We've all been there. You’re standing in the grocery store at the exact moment your child decides to have an emotional outburst because they're out of his favorite candy or she wants a particular type of cereal—or for no particular reason at all. We've all had those moments where our kids’ emotions become too much for us to handle and the embarrassment and frustration and overwhelming swell of our own emotions lead us to have rough days as parents.

Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, or DBT, is a form of therapy designed to help people struggling with behavioral challenges as a result of trauma. There are four primary goals of DBT that are proven to help young people rethink their behavior and manage stress.

In 1953, Reverend James Crowe had a vision for a place where “wayward” young people could find a “reorientation of self.” His vision was a working ranch where young men (we expanded to include girls in the ’70s) would get the guidance and support they needed to find a path to a promising future. That’s when Idaho Youth Ranch was born.

One of the many approaches we take at Idaho Youth Ranch is a form of therapy called Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT).