Shelterwood Boarding School

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I would not give this place one star if I did not have to. They destroy lives with deceptions, manipulations, child labor, total control and exploitation of kids who are having difficult times and parents who are lost for whatever reasons in their parenting. What Don K wrote was true for the facility a decade ago, mimicked my experiences there 20 years ago as well, and still holds true today. Not many are talking against Shelterwood, but I recommend looking at the ones who do and not be blinded by "miracle solutions and rave reviews and Christian language". The ones who run Shelterwood are benefiting financially as they use these kids to help build their empire. They would routinely ask us to tell them what we didn't like at the facility to get us to expose what we knew to be the problems there so they could clean up their act and get more customers and pass their inspections. Yes, customers. Shelterwood is a business and should be looked at as a brilliant business model.. but not a place for healing. They have zero actual qualifications for claiming to help at risk teens. They simply demand conformity to their dogma while they play with children's brains for the duration of their stay, while getting a free workforce they can justify. If you love your child, do NOT make the mistake of sending them here.They did not treat any medical or life issue I had on arrival or that developed during my hold, yet held me responsible for things no rational person would ever blame an individual for. I was given zero life skills, lived as a slave, and was largely ignored to the point it was overtly neglectful and oppressive. I was blamed for being suicidal and traumatized and made to think I was a sinner. No one helped me with it. I have suffered for years. Do not send your loved ones here. This place is sinister at it's heart, deceptive and destructive under the guise of Christian love and godly protection.

When I attended Shelterwood it was the worst time of my life. It was all about control. The methods used by the staff don't fall short of brainwashing. The school system (or lack thereof) was more of a do it yourself learning system. For me setting a algebra II book on my desk and saying "ok learn this" simply isn't a good teaching method. I am truly in awe at the number of raving reviews this boarding school has.

Our son attended Shelterwood from September 2013 through June 2014. Shelterwood is unique in their approach to helping families emerge from teenage struggles with a bright new outlook on life, relationships and the future. They offer the opportunity for your teen to participate in counseling while at the same time not disrupting their academic progress through offering a fully accredited, small class size learning environment. Shelterwood truly saved his life and our family.



A critical part of the experience at Shelterwood for our son was the leadership and support structure in place. All of these individuals are committed to helping young adults through the crisis they are experiencing. The CEO, Jim Subers is a man of amazing faith and commitment. He provides hands on leadership, imparting his love and support to all the students. He and his family actually live on-site; an unbelievable commitment to his mission. Rujon Morrison is the Program Director and is constantly focused on programs, activities and facilities improvements in addition to providing faith based leadership to the Shelterwood team. The staff members are too numerous to mention individually, but everyone from the Principal to the Maintenance Director are all personally involved in supporting the students.



Disappointed that we have to call this out, but we have not received any financial remuneration for these comments. We do however, support the idea of scholarships that may help more families take advantage of what Shelterwood has to offer. We would like to use this opportunity to make a tangible commitment - we will send $1,000 to Shelterwood (which will be matched 2:1 by my employer) to start a "Shelterwood Challenge" scholarship. We would like to challenge other families who have had a positive experience to write about it on these social media sites and, if financially able, to respond to the "Shelterwood Challenge" by making a financial commitment to help at least one additional teen to take advantage of Shelterwood this year.

Shelterwood just keeps getting better. They are constantly looking for ways to improve their program and their campus and staff are tops. This is one program for troubled teens that doesn't get enough attention on a national scale. They should be in every state! I applaud their efforts and the excellence that they personify in everything they do. You can trust your teen to this program. They could easily charge twice as much as they do now, compared to what other similar programs charge and for far less services than Shelterwood offers.

It is amazing how God works! When we found ourselves needing a place for our daughter to receive some therapy, we looked into several places, but were most impressed with Shelterwood! After some time and prayer we enrolled her in their therapy program, and now after having seen the results we have no regrets! Her relationship with Christ and with us has improved dramatically and the reasons she went to Shelterwood are quickly being resolved! Thanks to everyone who helped us on this journey, and thanks to shelterwood for their kindness and devotion!

We tried everything before we came to Shelterwood. Parenting books, youth group, counseling, homeschooling: they helped, but none of them solved the problems. Shelterwood was different. Being immersed in the environment there finally got his attention. I only wish we had discovered Shelterwood sooner

Shelterwood, thank you from the bottom of my heart for all you have done for our family. You are a place of healing, of hope, of new beginnings.

Since she went to Shelterwood, I see so many positive changes in my daughter. She seems to know who she is and where she belongs in our family. When she disagrees with me or her mother, she can stand up and speak respectfully about it with us. She is now a young woman of integrity, not an angry fireball, and she cares for other people like she never has before.

Our son had reached a crisis in his life when we enrolled him in Shelterwood. The compassionate, professional counselors helped him deal with the immediate need, but more than that, they helped him straighten out his thinking so a crisis like this would not come again. Being surrounded by other young men going through similar transformations encouraged him greatly. The whole environment at Shelterwood surrounded him with love and solid Biblical teaching, and he is much the better for it.

We are so thankful Shelterwood was there to help us in our role as parents. It was unspeakably difficult to admit we needed help to train our son in a Godly way, but Shelterwood was gracious and understanding at every step. They provided an experience for him that we could never have duplicated at home and taught him things he would never have accepted from us. Going away for a while gave us all a break from the tension and pain. Shelterwood gave us solid teaching so we could step back and think constructively about our relationship while we healed. We are stronger now as a family than we have ever been before.

Shelterwood has really improved their campus lately. They also have a much lower tuition than many therapeutic programs. I like Shelterwood because it offers more than most other programs. Not only are they licensed but they also are accredited. They really personalize with each child with nearly a 1 to 1 staff to student ratio! They have many counselors and therapist. They also have a large group of mentors.

If you are in need of a program for a teen that is struggling to find his way, I recommend you take a closer look at Shelterwood and compare it to other similar programs. I know Shelterwood can turn your teen's life around!