Real Life Therapy

The success of Mount Carmel Youth Ranch lies in the exciting reality of the cowboy life which includes adventure-experiential therapies approach which profoundly impacts the struggling teen.

Cowboy Troubled teen overcomes substance abuse and now lives a clean sober life

Mount Carmel is a real working cattle ranch, run by professional staff whose interest in helping each troubled teen, is from a paternal perspective.

A paternal relationship of trust naturally fosters the boys’ growth, like the friendship between a strong uncle and a beloved nephew, an older brother and a confused younger brother, or a patient father and a son that was lost and is now found.

In these transformitive relationships the staff discerns the troubled teens’ strengths and capabilities, assigning specific types of work which will spark his interest.

Troubled Teen finds joy in the wilderness Through work such as horse care, feeding baby calves, participating in cattle drives, building fences, and being a mechanic, the boy takes on responsibilities and learns self discipline. He quickly grasps that his own work in necessary for the survival of the ranch. Each troubled teen sees that he becomes part of something bigger than himself, he learns cooperation with a parental figure, and enjoys his confidence in work which builds self-esteem.

The Mentoring Environment

Real Life Therapy requires a supportive environment where individuals can begin to make changes in their lives. Following are guidelines for creating this environment.
*Be friendly and listen to the person.
*Focus on present events, only focus on past events if they relate easily to the present situation.
*Discuss feelings and physiological responses as part of total behavior; always relate feelings and physiology to concurrent actions and thoughts over which the person has more direct control.
*Accept no excuses for irresponsible behavior, particularly when a person fails to do what he or she has expressed an intention to do.
*Avoid punishing, criticizing, or attempting to protect the person from the reasonable consequences of behavior.

Our Real Life Therapy takes a very different approach.
Teaching the troubled youth responsibility and accountability is the most important concept in Real Life Therapy. We define responsibility as "the ability to fulfill one’s needs and to do so in a way that does not deprive others of the ability to fulfill their needs." Any behavior which does not match this standard is regarded as irresponsible.

The problem is not that the standards set for troubled boys has been too high, the problem is that the boy’s behavior has been insufficient. Real Life Therapy is aimed at helping teens in trouble gain more effective control over their lives. A mentor using these principles of Real Life Therapy helps at risk teens to face reality, be accountable for their words and actions, and problem solve so they can meet their needs in the world.

At risk teens can also use these new skills to improve their success in the world. The process has been proven effective in education, parenting, and leadership. This type of behavioral improvement lends itself to any situation where people need to learn how to satisfy their needs and solve life's problems in responsible ways.
Real Life Therapy is based on the belief that we all choose what we do with our lives and that we are responsible for our choices. Responsibility is defined as learning to choose behaviors that satisfy our needs and, at the same time, do not deprive others of a chance to do the same.

Real Life Therapy rejects the concept of mental illness and focuses on the troubled teen’s behavior in his approach to therapy. The mentor becomes involved with the teen and helps him to examine his current behavior with a goal of improvement in the future. An individual who is frustrated, or is frustrating others, is taught to evaluate what he or she is doing and, from this evaluation, learns to practice more effective (need- satisfying) behaviors

Real Life Therapy helps At risk teens learn to be in effective control of their lives. It is a noncoercive method of communicating that enhances people's ability to make effective, need-fulfilling choices.

We humans learn responsibility through relationships, primarily as children from parents. However, the process of becoming responsible is a life-long one. As situations change, each individual must adjust and find new ways of acting responsibly to meet his needs. When this is not done, irresponsible behavior results.

With a focus on the present behavior rather than past events and subconscious motivations, mentors do not need a high level of training in order to be effective. They need only be able to recognize and reward responsible behavior and to offer correction to irresponsible behaviors.