The Little Things

This past week I had a nice reminder of an important parenting principle that I find myself too frequently overlooking.  I had the opportunity to attend a simple little awards ceremony at my son's elementary school.  The students were being awarded for having completed certain amounts of reading over the past several weeks.

Now, I wish I could sit here and tell you that my 6-year-old son had read the largest number of pages out of the entire school.  I can't tell you that.....because he didn't.  In fact he was receiving a certificate along with about 40 other kids for reading the minimum number of pages to qualify for getting a certificate.  There were many children who had read significantly more pages than he had read.  Nonetheless, I was proud of him.  And more importantly, he was clearly very proud of himself, along with the other 40 children in his group.

It was a reminder to me of how important it is to acknowledge, praise, and reward children, sometimes for even relatively small accomplishments.  Now does this mean that children need to be praised and rewarded for every single little task?  No, it doesn't.  I'm not a big fan of, nor am I espousing the "everybody's a winner, everybody gets a trophy" mindset. However, I am a fan of complimenting and acknowledging children when they are doing positive things.  Too often I get caught up in life and don't take the time that I should to do this with my children, two of whom are teenagers and need the praise, compliments, and acknowledgment just as much as the 6-year-old needs it.  So, here's to all of us making a little better effort to notice those things in our children's lives and give them the praise/acknowledgement that most children so clearly need and desire. 

Happy New Year to all of you!

Monte Criddle, LMFT

The Adventurous Review of 2014

An old saying that poetically fits outdoor adventure says: Never let your memories be greater than your dreams. While we whole-heartedly agree with this sentiment in the Adventure Learning Program, we can’t help but reminisce of the places we’ve gone and things we’ve seen. 2014 has been an especially enjoyable year to review and draw inspiration from for building and planning our next year full of excitement, learning, and adventure.

Winter can be harsh and unforgiving, but it is also elegant, beautiful and the most primed season for education, awareness and personal growth. Our winter season always includes yurt trips throughout Utah, Wyoming or Idaho, as well as numerous ski and snowboard trips to Snowbasin.

Our Spring Season was filled with trips to Logan Canyon, Southern Utah, local waters for fishing and canoeing as well as mountain biking and hiking trips up and down the Bear River Range.

The lazy-days-of-summer is an adage we do not adhere to. Long days, sunshine, warm weather, cool rivers, high elevations, dry trails…all things that give us way too much opportunity for adventure to be sitting around trying to get tan. This year we spent lots of time on the Snake River and in the Tetons in Wyoming, backpacking around the High Uintas in northeastern Utah, and as always, right here in our own backyard of Cache Valley.

Autumn brings bright colors, cooler temperatures, great fishing, but more importantly, an internal drive to finish the year on a high note, to explore, achieve and excel. The slanted light, burning sunsets and migrating birds remind and motivate us to get off the beaten path and find something new. We again turn to Southern Utah and local waterways and mountain peaks to round out our year, preparing our skis and snowboards for the next calendar to get hung on the wall.

See you soon 2015.

Mike Bodrero, Adventure Learning Coordinator

The “Science” of Gratitude

I have always loved Thanksgiving and the holidays associated with December. For me these holidays have brought treasured memories. Most of them I have spent with family who I love and care about. Family traditions always add a special touch as well. The turkey, Charlie Brown specials, football, pies, gifts, holiday decorations, and special music make this time of year special.

My parents are special people. They raised six of us kids. There never seemed to be a dull moment in our household growing up. I am the youngest of five boys and I also have a younger sister. My parents always made these holidays very special for my siblings and me despite a modest teacher’s income. My parents seemed to constantly teach us about gratitude. They taught us in many different circumstances the importance of being grateful and expressing gratitude to others. These teachings sunk deep into my mind and heart. I have tried to instill these same values into my three boys. I guess you could say I believe in gratitude. I strongly believe that grateful people are happy people.

Fortunately, research agrees with this premise (http://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletters/harvard_mental_health_letter/2011/november/in-praise-of-gratitude). Research indicates that happiness and gratitude are closely linked.

Over the almost 13 years of working at Logan River Academy I have worked with a lot of adolescents and their families. One marker of progress I look for is when I see students start to show gratitude to their parents and the staff here at Logan River Academy. I have noticed that students who show gratitude are often some of our most successful students.

Research indicates that expressing gratitude can improve our health, emotional well being and relationships. There are many ways to cultivate gratitude in your life. Please consider applying a few of the following examples:

1.                  Write in a gratitude journal often.

2.                  Write thank you cards to those who do kind things for you.

3.                  Call someone today and express thanks for your relationship with them.

4.                  Say “thank you” often.

5.                  Make it a point to show gratitude to your spouse. Gratitude seems to heal many wounds.

6.                  Remember and count your blessings. Many times we get caught up in what is not going well instead  of the many blessings in our lives.

Gratitude is a wonderful principle that we can all apply no matter what our circumstances. Most of us have a lot to be grateful for. We wish to extend to our Logan River families a very heart-felt Happy Holidays. We are grateful for you and our privilege to know you and serve you. 

Matt Erickson, LCSW

Logan River Academy - Behind the Scenes

This video briefly tells about Logan River Academy culture – the students, the faculty, and the staff. Watch now

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrcTmbIk3wk

Why did you choose Logan River Academy for your child?

Parent shares why she chooses Logan River Academy for her child. Watch our new video today:

http://youtu.be/yQeoA0e-ZX8

Logan River Academy - What is it like making friends?

1.      Friendships start at Logan River Academy. Find strength and joy in our new video today:

http://youtu.be/V_bATGY0UuA

J

Logan River Academy - How was your experience?

Find hope and strength at Logan River Academy’s treatment center. One student shares her story in this video. Watch here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDR89c-CX4U&index=3&list=UUXFoxTmPARBYlcBHTiq4rxA

How is the Staff at Logan River Academy?

Looking for a trustworthy place for your child? This YouTube video shows why caring, compassionate staff make Logan River Academy the place to be: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQNymNeC3Ic&index=4&list=UUXFoxTmPARBYlcBHTiq4rxA

What is the Adventure Learning Program at Logan River Academy?

Logan River Academy shares more about their outdoor adventure learning program in this video --> 

http://youtu.be/R7L_DZVREbI

Adventure Learning Trip Report: Capitol Reef National Park Trip

Our latest camping trip took us to Capitol Reef National Park in southern Utah. When most people think about the beautiful national parks in Utah, they usually think of the red-rock wonders of Zion, Arches and Bryce Canyon. Also a red-rock gallery, but a true oasis in the desert, Capitol Reef is home to century-old orchards and fertile soils, fed year round from the flows of the Fremont River running through the heart of the canyon. 

Capitol Reef is a geologic anomaly; an immense exposed fold in the earth’s surface called the Waterpocket Fold captures water from the high plateaus surrounding the low-lying desert giving the small canyon ample water despite the dry climate. 

Visiting Capitol Reef in October is about as good as it gets for nice weather and awesome scenery. The many Quaking Aspen and Cottonwood trees throughout the park wore their fall colors with pride, making for picturesque views from the edge of a cliff, or along the riverbed. 

Our first night was spent 30 miles into the backcountry of the park in Cathedral Valley. While the drive to the campground was slow and arduous because of the rough desert road, the campground itself was almost deserted except for two other campers. With no sizeable town or major light-source within 50 miles, the star-gazing was spectacular and offered one student his first views of a shooting star. Around 5:30 in the morning we were awakened by the yips and howls of a pack of coyotes near our campsite communicating with another pack farther off in the distance. With that pleasant awakening we began the day early and completed the circumnavigation of Cathedral Valley with stops at Gypsum Sinkhole, Temple of the Sun and Temple of the Moon. 

After setting up camp at the Fruita campground, we hiked the Hickman Bridge trail and perused the petroglyph boardwalk learning about the people and cultures who originally settled the area. Our evening hike took us on top of the bluffs overlooking the Fremont River and the Grand Wash, both basked in a warm rose light from the setting sun projected through the high cirrus clouds. 

Our stroll back to camp took us directly through a herd of Mule Deer happily eating apples at the bases of the hundreds of apple trees in the orchard. Temperatures throughout our stay never exceeded 75º nor dipped below 40º at night making for perfect camping and exploring weather. 

Mike Bodrero, Adventure Learning Coordinator

The Path We Walk

Often in my work as a therapist I deal with individuals who are struggling with life circumstances that are challenging, to say the least.  In fact, at times it appears that life has truly dealt these individuals a “rotten hand” and however hard we may try, we cannot find any wrong doing on the client’s part that has brought about the turmoil they are facing.  Of course it makes it slightly more palatable when an individual can look at their situation and be somewhat accountable.  They can say, “Yeah, I get it, I kind of brought this on myself.”  Those tough circumstances, although still painful, are lessened somewhat because of an individual’s internal realization that they helped create their life situation.

Regardless, these circumstances and situations, whether self imposed or just the “luck of the draw”, cause tremendous difficulty for those I work with.  When searching for happiness amidst the turmoil I frequently ask myself, “how can this person be happy with this stuff going on in their lives?”  During these times a quote attributed to Martha Washington frequently comes to mind:

 

“I am still determined to be cheerful and happy, in whatever situation I may be; for I have also learned from experience that the greater part of our happiness or misery depends upon our dispositions, and not upon our circumstances.” –Martha Washington

This quote provides a lot of comfort for me as well as for my clients.  I have also come to believe that the way we look at a situation has a great deal to do with how we feel about the situation. 

A family living close to me just lost their daughter.  She was four years old and died of Leukemia.  She spent much of her four years suffering through treatments and the tortures of the disease she was forced to bear.  Neither this young girl nor her family had done anything to “bring about” these circumstances.  Yet they were theirs to bear.  They frequently wrote in a blog they shared with those they knew.  In this blog they talked about the blessings in their lives, including the blessings that came as a result of suffering what they suffered.  Of course they would have liked to have their daughter live a full and healthy life, but they found a way to view the situation in a manner that helped them cope with the trauma and find peace and joy amidst terrible circumstances. 

Fear, sadness, and disappointment are a part of every person’s walk through life.  What I hope is that each of us can find a way to view the path we are called upon to walk in such a way as to learn from the experience and find some peace, and maybe even joy, in the walking.

Krys Oyler, LCSW

Logan River Academy: Surrounded by Adventure, Part 2

In part 1 of our Surrounded by Adventure series I tried to paint a portrait of the unrivaled access we have to recreation opportunities mere minutes from Logan River Academy. This installment will focus on the exciting and freeing world of road trips and the beautiful places we often explore when we can get away for a few days.

One of my favorite things about living in Cache Valley is that we get to thoroughly enjoy four separate seasons. Because of this, we tailor our explorations to chase the best possible weather to maximize our enjoyment of an experience. During the hot summer months we either go north or climb elevation. The alluring Grand Teton National Park, Yellowstone National Park, and Sawtooth Mountain Range offer cool, northern temperatures while the Uinta Mountain Range in northeastern Utah offers backpacking and hiking up to 13,528’ in elevation.

From My Bookshelf

I’ve been a voracious reader since childhood, with overflowing bookshelves at home and work to prove it.  Like other bookworms, I read both for fun and relaxation and to learn more about things that interest me.  Over my 4+ years working at Logan RiverAcademy, I’ve transitioned to working primarily with students on the Autism Spectrum.  It’s no surprise that I’ve amassed a small collection of books focusing on the lives and stories of people who live with this complicated, fascinating, and often frustrating symptomology and diagnoses.  I’d like to share three of my favorites with you: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, The Journal of Best Practices, and Look me in the Eye.

Can You Hear Me?!

As human beings, relationships are often a measuring stick of how successful our lives are. Most of us value relationships. Relationships are often at the core of how happy or unhappy we are. An essential ingredient to positive relationships is the ability and desire to listen. All of us love to interact with good listeners. How many of us truly are good listeners ourselves?

I would like to highlight 6 blocks to being a good listener:

1.    Referring everything to your own experience: Have you ever talked with someone that constantly redirects the conversation back to him/herself rather than actually letting you finish your thought or story? I have. It's really annoying! Work on allowing the person with whom you are talking to finish his/her thought or story before interjecting a comment that directs the conversation back to you.

2.    Advising: Some of us go directly to problem-solving before listening or validating. Never advise when the advice is not asked for or wanted. Most of the time people would rather be heard or validated than given solutions or ideas.

The Certainty of Parenthood

Over the years I've learned that there are not too many things in life that are certainties.  There are however a few things that you can always count on - death, taxes, the sun coming up, and parenting being very, very difficult at times!

There are often many different things going on with each of my four children.  They are all at different ages, different stages of development, with different temperaments, different interests, and on and on.  Sometimes it can become a bit hectic parenting each of them in the way that best meets all of their individual needs.  There are some things however that all four of them need despite their differences in age, developmental level, etc. Things such as rules, empathy, limits, attention, consequences, listening, praise, etc. are things that all children need.  As a parent, I've sometimes noticed myself getting a bit out of balance with those things.  At times, I've noticed myself being a little heavy on the rules and consequences and not doing as much of the empathy, listening, and praise piece.

The following "parenting pyramid" has been a visual reminder for me over the years of the importance of always keeping those different parenting pieces balanced.  And more so, that the blocks of my parenting foundation needs to always be things like attention, empathy, talking, etc.  I hope this small little tool can be of some help to you as it has been to me!

The Uncomplicated Love of an Animal

In my last blog post, I introduced our new dog, Ivy to everyone.  Since this time, Ivy has brought joy and comfort to many students at Logan River Academy.  She has also increased mine and other employee’s job satisfaction.  I wanted to include some pictures that you can enjoy. 

Logan River Academy: Surrounded by Adventure, Part 1

A large piece of our work here at Logan River Academy, whether academically, therapeutically, or both, is supported by offering our clients several opportunities for stress release, healthy coping, and confidence building through various recreational pursuits. We are located in beautiful Cache Valley, surrounded by mountains, rivers, lakes and rural areas in every direction. Cache Valley is unique in that there are four separate mountain ranges that make this area a true valley. The largest, the Bear River Range, gives us our eastern boundary and a majority of our recreation opportunities are found in Logan Canyon, Blacksmith Fork Canyon, Green Canyon and several others.

Some Interesting Articles

Just a quick post with links to a couple of news articles related to our business at Logan River Academy that we've found interesting lately.

First, this article, talks about the struggle some families face as they contemplate residential treatment for their child. Specifically, this is about California where the school districts have taken over the responsibility from the counties for residential treatment and the ensuing costs and how that has affected the search for treatment for those families. We work closely with several school districts and do truly appreciate what they can do to help many children and their families who are struggling.

Secondly, this article, gives some good ideas about how to build a healthy, strong relationship with your teenage child. It talks about trust, love, and respect and how to generate those qualities in your relationship.

We hope you found these articles interesting as we did, and if you have any comments about these articles or find any other great articles please leave us a comment here on the blog!

What Will You Do?

Here at Logan River Academy we see success and struggle every day. We rejoice when our students succeed and we are saddened when they struggle. At times some of our students struggle to take responsibility for their lives and have a tendency to blame others instead of looking within. Sometimes life throws difficult things our way and we are left with the blank slate of determining how we will think about and deal with the situation.

A little over two years ago my wife, Rachel, was diagnosed with breast cancer. This news was shocking and unexpected. When cancer is diagnosed, the medical profession very rapidly bursts into action. Before we knew it we were seeing doctor after doctor trying to figure out what we needed to do. A mastectomy was strongly recommended along with breast reconstruction. They also wanted to remove lymph nodes for testing purposes. Next their plan was to have Rachel have radiation and chemotherapy. This was a very emotional and challenging time for us. Whenever one hears the word ‘cancer’ many questions start to go through one’s mind.

Adventure Learning Report - High Uintas Backpacking Trip

For the past few years Logan River Academy Adventure Learning has done a backpacking trip into the High Uintas Wilderness Area each August. August is the prime time to visit this mountain range in Northeastern Utah, the only true major mountain range that runs east to west in the US. Many of the trailheads that we use to access our destinations begin at an elevation around, and often above, 10,000’ in elevation. Dozens of the high peaks throughout the range are above 12’000’, with the highest point in Utah, Kings Peak, topping out at 13,528’. With such high elevations commonplace in the Uintas, a majority of the months in a calendar year are prone to adverse weather conditions that could compromise the enjoyment of a trip. Too early in the year and snow will be found in the shady areas on high passes and trails, too late in the year and you run the risk of waking up to the first snow of the year. Also, bugs. From the time the snow begins rapidly melting, to the first-ish part of August, you are going to be eating mosquitoes every other bite with your dinner. Hence, mid to late August is a great time for the Uintas.

 

Hiking in to our campsite

Has Life Been Unfair to You?

As a therapist I am frequently confronted with challenging scenarios in peoples’ lives that give me pause.  This past week I had a situation that not only caught me off guard, but taught me something profoundly important that I hope to remember throughout my life as well as during my work with the families I see at Logan River Academy. 

I met with an individual who recounted his life story and as he went through his experience it was apparent that this gentleman had gone through more than his fair share of traumatizing experiences.  It was also clear that many of these experiences appeared to be no fault of his own, rather cruel blows that simply befell him because he was a bit unluckier than someone else.  The story went on and on and I began to feel more and more sorry for this individual who had gone through more than I could fathom.  As he came to the end of his story, I quickly began empathizing and at one point even mentioned, “It seems like life has been a bit unfair at times to you.”  At this point the gentlemen stopped me.  He told me that indeed, many of the issues he felt were not because of choices he had made, but were rather experiences he had to go through to become the man he was.  I was taken back by his response and even felt the need to further emphasize my view that he was somehow unfairly treated.  He however again assured me that while the challenges he faced throughout his life did cause difficulties for him emotionally, he would not trade those experiences because they taught him lessons he couldn’t learn any other way.

As I pondered this, I realized that far too often in our world today we feel the need to have things fair, comfortable, and always “happy.”  However, the two poems below that I often quote, but clearly didn’t understand, came to mind and helped teach me a lesson that I needed to learn.  That challenges are not only a natural part of life, but a necessary one as well.  

Connecting with Your Active Child

Being a reader of this blog, you may not be inclined to label your child an “active child.” You are probably more likely to call them a challenge, a pain in the neck, a frustration, and possibly much worse. There is a chance you have been in such a painful, emotionally-draining time of your life that you have overlooked, forgotten or you just don’t care anymore about the skills, talents and ambitions that your child does posses. Now, I am not here, or qualified, to break down the entire complex skill set of your child and give you advice on how to appreciate, foster and enhance it. But, I would like to give you some advice on a part of your child’s life that you may not be familiar with, or if you are, some advice on how to become a part of that life even if you don’t want to be.

While your child has been away in treatment, perhaps having been through a wilderness program as well as a residential program, they have likely been introduced to many new activities and environments they didn’t even know existed. Most programs have some form of recreation program focusing on new skills and experiences that provide the child with several self-improvement opportunities. While not every child enjoys every opportunity given, I have seen the vast majority of them find excitement and enjoyment in some form of recreation we have presented to them. Your child returning home to your care is a stressful time to reconnect, build back trust, establish new roles and find ways to build a positive relationship. Capitalizing on new interests and hobbies your child may have gained in their time at treatment is a great way to help both parties find common ground for the rebuilding process.

20 Things I Want My Kids to Know

I have four children.  The oldest two are daughters, ages 16 and 14.  The youngest two are sons, ages 9 and 6.  Sometimes they all cause me to think to myself "What in the world am I doing?"  Some days feel like wonderful successes.  Other days feel like miserable failures.  I had one of those "miserable failure" days the other day.  It just seemed like nothing went right.  I found myself wondering about and questioning what I was teaching my kids, how effective (or ineffective) I was in doing so, whether they were learning anything, etc.  Later that night as I lay in bed, I finally caught my breath and had a chance to decompress.  I reminded myself that parenting is full of thousands and thousands of small moments.  Some of them go well and some of them don't go so well.  I also reminded myself that the goal is for more of those moments over time to be of the positive variety.  If that's the case, then my relationship with my children will be more positive and the things that I'm trying to teach them will hopefully sink in.

The events of that day also got me thinking about what exactly it was I was trying to teach my children with the issues that had come up (honesty, work ethic, responsibility, etc.).  It reminded me of this little list that I used to read periodically.  I would ask myself if I was doing the things in my own life that would teach my children the lessons on that list.  That day has caused me to pull that list out and review it again.  It made be feel a little more determined to be a better example to them, increase the number of positive interactions I was having with them, and hope that some of these life lessons will stick with them.  Following is the list of things that I want my kids to know.

Why I'm Not a Barista

I have worked the better part of 16 years in child and adolescent day and residential treatment. One feature of being a therapist working with teenagers for so long is that other people are flabbergasted and/or impressed that anybody would want my job, let alone enjoy it.  Most people seem satisfied with the casual reassurance that there are a lot of good things about it or that teenagers really aren’t as bad as they sound.  But sometimes, I run into somebody who’s more curious and they press with the whys and hows that I can’t easily explain.  After several of these encounters over the past months I decided to try to really give their questions some thought.  Why am I still Sarah Hazelton, therapist; not Sarah Hazelton, private chef, or knitting instructor, or raft guide, or (heaven forbid) barista?

Turning Lemons into Lemonade

On October 15, 2011 my wife, Rachel, and I lost our baby who was 5 months along in the 9 month process before being born. Our baby, Johnny, was going to be our fourth and final son. We were busy planning, getting ready, and feeling very excited for the birth of our fourth son. Our other three boys were very excited, especially our youngest because now he would have a little brother.

On October 15, 2011 Rachel and I went in for a scheduled ultrasound. The ultrasound specialist quickly discovered that Johnny was not breathing and had passed away. He sympathetically shared with us that our baby was not alive any longer. Rachel and I were stunned and shocked. This scenario was not something we were expecting or had even considered.

Introducing Ivy

I would like to take this opportunity to introduce the newest member of the Logan River Academy team, Ivy.  Ivy is a Labradoodle, a mix between a Labrador Retriever and a Poodle, and we adopted her from a nearby family that could no longer care for her.  Ivy has made an immediate impact on the students that we work with, and her ability connect with them has been amazing to see.  Ivy will typically spend her days in the clinical area, and at times in the school hall.  With Ivy’s breed in particular come the positive traits of being friendly and outgoing, as well as hypoallergenic.  

I personally have always felt a strong connection to dogs, and as I grew up, I knew that I could also find comfort in spending time with my childhood dogs.  It was a natural way for me to calm down and be soothed, without really knowing why or how.  We now know that people benefit from interacting with dogs.  Simply petting a dog can decrease levels of stress hormones, regulate breathing, and lower blood pressure. Research also has shown that petting releases oxytocin, a hormone associated with bonding and affection, in both the dog and the human. (Geographic)  This was evidenced this morning as I had Ivy in my Anger Management group.  One student in particular appeared to be withdrawn, sullen, and down.  Ivy made her way to him multiple times and each time, he sat up, pet Ivy, and his countenance became much brighter.   

If your child enjoys dogs, feel free to take the time to ask about Ivy and their interactions with her.  We feel that she will greatly benefit our students, and add a friendly and therapeutic component to our school. 

Sean Maynard, CMHC

Works Cited

Geographic, N. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/12/121221-comfort-dogs-newtown-tragedy-animal-therapy/

Visit Logan River Academy's website today!

What Mindfulness Really Means

A lot of the phase work that we give our students in the girls’ program, Maple Rise, is centered on Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). This was developed to help people who have a really hard time regulating emotions (also known as emotional dysregulation) because they are so complex. Quite often, people with this type of emotional difficulty end up hurting themselves, physically or at the very least, they do things that actually make their lives worse—like turning to drugs or alcohol, shoplifting, gambling, etc. They tend to lead chaotic lives because their emotions are so out of control, which can lead to problems in their relationships. The DBT concepts and skills that we teach are designed to help students lead healthier, less-confusing lives.

​Crafting a Meaningful Life

In all our humanness, I think we occasionally find ourselves asking, "Does my life have meaning?". Sometimes routine can pull us into ruts where we feel entirely unremarkable and struggle to find meaning in what we do. If you ever begin asking the same question, may I suggest an inspiring role mode? 

Maya Angelou was born during the start of the Great Depression. Her childhood was far from glamorous or easy and she faced countless tragedies, but she managed to ultimately have a life of victory and accomplishment. Among many other things, she was a writer, actress, and civil rights activist. Read more about her example of creativity, generosity, and resilience here. 

Photo via.

Here are a few words of wisdom from the inspiring Maya Angelou:

In all my work, I try to say, 'You may be given a load of sour lemons, why not try to make a dozen lemon meringue pies?'

My life has been long, and believing that life loves the liver of it, I have dared to try many things, sometimes trembling, but daring still.

I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.

I'm convinced of this: Good done anywhere is good done everywhere. For a change, start by speaking to people rather than walking by them like they're stones that don't matter. As long as you're breathing, it's never too late to do some good.

Kayla Geddes

Much good is being done at Logan River Academy. 

The 10 Worst Discipline Mistakes

This past weekend, I had the opportunity to attend my 10-year-old nephew's baseball game.  It was a typical summer, Saturday afternoon setting--the sounds of a baseball park, kids and families, juice boxes, sun umbrellas, kids playing in the water, and an endless supply of grapes, potato chips, and baby carrots.  Unfortunately, as soon as the game began, the fun and calm of that setting was quickly ruined as the coach of the other team immediately began yelling and screaming at his own players for the mistakes they were making.

In case you didn't catch it earlier, these were 10-year-old kids.  They make mistakes.  They are not major league ready baseball players.  I thought the whole point of Little League was to teach basic skills, help kids to grow and develop, and let them have an enjoyable time.  This coach obviously had a different view.

His antics got me thinking about the mistakes that we often make as adults in raising and rearing the children around us.  Whether it is as a parent, a coach, a grandparent, a mentor, a teacher, or whatever else, it is important to periodically do a self-evaluation.  At times, we have to "recalibrate" as parents in order to get out of the parenting traps that we periodically fall into.  The handout below is a helpful tool I have used over the years to remind myself of the traps and bad habits I often fall into with my own children.  Hopefully you find some value in it as well! (Here's a link to the same article.)

Mont Criddle, LMFT

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Being in the "Change" Business

I have had the privilege of working with adolescents as a therapist for the past 15 plus years. I have spent more than 12 of those at Logan River Academy. Over the years, I have had the privilege of working with many adolescents. My favorite part of my job is forming relationships with these young people and watching them grow, mature, and achieve. I often receive phone calls or emails from past students updating me on how they are doing, as well as occasional visits. Some of these former students excel while others might struggle. Either way, I love to hear from my former students. This is the main reason I come to work every day and the main reason I do what I do. I love to see people make positive changes in their lives and learn how to be happy.

Adventure Learning Trip: Crimson and Riverside Trails

Our next challenge for the Hiking Club was to complete the Crimson Trail and the Riverside Nature Trail; these two trails work in unison as a loop. The Crimson Trail rises steeply from Third Dam as you ascend Spring Hollow, then follows an 800-1000’ tall line of cliffs up the canyon for a mile and a half, then drops abruptly down to the Guinvah-Malibu campground along the Logan River. Once you commit to hiking the trail that skirts the cliffs, you are committed to finishing the trail as there are no shortcuts to complete the loop. The views of Logan Canyon and the Logan River below are fantastic as well as the perspective of the Wind Caves across the canyon at roughly the same elevation in the same geologic-era Limestone cliff band. The beginning and ending sections of trail are quite steep and make for a great workout. The weather was quite pleasant for the trip with partly cloudy skies and temperature in the mid-60’s. The four hour hike included a stop at the bottom of the steep descent for a nice wade in the cold waters of the Logan River.

Lots more pictures after the jump