
without prior approval if the copyright notice and proper
publication and author attribution accompanies the copy.)
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