Fulshear Ranch Academy is a 12-month transition program for young women ages 18-26. Their goal is to assist in alleviating issues of negative body image, eating disorders, addictions, sexual boundaries, depression, and school difficulties. Fulshear utilizes a holistic model allowing participants to experience field-based experiential education, classroom academics, therapeutic groups and activities, life skills and career training.
Fulshear consists of three phases, focusing on life skills, education, nature-based skills and therapy, equine skills and therapy, holistic health and career training.
In Phase One, students are responsible for daily participation in household and ranch chores, such as learning how to care for and maintain both their individual spaces, and the ranch as a whole. This helps them learn the importance of nurturing themselves and their community.
Phase Two establishes semi-independent living skills. Students practice what they learned in Phase One by obtaining an internship in an area that they have expressed passion about, and pursuing their education at yet another level.
Phase Three is a transitional phase where students live, work and study independently in the town of Richmond. They are assisted on a daily basis by a staff mentor and are visited weekly by the Therapeutic Director. Fulshear Ranch Academy does not impose a structured schedule on these students, but require that they work part-time and attend classes at Wharton County Junior College.
Fulshear Ranch Academy, will open December 1, 2004, and is currently taking applications for enrollment.