About Us

Cherry Gulch Academy is a private therapeutic boarding school in Idaho that helps boys from across America who have ADHD, autism, and learning disabilities such as: reading issues, writing issues, math issues, Dyslexia, Dysgraphia, Dyscalculia, Dyspraxia, Auditory Processing Disorder, Visual Processing Issues, Nonverbal Learning Disabilities and executive functioning issues such as distractibility, inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity.

Our talented Ph.D. and Master’s level learning therapists work with our students, using research-supported approaches to provide world class treatment for the individuals that we serve. Our talented professionals bring the needed learning tools to the young men and families with whom we work. We develop the educational scaffolding essential to produce thoughtful, prepared, and confident young men. For specific questions about whether Cherry Gulch Academy would be a good fit for your child, please feel free to contact us.

Our Mission

Our mission is to rekindle our student’s curiosity about the world around them in a community environment that fosters a sense of teamwork, empathy, and awareness. Many of our students enter Cherry Gulch Academy with social challenges and learning differences that have led to a negative self-image, school avoidance and refusal. We believe all our students can learn the skills to be successful in the classroom and beyond. Our approach to academics is highly Individualized and combines a unique (engaging) presentation of curriculum and a collaborative approach.

Our Philosophy

Cherry Gulch Academy is dedicated to improving the lives of the young men we work with and their families. We believe in the power of inspiration, finding ones strengths, positive relationships, therapeutic environment, mentoring and goal setting. We are a strengths-based program who believes in building a relationship with our students and supporting their goals and dreams. Our goal is to help our boys reach their goals.

Our Model

Our model of change is one of relationships. Our founder is certified through the Arbinger Institute to teach our students, parents, and staff The Anatomy of Peace. The general philosophy is that if you have a heart of peace and see people as people and whose thoughts and feelings count as much as your own, you will have a positive way of being. Thus in return, your interventions and efforts will likely be more successful.

Our Belief

Each of our students has potential and something to offer the world. As illustrated, in Malcolm Gladwell’s book David and Goliath, we believe the challenges, hardships, and obstacles that our students have faced have given them advantages in other areas. If our students learn to believe in themselves, work hard, and develop the resiliency to persevere, they will not only overcome; they will excel. Difficulties such as dyslexia, learning differences, ADHD, anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, and any number of other challenges can actually give us an advantage. They force you to look at problems differently, to be more creative, more determined, more of an out-of-the-box thinker, and team player.

OUR THERAPEUTIC APPROACH

We begin by building relationships between the student and staff, and then move into a college and career assessment system. This assessment process includes exploring:

The Strong Interest Inventory
Myers Briggs type indicator
California Personality Inventory
Worksheets about the lifestyle they hope for
Subjects of interest type indicator
Projective drawing of themselves in college
Career opportunities the student shows interest in Personal values
Worksheets about where and what type of college they would like to attend
Two card sorting tasks. What is most important to them in a college? What is most important to them in a career?

The next step in our therapeutic program is instruction in Career & Character Development classes, which we feel are some of the most important classes to teach and are not offered at most schools. Our Career & Character Development class provides the opportunity for students to earn credit while learning about careers, college, themselves, their interests, and motivations. We also discuss values, ethics, hazards of substance abuse, drug prevention, bullying, STDs, anger-management, coping skills, social skills, the Anatomy of Peace, the RULER approach, life skills etc. This is a focused time that we can discuss relevant topics and provide psychoeducational groups. Students read books in this class as well as Strengths Finder 2.0 and What Color Is Your Parachute? Discovering Yourself, Defining Your Future.

Providing the intensive College & Career Assessment, the insight gained from individual, group, family therapy, identity development, Career & Character Development classes, Career Choices curriculum, ongoing feedback from teachers and staff, our internship program, college and industry tours and mentoring helps students prioritize, set goals, and discover the direction they want their life to go. Providing continuous access to two online tools for ten years empowers students to adapt to their changing interests, increasing knowledge, and current life situation.

Wondering if Cherry Gulch Academy is a good fit?

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