unhappy family

unhappy family

The family is both the fundamental unit of society as well as the root of culture. It... is a perpetual source of encouragement, advocacy, assurance, and emotional refueling that empowers a child to venture with confidence into the greater world and to become all that he can be. 

Marianne E. Neifert, Dr. Mom's Parenting Guide

When you see trauma, you will likely never see the scared little boy hiding under his sheets with his teddy bear or hear the tearful plea from a little girl who says her parents fight too much. By the time you see trauma, it often looks like angry and resentful teenagers who use their rage like a shield.

Parents call for help because they know something is broken, and they do not know how to fix it. They say, "I can't take it anymore." They mean they have tried everything and do not know what to do.

How do we help?

The Idaho Youth Ranch is the only organization in Idaho certified in Functional Family Therapy © (FFT). The process for certification is difficult, but the payoff is great.

We could tell you about the studies over the last 20 years that prove FFT creates better, stronger communication and trust between family members. We could tell you about a study in Washington State that found that every dollar spent on FFT saved taxpayers $18.86 because it stops angry, broken kids from turning into criminal, abusive adults.

That is not what matters to most people.

Most people care because, somewhere along the way, they knew a child who needed help and did not get it. Everyone knows a family that did everything right and, yet, everything went wrong.

We use FFT to restore families, so when kids leave our care, they return to a healthier, happier environment. We call that finishing the job.

The results are astounding.

100 percent of families say communication has improved. Almost 9 out of 10 Youth Ranch kids go on to be successful. Parents find they are better equipped to help their younger children be successful as well and avoid their mistakes.

"You saved my family," said more than one grateful mother. "I don't know where we'd be without you."

When you donate to the Idaho Youth Ranch or shop in an Idaho Youth Ranch Thrift Store, your dollars leave a legacy of healthy families and promising futures for Idahoans.

Our bottom line promise: We will never turn a child away based on their ability to pay.

Shop. Donate. Volunteer. Create Promising Futures. 

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