Our 14-year old son just returned from an 18-month stay at the Intermountain residential program in Helena. The experience was transformative for our son and our family. We are grateful that this unique program exists and that our son and our family were willing and able to participate in the program. Through the Intermountain program, our son has developed a dramatically improved ability to regulate his emotions, to navigate social situations constructively and to make positive/safe behavioral choices. He is back home and on a completely different path. Our son was nurtured, cared for and grew tremendously through the experience. After coming to the difficult realization that our son required residential treatment, we explored all available local programs in the San Francisco Bay Area and also investigated residential programs across the country. Intermountain stood out to us as the clear choice for our son. Several schools had comparable therapeutic, behavioral and academic resources, but we felt that Intermountain had a sense of "heart" at the core of the program. The program takes a relational approach which focuses using and developing positive relationships as the foundation of the program. I have often described it to friends as a "loving" atmosphere. It was the ONLY residential program that we visited that felt like a home environment instead of an institution. The program expects a lot from the kids (and from their families) and also offers abundant affirmation, support and tools to help kids and families navigate the very large and very real problems they face. It's not a party, a camp or a vacation. It's a 24x7 therapeutic/behavioral program designed to help kids understand their behavior and its consequences on themselves and others. The goal is to shift behavior, emotion, thinking, patterns, habits into more constructive and appropriate outlets. Parents are expected to participate actively and need to consider how their own behavior and attitudes have contributed to the dysfunctional family dynamic. In our experience, the program works remarkably well. Our son developed strong relationships with cottage staff, his teacher, his therapist, classmates and many others on campus. The staff is well trained, supported and "get" challenging kids in a way few places do. Instead of treating challenging kids as "bad," they understand that our kids need help developing the more constructive tools to handle the emotional, social and behavior challenges they face. Intermountain was the first time we felt confident that our son's needs wouldn't overwhelm the resources of a program. Throughout our son's life, we have dealt with dozens of neurologists, therapists, psychiatrists, psychologists, behaviorists, OTs, PTs, aides, teachers, etc. and found the staff at Intermountain to be remarkable and consistently among the warmest, most dedicated, most insightful that we have encountered. Over the 1.5 years of our son's treatment, we visited Intermountain each month and spent many hours and days on campus and in the cottage. We also attended many off campus activities and events, including a 5-day boys summer camping trip where I was the only parent in attendance. During that time, we never witnessed anything even remotely resembling the problems described by a few on this website. We have no affiliation with the school in any way and if we saw anything resembling abuse or inappropriate behavior, we would be the first and the most vocal in addressing those problems. Because the allegations are serious (and so different from our own experience), I want to respond in detail to several of the concerns. I have great empathy for any parent who has had to make the painful decision to place their child in a residential treatment program and want to respect their opinion. However, since the criticism bears no resemblance to our own experience and makes claims that are factually untrue, I want to share our experience so other parents have full information when evaluating comments on this website and deciding whether the Intermountain program is right for their child and family. Holdings -- Intermountain does use physical holdings as a tool of last resort to prevent disregulated children from hurting themselves or others. It is not therapy -- it is a tool to avoid physically unsafe behavior. We witnessed holdings in the cottage and at school on several occasions, in each case triggered by a child hitting or threatening impending violence. Witnessing a holding is an unpleasant and emotionally challenging experience. In our experience, staff remained calm, spoke softly to the child being held and each holding ended with the child becoming re-regulated. If you are not comfortable with your child being held (or if you are a self-identified "anti-holding activist" as is the case for one of the negative postings), do not enroll them at Intermountain. I hate holdings and felt awful each time our son was held; however, compassionate holdings done as a last resort seemed like the least worst of the alternatives. If holdings are ruled out, instead would he be drugged, tranquilized, isolated, tied down or turned over to the criminal justice system after he hit or harmed another? These aren't easy issues to decide as a parent, but we felt that holdings were a better tool than the available alternatives. Medications -- Intermountain takes a therapeutic/relational approach to treatment. Based on our son's therapeutic progress, Intermountain recommended and we agreed to eliminate a few of his medications and reduce the dosage of others. In our experience, medications were an adjunct to the therapeutic program and Intermountain was less medication oriented than other programs we have experienced. Monitoring -- The Intermountain program takes an integrated approach to therapeutic care and works hard to share/communicate information across teams from school, the cottage and home. The belief is that kids do better when everyone involved in their care has current information about what's happening with them across their day/week. Events and discussions from school can influence behavior in the cottage or vice versa. Likewise, family calls can trigger/influence a child's behavior. Staff did participate in our family calls and sometimes offered suggestions. This was not a surprise or a concern to us, and in fact it was often helpful to have staff participate. In our calls, staff might redirect our son or prompt him to reconsider his behavior/thinking, but it never felt like oversight or we never experienced any effort to censor or limit what our son discussed with us. There were a few occasions where our family call was cancelled at the last minute because our son was struggling or not in a constructive space to talk. Those calls were rescheduled if we wanted. In our experience, we were always free to talk to our son about anything at any time, and no one ever suggested otherwise. Visitors on campus sometimes are not allowed to interact with children (other than your own child), which is perfectly appropriate in my mind. We sent our child to Intermountain to be treated by professionals, not engaged by strangers or other parents who happen to be on campus. Food -- We had lunch or dinner in the cottage 40-50 times and ate the school cafeteria dozens of times. In our experience, meals were well rounded, balanced and bountiful. Kids served themselves, had seconds if they wanted and lots of food was left over. The school cafeteria serves a hot lunch on school days, usually some meat served with a starch and vegetables. Kids also have access to a salad bar that includes fresh fruit and kids have free access to milk, juice and water. The cottages prepare breakfast/dinner and lunch on weekends. Breakfast might be french toast casserole, pancakes or eggs. Dinner was usually a meat served with starch and veggies. If a child didn't like the main meal, they could prepare a sandwich or other food. I wouldn't call it gourmet dinning, but no child came anywhere close to going hungry. We never heard of or saw access to food being using a therapeutic tool, reward or punishment. Chapel -- As part of the Intermountain intake process, families identify the religious/spiritual traditions relevant to their child and are asked to provide direction about their child's religious education. Our son attended "chapel" once a week in the school's multi-purpose room. We attended chapel twice during visits and also met with the chaplain 2-3 times to discuss our son's spiritual education. Both times we attended chapel, the group leaders (one Christian and one Jewish) read bible stories and then the kids played games loosely related to the stories. Religious education was not a key factor for us in selecting Intermountain and our primary concern was to ensure that our son wasn't being told that there was one "right" way to worship. Our son enjoyed the program and it felt inclusive and compassionate to us. Staff -- In our experience, Intermountain staff are a remarkable collection of kind, compassionate, caring and well trained individuals. From the beginning, we were struck by the love and care that they bring to their interaction with the kids. One critical post on this website states that "many of the people they hire are white trash and don't even like kids." This kind of attempted character assassination speaks volumes about the judgment, values and temperament of the person writing the post and says nothing about the qualifications or capabilities of the Intermountain staff (not to mention the inherent race- and class-bias of such a statement). Our observations and experience were the exact opposite. Making the decision to send our son to residential treatment was incredibly difficult, but the Intermountain program has given our son the tools to understand himself, his feelings and his behavior. He is happier, more centered and more socially engaged than ever. We are so grateful for Intermountain and the positive changes it has brought to our son and our family. I just asked our son what he would want to say to parents of kids who are thinking about sending their child to Intermountain. He said that staff are very kind and help keep you safe when you are struggling. He said that kids have fun at Intermountain and get to be kids, even though they also have to do hard treatment work. He said that Intermountain is a good place for kids who are struggling. Bruce
AYA took my son hostage! My son was in here for nine months and I have never seen him more suicidal! I had to fight HARD to get my son out of this place because they kept trying to make me and everyone else think that my son was insane when he was not! My son was doing so well that when I would try to take him out they would manipulate me and lie through their teeth about him! They would set him up and make it so he would have to stay longer for the insurance money! For example they put matches and a One cigarette in his boots, they will manipulate parents and they will tell the child that he is a loser and will never amount to anything the entire time that they are there! The staff smokes pot in front of the residence and at the end of the day tells them that they get to go home to their family and tells the residents that they do not, I still have recordings on my phone from when my son was there about 5 years ago and his counselor was new and was admitting to me that he should be able to come home! This is a HORRIBLE place to send your child to and my son still to this day has PTSD and anxiety over it! The system is very broken!
When we came to Intermountain our child was on medication, fearful, anxious, and out of control. When we took our child out of the facility two years later, our child was even more heavily medicated, more fearful and anxious, had even less trust of adults, and much more out of control. It took years at another RTC that actually knows what they are doing to get our child to trust adults again enough to start treatment for the diagnoses received. And the difference at the new RTC is that incredible progress has been made in a very short time after the trust was established.
We knew we were in trouble when we found out that the Intermountain Psychiatrist had never even met our child in person, and all his consultations were done by Skype. But it took us over a year to find that out.
Intermountain never contacted us after we left, as was promised, so when they throw their statistics at you on how they have improved the kids lives that they have served, don't believe them. If they can't help your child in the 15 to 20 months that they claim on the website, your child will still be leaving. And if your child is making progress in that time, they'll still boot your child out after 20 months so their statistics don't take a hit.
The sad thing is that the CEO had a reputation years ago of being in the milieu all the time, and really caring for the kids. We saw him twice in two years at official functions only, and we were there more than the quarterly mandated training trips. Now he spends all of his time with his board. When the kids are no longer the priority, they suffer. Our child sure did. And these kids don't need any more suffering in their lives.
If you really want to check the place out, check out the employment rating sites. Ex employees hammer the place. And also notice that the only good ratings come from current employees, another tactic by management to jack up the ratings of what used to be an excellent RTC, highly respected by others in the industry. Now those other RTC's read the reports on the Intermountain kids during their own admission processes, and are sad at how the place has declined. The mission is always to heal, not add to the trauma and harm. And Intermountain has rejected that mission.
SAVED OUR LIVES!!! When we brought our son to Intermountain he was defiant, depressed, suicidal, and out of control. The relationship between him and myself (his mother) was terrible. He hated me. We could not communicate. He had never completed a full year of school as he was always getting kicked out. That day we dropped him off was the hardest day of our lives. It took a while to see the changes but when we did they were amazing. My son and I finally were able to talk with each other without yelling. We enjoyed our weekly visits together. When we brought him home for home visits it was like having a totally different child at our home. He was respectful, polite and followed the rules. The program at Intermountain not only taught our son the tools he needed to be successful but it taught our whole family the tools we needed. It wasn't just him that was getting the treatment. We were involved in every aspect of his treatment and ours. They were there any time day and night for support. After a year my son was able to come home. He is now about to complete his first full year of school. Prior to intermountain he was always in the ED classroom. This year he has stayed in the mainstream class and has been very successful. We still have our hiccups every once in a while but we now have the tools to deal with them. Intermountain changed our lives for the better and given us hope not to mention a happy successful son.
Some times it is necessary to receive help from others in order to be able to see the beauty in life. Intermountain has, time and time again, come through for our family and given us the mental tools and attitudes that have allowed us to keep our lives and family intact. I cannot praise them highly enough. In a world where conceit and deceit constantly try to erode the better parts of our frail human nature, they have been a true and consistent beacon of selfless help and hope. What should there be not to like in that?
Intermountain should be closed down!!
Intermountain try to keep the child as long as possible for their own financial gain ($15,000 per month per child!!).
I am also disgusted with how Intermountain treat the children.
They use 'holding therapy' (physically restraining children against their will as therapy). They also practice 'strong sitting' (the child is made to sit on the floor and is not allowed to move or speak). Intermountain use holdings as threats and punishments to the children. They use it as a form of discipline and this needs to be stopped. The authorities need to investigate this. It causes the children emotional harm, anger, frustration and low self esteem, not to mention risk of injury. IM amplifies and enhances the children's fears and traumas. The children are violated from the holding therapy and have strong feelings of helpnessness. A child should ONLY be restrained to protect them from hurting themselves or others and should ONLY be done using a basket hold (standing). Intermountain do not practice this, they restrain on the floor, often with 2 members of staff and for extended periods of time, for reasons such as non compliance or a child being rude!
Intermountain monitor all phone calls that the children make. The calls are all on speaker with IM staff sitting with them. So, if the child was suffering from mistreatment or abuse from a member of staff they would be too afraid to report it. Intermountain is a cesspool. They only write negative things about the children in reports and meetings, most of which are misinterpretations of the truth.
I have witnessed IM staff belittling the children and speaking to them in a cruel and demeaning manner. There are others that share my view that many of the staff are not positive role models for the children. To put it blunt many of the people they hire are white trash that don't even like children. Some staff members don't even take care of their own children. IM staff do NOT have the children's best interests at heart. They couldn't care less about what the children want and do not give them choices.
They do not spend quality time with the children and are there to enforce rules only.
The therapists heighten the children's fears with many talks about being safe/unsafe. IM re-activates their trauma, causing them to become anxious.
Children are given too many (and unnecessary) medications. Children are often wrongly diagnosed by the dr that sees the Intermountain children.
Parents are sending their children to this facility hoping their children will come back fixed. Intermountain is not the answer and just leaves the child with more issues and emotional scarring.
IM is extremely strict, which wouldn't be AS bad if they also had the nurturing and caring piece, which they don't.
Children feel alone and are left crying with no one to comfort them.
Intermountain invent and exaggerate children's problems in order to keep them at IM for longer. They have denied the children loving families in order to keep them at this institution. They also pass false information on to social workers and families.
It is true and has been said that IM treat children like objects. They claim to be one of the best treatment centers in the country, yet they do not care for children adequately. A hard look needs to be taken at this facility and its staff. They really need to be more selective about who they hire.
The staff do not respect the children's religious preferences (such as putting pork on a Jewish child's plate against her wishes when the staff were fully aware she was on a kosher diet).
In some of the cottages, visitors are not allowed to speak to the children. They make these children feel worthless. They also deny children visits with family members if they have a bad day.
The children are fed very small portions of food and often go hungry. The lunches at IM consist of a small bowl of canned soup and canned fruit. The dinners are freshly cooked at least yet they are still not given a sufficient amount.
As one of the IM rules is asking permission to go to the bathroom, some of the children become desperate or wet themselves as they are ignored when asked if they can go or are to afraid to ask.
The intermountain staff all need to take training in TBRI (Trust-Based Relational Intervention). It will teach them that children need to feel taken of. They need to do things for the children so they will feel cared for. They need to offer them second helpings of dinner, listen to them when they have a problem and give them TLC.
The staff also need to learn safe ways to restrain and when it is appropriate to restrain.
The children are very seldom taken off campus and so they are confined to the grounds of Intermountain. Over time, some of these children become fearful of leaving the campus or feel like they don't deserve to go.
Children are forced to attend religious services at the chapel at IM, even if it is not their belief to practice that specific or any religion.
Many of the staff should not be allowed to work with children. I have witnessed control freaks, cruelty and emotional abuse.
When visitors come to IM they appear to make IM look amazing (to try and encourage more donations). They will give speeches on how the children have made progress and make a lot of effort into making themselves look good.
Even though IM get a large amount of money for each child, they STILL use donations to buy clothing/shoes and other items for the children. What are they doing with the money for the children??
Intermountain have a tendency to split siblings up. They will say that the child does better without the sibling even when there has been no evidence of abuse or issues between the siblings. I witnessed siblings that missed each other and wanted to be placed together. Not only did IM not have them placed together but they also did not allow visitation!
IM staff do not understand what reactive attachment disorder is. RAD is often a misunderstood condition, it does not mean that a child is incapable of attaching to caregivers or others. It means that some children that have been abused, neglected or subjected to poor early relationships may develop certain ways of relating to others based on their early experiences. Most children who have attachment problems are able to form bonds and IM staff need to understand their attachment styles. IM staff have no experience with adoption related issues and IM hire many people that are simply just looking for a job.
Intermountain is in an isolated location, far from many of the children's families. Statistics show that residential care is rarely helpful/beneficial to children. Families need to be actively involved and visit their children at least weekly. Studies prove that instead of residential care, there are other better alternatives. Such as: Functional family therapy and trauma based cognitive behavioral therapy.
Families that are reading this please think carefully about this and do not send your children here.
IM staff and DHS are in cohoots with each other, nothing is being done to address the issues. The running of IM needs to be evaluated and changed. The staff are incompetent and don't have the needs of the children at heart. Intermountain is money motivated and not child focused!
Lastly, I am doubtful that the authorities in MT will close down IM. MT allows places like IM (and even worse) to operate, including residential homes without licenses (if they are faith based). In states that are not so remote, such as NY, residential homes like this would not even exist!
MeeganBryceMSW 05/27/2016
The accusations and misrepresentations in this review, and several other reviews posted, seem to be coming from a family that had hoped to adopt a child that was residing at Intermountain. If this is in fact the case, I feel that this is a calculated attack on our program based on upsets that the adoption was not approved or supported first and foremost by the State of Montana (DPHHS) and secondly by the Intermountain treatment team and other professionals, i.e. CASA volunteer. The placement did not seem to be appropriate based on concerns that came up as the family went through the process. While I can understand the heartache of having a dream like adopting a child fall through, I find it unfortunate that this attacking review is the way that the pain of this situation is being addressed. It only impacts the children and families that are searching for help or are currently receiving it and find our treatment and care of our children to be quite the opposite of the above accusations. To the individual that posted this review, I hope you will contact our Quality Assurance Director and place a formal complaint if you are concerned with the care we provide to children. We encourage individuals to bring their concerns to the appropriate place to be evaluated and addressed. I will not engage in an on-line battle about facts or perceptions nor will I participate in personal attacks on this family. However, I feel that I need to provide a response to some completely inaccurate statements in the above review in order to help others that deserve an opportunity to correctly understand our treatment. The allegation that Intermountain keeps children in care longer for our own financial gain is fully misinformed and inaccurate. In fact we are often running into the opposite situation. Families are asking that we keep their children longer as they feel confident in the care and treatment they are receiving and are nervous to take the child home due to normal and reasonable fears. We work with this common dynamic and provide transitional support through home visits and helping to find appropriate aftercare services for what their child needs. We believe children need to be in their homes when it is possible, supportive, and safe. There have been instances where we have suggested longer treatment due to clinical concerns that are occurring within the case, but it has never been for financial gain. We have a long waiting list of children whose families are in crisis and want the child placed immediately. Keeping our current children longer than is appropriate for that child would be counterproductive for us from a clinical and financial standpoint. We DO NOT use holding therapy at Intermountain. We do physically contain the children, but only as a last resort and for safety, never for being rude or non-compliant. Our staff are highly trained in safe techniques to perform these physical containments, and other staff that are not a part of the situation monitor each containment that occurs. We call these holdings to use a term that is less confrontational and more supportive for the children. We avoid emotional processing during these holdings and let the child know that we will keep them safe until they are able to be safe on their own. Holding therapy is a technique suggested by some professionals in the field, but we DO NOT ever use a physical containment as a means to process treatment issues with children, thus do not do holding therapy. We specifically say phrases like “We need to sit up and talk about feelings in a healthy way and will do that when you are able to calm down and be safe.” The above review is accurate in the fact that we perform these holdings on the floor. This is intentional and for purposes of safety, as our kids are often extreme enough in their rage that the holding is more safely performed on the floor than standing and having risk of everyone falling. Two adults are only used in situations where the child is so out of control that two adults are required for safety for the child and/or staff. The holdings must be approved by a clinician if it is becoming long, and the first priority is getting the child to a calm enough state to end the holding. We do support the phone calls that the children are having with their parents. We find this to be appropriate to provide treatment interventions that are in conjunction with the parents. Children and families alike find this to be very supportive. When legal guardians ask to speak to their child without a staff present, the request is always allowed. Our staff are trained to utilize supportive language. Nurture is a significant part of our treatment. We also have firm boundaries and limits to provide high vigilance and safety for our children. We serve children with very specific needs that require for us to be vigilant and structured. This level of structure may not seem necessary to some, but we are not willing to risk putting any of our kids in harm’s way by being too loose with our structure. The children (and often the families too) become very connected to the staff. Kids get hugs, nurture, and engage in a variety of fun activities with the staff to help the kids take opportunities to just be kids. Treatment is hard, and these kids work hard; we believe that fun and love are not only what a child needs, but also a part of balancing the hard work. Our children are provided with age appropriate portion sizes at meals and are provided with at least 2 snacks every day, but often more. What typical portion sizes look like in our society make the recommended portion size for a child look pretty small. Many of our children come in overweight. We never put them on a diet, but we do practice and teach appropriate portion consumption. Our kids don’t go hungry, they are fed a balanced diet, and we use established programs to help us calculate ideal nutrition and caloric intake. We have a clinician on staff that is trained in TBRI. We understand and utilize the concepts of this approach in addition to a number of other evidence based practices, such as EMDR. All of our staff are trained extensively to provide trauma informed care, and they do a nice job of it. I am not suggesting we are perfect or that we don’t mess up at times, as we are human and this is very difficult work. I can, however, confidently say that our staff understand both RAD and attachment difficulties very well. Many adoptive parents that have participated in our residential treatment with their adoptive child will confirm that we understand this population and our treatment approach and professionals are very helpful. We provide optional services that support spiritual development for our children in treatment based on the approval and/or request of their parents. Children are not forced to attend the services provided, though it may be necessary for a child to go to the same building as the services are in to provide adequate child to staff ratios. There are many children that come into our care on a variety of medications and we do use medications as a tool within our treatment model for children when necessary. Children are often taken off the majority, if not all medications that they come in on and we operate under the practice of using the least possible dose of the least possible medications when utilizing medications as a tool. One very important fact about our use of medications is that Vitamin D and Melatonin are the two “medications” that are most prescribed for our children. Intermountain Residential services are not only licensed by the State of Montana, but also accredited by Council on Accreditation, which is a well-known and highly respected entity that holds very high standards of care for the organizations that become accredited by them. They were thoroughly impressed with our services on their last site review. They spoke with both children and parents without Intermountain staff present. We are always happy to have families come and tour our facilities, talk to our kids and our staff, as well as to contact families that have previously participated in our Residential treatment. If any parents that are considering placing their child in treatment are concerned with the above review, please come visit us and see what we are really about rather than allowing these accusations to limit your options to help your family. Meegan Bryce, MSW Intermountain Residential Director
Intermountain is a magical place that helps children and families heal. I used to work there - first with the board of directors and then as part of the fundraising team. Now, I'm able to own my own business and give back my time and money as a volunteer. I believe so much in the mission of Intermountain that I want to tell everyone to give back as much as they can so we can ALL help children heal and even more - so we can protect them. Intermountain believes in real results and real impact. The people there have a true heart for healing kids and make a lasting impact on our communities. My husband and I believe in the mission of Intermountain and will continue to share it. We hope you'll join us!
The staff do not use positive reinforcement. They shouldn't focus solely on the negative behaviors.
IntMT 05/09/2016
Intermountain staff certainly DO use positive reinforcement. At first, staff focus on building trust of care and as the child's trust level rises, more and more opportunities for success are provided.
this is an excellent opportunity for your child to gain the trust and love she or he deserves when attending this program they provide you with education learning and life skills they provide you with a home food and activities all while you work on the problems you are encountering. in the long run you will walk out of there with your pride and feel so much better about your self and who your are when your done. thanks intermountain for being there for me when I need you the most I don't know where I would be today with out the love and support of the staff.
If you are looking for a treatment center for your child, I would highly recommend you look at one that puts your child at the center of their decisions and not one like Intermountain that will treat you and your child like an object. If your child is doing well, Intermountain will take all the credit. If they are not they will blame the parent. They will continually write goals and objectives that point out everything that is wrong with you and your child, and will give you no tangible strategies on how to work to a better tomorrow. At the same time, they are interested in keeping your child in their organization as long as possible for their benefit of the almighty dollar. Intermountain has been pulling on the heart strings of their donors for years with lies of how treatment is going today, when the fact is, Intermountain was great once, but they have taken their focus off the children and invested in big business and expansion. There is no accountability within the entire organization, and it starts at the top. I pray that Intermountain will recognize they have and EGO problem, and return to what made them great. One assessment that they should really key in, is that if there are staff that do not have healthy relationships in their own life and with their own kids, friends, and wives, then how can they possibly teach someone else. I wish the parents and their children the best in their search for healthy care, and that they would be able to see the beautiful child they have.
intermountain 09/18/2014
We regret that you feel dissatisfied with your experience. Intermountain staff try very hard to meet the unique treatment needs of every child and family and to maintain open and transparent communication. We invite you to contact our Quality Assurance Manager to discuss your concerns more fully.
Our son spent 16 months at Intermountain in its residential treatment program. The child we took there was angry, depressed, and physically unsafe. He was almost expelled from school. The child we brought home is completely different. He has made so many positive changes. He is safe, polite, respectful, and a good student. He has successfully completed 3 weeks at a new school. He is making friends and doing well with his school work. He is such a pleasure to be around and we are so proud of him. Without Intermountain, this transformation would not have been possible. Intermountain isn't just a "program," it is an entire way of life. Life in the cottage, at school, in chapel, and in the community all play an important role in the child's transformation. We are very thankful for Intermountain. It is the best money we ever spent!
I am a single parent to two adoptive children, one of whom has suffered with the emotional/behavioral chaos of attachment disorder since early childhood. Despite 4 years of intensive out-patient psychiatric counseling, tutoring and every imaginable therapeutic intervention available in our community, my daughter's condition continued to spiral downward to the verge of suicide and very likely homicide. I was having to call our local police department on a regular basis to help restrain my daughter from serious violence. I was at the brink of losing my family (and possibly my life). Now, after 18 months of residential treatment at Intermountain, we are an intact family ready to thrive. My daughter is returning home with the skills to manage her feelings and behaviors long before they get to the rage that previously overtook her mind and body. We as a family have learned important skills for success. There are no words adequate to express the depth of my gratitude to Intermountain. This program not only changes lives, it literally saves them!
As a former foster parent and an adopting parent, we have received a lot of education and experience in dealing with attachment impaired children. Intermountain has a research-based residential program for severely impacted children which is effective in helping the child rebuild a life and, just as importantly, supporting those who adopt these children to parent them in ways that are most effective so that the child can have the best chance to have a fulfilling life. Intermountain also has programs to help less-severely impacted children and families through counseling and training for children, parents and foster parents.
My wife and I have been intersted in the important work of Inter-Mountain for a number of years because of the good results they are now getting and have gotten in the past, with the lives that have turned from despair to hope. The foundation, the people who do the direct work with the children, as well as the entire organization, from the top director all the way through to the janitor, is so commited to building strong lives, that were once broken, is a real credit to the intire organization. The fact that Faith is the beginning and the end, should make each of you wery proud and thankful. Carol and Roy
Plain and simple: Intermountain gave this child his life back. The child was severely emotionally disturbed... had been "cared for" by an even more disturbed mother... and was incapable of functioning in the "normal" world.... had literally been expelled from kindergarden. After two years of care at Intermountain, he was interacting well with others, interested in school (and doing well), and actively engaged in outside activities. I visited several facilities before choosing Intermountain for him, and none came close.
Our adopted daughter spent two years at the Inter-mountain Deaconess Home for Children. After suffering repeated emotional trauma, our daughter learned how to trust adults again through her time at the home. My husband and I received training in how to parent an attachment impaired child and received wonderful support through the adoption. The staff really live out their motto..."Healing through healthy relationships". I have the highest regard for Inter-mountain Deaconess Home for Children.