Testimonials

"After attending the Parents' Conference last Monday and then seeing our daughter on Tuesday, we feel the need to express our heartfelt thanks to all of you for what you have accomplished with our child. When we spoke on Tuesday, we almost didn't believe that she was the same girl we'd forced to attend Outback seven and a half weeks earlier. (Our daughter) was calm, engaging and extremely open about her past choices and seemingly content. She was actually enjoying her experiences in the wilderness and said her self-confidence had risen greatly there since she had to become very self-reliant very quickly. She is proud of her ability to hike seven miles in a day- proud of the strength she'd attained since there, and proud of the work she had accomplished on herself. As the parents who had experienced more of (our angry daughter), we were awed. Several times during our visit, we caught ourselves looking at one another in amazement because of the way she was being with us. She was affectionate and tearful, yet strong and confident. This, indeed, was a new (young woman). All in all, because of (our therapist) and the rest of you, we are looking forward-perhaps for the first time in a long time- to having a positive, caring relationship with our daughter. I just wanted you to know how grateful we are and how excited we are about her future."

Marian and Don, daughter 16

“I am writing to tell you what a great experience the whole process at Outback was for our family. Our daughter has a very positive attitude about the experience and especially about her therapist. He was reassuring and supportive of us as her parents and yet honest about her issues and our part in them. (Our daughter) trusted (her therapist) and accepted his honesty and tough confrontations about her self deceptions and dishonesty. He helped her to see things she would never have been able to admit before…Our weekly phone conversations with (our daughter’s therapist) kept us informed and involved in the process, which helped keep us from feeling like we had “sent our daughter away”. We also benefited greatly from our seminar on The Choice and the simple concepts we learned in Leadership and Self Deception. It has helped us in our relationships with all our children. (Our daughter) seems to have been able to apply the concepts to her life right now. We had a brief visit with her before she went to boarding school. She seems much better at seeing things from other’s perspective and not pouting when she doesn’t get her way. We have had a smooth transition to boarding school....I hope.the changes go much deeper, and are long lasting.Thank you for everything- your patience, concern, support, honesty, care, and accountability. Thank you for seeing through to our daughter's heart and trying to best to reach her and bring about change in her to live a healthier, happier life. You have a special gift for reaching people and confronting them in a loving way that prevents resentment. I can only begin to imagine how many lives you must touch."

Mary, daughter 17

"I would like to thank all those involved in working with our son during his stay in your program. I would like to send a special thanks to (our son's therapist). (He) is an outstanding (therapist) with great insight into young men (our son's) age. (He) was able to work with (our son) and accomplish far more than we thought possible in a short period of time. The young man we saw during our parent visit is dramatically different than the person we brought out 6 weeks ago. Focused, confident, yet humble, he is well on his way to becoming the person we had hoped he could someday be. We know this is just the beginning, but what a great beginning it is! I am filled with optimism and hope for the first time in years. The methods used in you program truly bring results, in a very positive fashion. As a parent with a child who was "struggling" in school, I am pleased to see grades of A's and B's from Woodland Hill School. We had concerns about sending our son to your program, as any parent would. Sending a child "away" is never easy under the best of circumstances. When a teen begins down the path to a troubled lifestyle, decisions come a bit easier but never "easy" The staff really helped to make things as comfortable as possible given the stress of a decision of this nature. The Outback staff are in one word "awesome". Every person with whom we have had contact has been kind, compassionate and professional. As we tried to assess cost-to-value, we were unsure about "investing' in your program for our son. I can say now without hesitation, this was money well spent. I would recommend Outback to anyone considering a program of this nature. I cannot say enough about the positive impact Outback has had on our son. It is as if our family has been given a "second chance" at a healthy life together. We intend to make the most of it!"

Matthew and Cheryl, son 13

"It is actually difficult to express in words my heartfelt gratitude. We were in such a dark place, (my son) and I, and the dynamics of this "family." Trying to hold it all together for as long as I did by myself came to an incredible decision we all made for sending (my son) to Outback. This summer brought me back to the confirmation of my deep relationship with my son. That alone has brought me a sense of peace. I know that I am forever changed. I feel as though I know something or feel something about parenting and relationships that I did not know prior to this wilderness experience. You helped us all understand the importance of being unified and solid in stance and direction so as to benefit my son. I felt that your directness and openness with each of us was fair and honest. But mostly I felt your sincere ness in being invested in the health and wellbeing of (my son), who truly benefits the most.It is now time for a new beginning so that we can gently lean to the right direction and be cautiously optimistic that we are all in a better, healthier place!"

Michelle, son 16

“The only reason I want to share this with you all tonight at 12:28pm- upon arrival back home and while being at my computer is, that I am astounded and impressed with the level of care at Outback. From the ladies preparing the packets of food, to Shayne in his sharing of (The Choice Seminar), to (my son) in preparing the food for us to enjoy---and we did. I know in my heart that none of that occurs without a deep belief in the value of humans. I found my son at peace with himself and with being at Outback! I was shocked. He spoke about what he loves about (his therapist). (His therapist) let him think about things, (he) didn’t shove (his) thoughts down (my son’s) throat. (My son) actually wants to come back as a (Field Staff)…So we all stand on a different vista now, having experienced Outback. That is remarkable. Thank you everyone! I hope you take great pride in your unique contributions to the energy of the world!”

Nancy, son 16

“Without the help of (our daughter’s therapist) the change and understanding in (our daughter) could never have been accomplished. (Our daughter) has been to five different therapists, in the past three years and none of them could have accomplished what (her Outback Therapist) has. (Her Therapist’s) experience and ways which he is able to reach and understand these trouble adolescents; especially (our daughter) is remarkable She told us that she felt very comfortable with (her therapist) and was able to open up to him. (Her therapist), we feel, is a great asset to (Outback)…my wife and I want to extend our warmest thanks for all you have done in saving (our daughter’s) life.”

Vincent, daughter 14

“I have been blessed in life many times over. Frequently angels appear. You seem to be one of them. Thank you for all the love and care that you have given (my daughter)…I will thank you every day in my heart for the rest of my life.”

Julie, daughter 17

“(Our son’s Outback therapist) is the first therapist with whom (our son) ever connected. (Our son) grew tremendously as a result of his relationship with (his therapist). (Our son’s therapist) has had an incredibly positive impact on (our son), and we are very grateful… We found (our son’s therapist) to be warm, wise and solid. In a very caring way, he imparted his wisdom to (our son) in a way that really reached (him). He reached us with his wisdom as well. We are all using the ideas, and even the terminologies, that we learned…Our regular telephone calls with (our son’s therapist) were informative, useful, and reassuring to us. He was always available and never seemed to mind when we called him (probably too often!) outside of our prescribed time. He was extremely helpful to us in making the difficult choice on schools. We are extremely grateful to (our Outback Therapist).

Joanne and Stuart, son 14

“I know (my son) joins me in thanking you for the part you have played in saving his life.”

Marc, son 16

“Thank you so much for all you did with (our son) this year. He is doing well at (his school) both socially and academically. You made a huge difference in his life and he often speaks of (his therapist) with great fondness and affection. We are so grateful for having you in our lives this past summer.”

Debbie and Harvey, son 16

“THANK YOU! Words cannot express the gratitude for everything you did for us… Incredible!”

Robin, son 17

“I just wanted to let you know how proud we are of (our son). Most of all, thank you for giving him direction.”

Bonnie and Jeff, son 15

“(My husband) and I thank you once again for your work with (our son). During the time we spent with him before heading to (the next placement), it was clear that this was a different young man than the one we left at your door. (He) was the (boy) we used to know.  As we forge ahead, we will always reserve a special place in our hearts and memories for…Outback.”

Patti and Gary, son 16

“(Her next placement) was an excellent program and I would recommend it to anyone, but I remain grateful to you for all your work with (my daughter). I have never forgotten that (her therapist) was the first therapist she ever had who never gave up on her. I sincerely appreciated that (her therapist) went through a lot of extra work to come up with creative means to try to reach her, and it worked.”

Patricia, daughter 15

“I never properly thanked you for all you did for (our son) and our family. The work you do and the dedication involved is remarkable….You will always remain fondly in our hearts.”

Randy, son 16

“Words cannot express the gratitude that we have for the time, patience and energy you have placed into the care of our son. We feel very strongly that this will be a turning point in (our son’s) life. And we owe so much of that to your guiding care. “

Al and Angela, son 14

“There are no words to describe how grateful we are for the wonderful work you did with our son. You were so tuned into him and to (my husband) and I, right for the start and, at an extremely tumultuous time in our lives, we immediately felt like we were in great hands. Thank you, thank you for your invaluable guidance and support.”

Ann, son 16

“Simple words can’t come close to the gratitude we feel towards Outback and especially (our son’s therapist). Living and camping in the “boonies” makes a change, but (his therapist) truly made the difference. Thank you.”

Mark, son 16

“It was clear that… (Our son) was using the anger management skills and problem-solving techniques that …the Outback staff taught him.  (He) channeled his anger and thought through his options…I do not know how to express our thanks for what you taught him. (He) really has a chance now to make great strides. Thank you for that gift.”

“Thank you for giving our son a chance. We appreciate your work with (him) much more than words can say.”

“I will never find the adequate words to express my deep and abiding respect and gratitude for the work you do and for the profound way in which you have impacted (my son’s) life…The swift and incisive handling of our family therapy in the field resulted in an awareness and healing that hadn’t been approached prior to that day and will never be forgotten. (My son’s therapist) is personally responsible for working magic in our lives… (my son) will be forevermore of his own beautiful self for having had your gentle and clear-sighted, nurturing guidance in his life at this critical time.”

“We can’t thank you enough for all you have done for our family. Our Outback experience has really made a difference. We continue to count our blessing and work hard at keeping everything in perspective.”