Experiential Therapy

A Student’s Success Story Written by Brittany Harward The steps that lead back up from the riverbed on the trail was a rocky one. I looked up to see two boys moving back up the trail after we had to turn around. In the lead was John. (Note: John is not his real name. The…

Tony North, one of our Equine Directors, is a valued and cherished member of the Oxbow family and has been since we opened shop over a decade ago. He brings a timeless example of what a real man is and should be. In passing, he presents himself as a good old boy. But as you…

Allowing Empathy and Healing from Sexual Abuse In order to help our students to deepen their understanding of empathy, we attended Utah Valley University’s, The Clothesline Project in Orem, Utah.   The Clothesline Project’s mission is to “educate students and the community that violence is a problem everywhere, help is available, and there is hope and…

Have you ever wondered what Oxbow really means and why we are called Oxbow? An Oxbow is a U-shaped bend in the course of a river. Our mission is to help young men who have deviated from the normal course because of sexual issues and guide their way back. These young men have not only deviated from…

By Rachelle Hamill, LCSW Have you ever fought against something, only later to find that there wasn’t any present danger? Still, your pulse races, heart pounds, and palms sweat. Your body giving you the message that you need to fight back, freeze, or run away because there is something dangerous that’s threatening you. In these…

This is the story about my own experience of experiential therapy, rock climbing, and showing up. By Tiffany Silva, LCSW  Gripping the cold stone wall seemed almost impossible as my arms and legs trembled. I really wasn’t up to that high, so why was I so nervous. “Get a grip Tiffany!” I told myself. Being…

  Life Lessons from a Zucchini Plant by Rachelle Hamill Life often brings many situations that prove to be challenging. Often times people find themselves “stuck” in a difficult reality. We all come from different backgrounds, cultures, beliefs and life experiences; however, one thing that we all know is true, is that we all experience…

Best. Trip. Ever. by Julie Anderson Springtime in Utah is very unpredictable. You never know if you’re going to have to wear your coat and snow boots, or if it’s going to be a beautiful, sun-shiny day. Well, this trip we were lucky and ended up with perfect weather for what we had planned! This…

This year the premiere treatment provider, Oxbow Academy, is celebrating our 10 year anniversary! Oxbow was first established by our Executive Director, Shawn Brooks, who has over 24 years of experience working in the residential treatment and troubled teens field. Around the mid-’90s, Shawn started to see a shift in the type of students he was…

One unique aspect of the Oxbow Academy program uses equine imprinting addressing sexual issues in adolescent boys. Equine imprinting is a very powerful equestrian session that we do with all our students. Each year we have two mares who give birth to a foal around the spring or summer time. This provides an amazing opportunity…