Cherry Gulch

Just awful, this place is a glorified storage unit for your child while you can wait for them to naturally mature. This place does nothing for the children, it just keeps them there long enough for them to hopefully grow out of some immature habits. The food is unfit for human consumption, the staff are vindictive, and the children create a very hostile environment of stealing, bullying and harrasment. If you want to put your child through hell just to get an extra long vacation, go for it, but you're not paying for therapy, you're paying for a break from your child at their expense.

I went to Cherry Gulch when I was younger, and while I was there, the experience was terrifying. I am still traumatized by the 7 times I was attacked, including a kid sharpening a stick, and then trying to stab me with it. There is constant unregulated bullying, which the staff do absolutely nothing about. My belongings were constantly stolen and destroyed my parents having to give me multiple copies of things just so I had a back up for WHEN my items were destroyed. Half the kids would agree with me. The other half were the bullies.nnIt is very falsely presented. While parents are visiting the school, punishments are doubled and held to a much higher standard. The kids are told to decorate the location, or they are punished. When the parents do not visit the location looks desolate and dead windows are shattered from kids who get a little too angry and you can constantly hear people yelling. It is incredibly chaotic. I was lucky to get a few moments of silence on top of the hill. While sending your kid to this place might improve their behavior, it is because they scare kids into acting equal with societal standards.nnPeople might try to say that kids like me didn’t work with therapists. They might say that because of that the experience is just that much worse. And that just isn’t true. It doesn’t matter who you worked with because the worst part about it is definitely the kids. I was sent to the sporting school because my parents didn’t know what it was. I write this review to try to tell you what it is.nnDespite my horrible time there, my parents were told that I was enjoying my time and making friends, while I was actually contemplating suicide over how horrible it was to be at Cherry Gulch. They were never told about the times I was attacked, they were never told about the constant bullying, and they were never told about my suicide threats. They weren’t even told about the kid who tried to kill me.nnHalf of the responses here are just people who have been lied to by Cherry Gulch. Either that or there are staff who have been told to write these reviews. If you look, you will see that all of the kids reviews are horrible. Sending your kid here will truly make them miserable. If you send them here, when they get back they may be more grateful for the stuff they get, but they’re definitely going to be angry at you for what you’ve put them through.nnI’ve written this all as a warning to parents because I want to try to protect other kids from this traumatizing experience. You may think that I’m over exaggerating but trust me I’m not. There are no consequences here therefore the rules don’t matter. The consequence system they tell you about is not held up when you aren’t visiting. Besides, it doesn’t matter if it was held up or not because the kids who act out the most are given a way to avoid all consequences altogether.nnIf you truly love your kid, don’t send them here.

Looking at all the reviews, I feel a mix of frustration, empathy, and sympathy. To all the students who left terrible reviews about this place, encouraging parents not to send their kids here, and playing victim to a chaotic environment, I sympathize with you, but you simply are not considering all perspectives.nI was student here from early to 2013 to late 2014 and I think about this experience a lot because this is my first therapeutic place out of four that I journeyed towards from ages 11 to 17.nAs a kid who struggled immensely with a lot of things, from emotions to making friends, it was not a fun experience, and there were a lot of things that I wish I could of unseen, but I don't know what you expect when you create an isolated place full of mentally ill students.nIt isn't so much an internal affair but a global one; there are many things that need to be fixed and reformed in the mental health industry, especially in America.nThe reason why Cherry Gulch is one of the top therapeutic boarding schools in America is because it offers a variety of services and facilities (a lengthy level system, The Dome, Equestrian therapeutics among other forms of behavioral correction) that are unparalleled with all the other places.nDo I believe that their could be changes? Yes, but that is the same with any place in any industry during any time. And, yes, it is stressful, but then again, students are relearning how to interact in a healthy way again.nAnd, once again, for the former students out there who will no doubt fill these reviews with 1 star for years to come, I can assure you no parent will irrationally send their kid to a school that costs upwards of six figures.nAs someone who has a double major and works thirty hours a week to pay off college out of pocket, I know that for a fact. Good luck out there.

I was an employee of cherry Gulch for 4 years, the program works, I have personally seen it change the lives for the better in many boys. If I could turn back time and choose a school for myself this would have been it. I have nothing but good things to say about CG. The staff care and work hard to assist these young men to succeed. The Teachers and Therapists are highly trained and give it their best.

My name is Brent Zickmann I was a student at Cherry Gulch for 1 and a half years I graduated on May 30 2018 it was the best experience I could have ever had I can not thank the staff enough not only have they improved but they have given me a new healthier life. I have no clue what I would have done with out all the support especially from Dave soon, Katie R, Pink and Will P and my parents.nnEvery bad review on berry gulch was posted by a kid that was not willing to work the system and parents that had kids that did not want to improve for them self’s.nnIf your looking for a new life for your child, from personal experience. Cherry Gulch is the right place to be.