The Evaluation Center Helps Families Facing Impossible Questions Find Real Answers
For parents who know that their son has sexual behavioral problems, then a treatment program such as Oxbow Academy is a no-brainer. However, most of the parents of Oxbow students do not fit into that category. Most parents of Oxbow students initially have a gut feeling that there is more they don’t know about their son or that their child is not being completely honest about their online or sexual behaviors. Parents may be more focused on other more prominent issues or behavioral problems. Yet perhaps teachers, counselors, or family members may have raised concerns about their son’s sexual behavior.
Due to the media, many people recognize sexual behavior problems in the depiction of the term “predator” or “offender.” This terminology is not part of Oxbow’s culture or language. There is a good reason for this. Adolescents are still developing their sexual appetites and behaviors. Some adolescents do; however, need residential treatment programs like Oxbow Academy due to sexual behavioral problems because of the exposure to deviant pornography or even sexual abuse.
“Parents typically know about 20% of what is happening, but the other 80% their son has been hiding from them,” said Todd Spaulding. You will have 100% clearer picture of what treatment your son needs after participating in a clinical evaluation.
Separate Evaluation House Focused on Safety
The Evaluation Center only houses and treats boys who are under evaluation. Completed in 2018, the Evaluation Center was designed with a focus on safety. Decades of experience with troubled youth has uniquely prepared Oxbow Academy to create safe spaces for students and staff members. Students live in the Evaluation Center during their first 90 days of treatment.
The Evaluation Center is an independent house where students are therapeutically treated and evaluated separately from the other students who are at the main campus receiving treatment for long term sexual behavioral problems. They only integrate with those students for a few social and academic activities. That is because providing sex addiction treatment to a young man without a clinical need for that kind of therapy may not be beneficial. For that reason, the Evaluation Center is a stand-alone program within the larger Oxbow Academy program. Safety is our priority during that process.
Unless You Have the Truth, You Can’t Heal
“We function with a fundamental belief that unless you have the truth, you can’t heal. So, the Evaluation Center is built on that notion that we have got to get to the truth for the whole family system and the student to heal,” said Todd. Shame thrives in secrecy, and in order for each boy to move out of shame, they need to rebuild their relationship with the truth.
Because of Oxbow Academy’s unique program design, at the end of the process parents will have a clearer, clinical answer as to whether or not their son needs sex-specific treatment after 90 days. Parents will be able to choose a psychologist who is separate from Oxbow to complete a full psychosexual evaluation, allowing an unbiased perspective. Parents will understand their son’s level of risk. In addition, the treatment recommendations for their son will be supported by information which has been verified in a clinical polygraph as a third party validation.
We Get the Whole History
At the end of 90 days, you will know whether or not your son needs sex-specific treatment. Either way, the evaluation process will have been a success. That is because your will son receives a psychosexual education as well as the ability for you to move forward with the form of treatment that is best for your son.
“We get the whole history. Then we use a polygraph to validate that history so that we know that it is accurate. Based on that accuracy we can take a psycho-sexual exam which gives us a roadmap of exactly where we need it to go,” said Todd.
That roadmap will help you and your family help him to reach a better future. It will help you to rebuild trust with your son. You will have the answers you need to move forward after 90 days. During that time, you will have been able to sleep at night knowing your son is safe.