The Vortex

It has been a long winter here. It seems each time we decided to try to have a hike or an outdoor activity it would snow. We have finally seen some good weather and decided to take advantage of it. I found this hike online and it was a little difficult to get there, (directions are not my thing) but we did finally find the trail and we were able to hike. At the top of this hike is a hole that was formed by erosion and according to the websites can be full of water. We were able to see standing water in many of these holes. The focus of the hike is to see how you have weathered the storms in your life and still standing. At the top of the hill we discussed how perspectives change when you look at things differently. 

 Some pics of us on the trail. 

 More trail pics.

 There was some very neat scenery on this hike. 

 The fearless leaders! 

 The youth who are also fearless and can do hard things!

 The Vortex.

Snow Canyon State Park

It's been cold lately! We really wanted to get the youth out to do some hiking and get some fresh air. We headed to Snow Canyon State Park where we went on a hike. The focus of the day was goal setting and what goals did the youth want to accomplish this year. We spent time in group discussing goals. 

Bryce Canyon

Bryce Canyon was one of the last therapy days we had. It's crazy that this place is such a short distance from us! It is an amazing place, if you have not been, you should take the chance and go there. We spent the hike discussing trials in one's life and how to over come those trials. It made for a great discussion. 

The Holidays at Turning Point

Christmas time is a difficult time for many of the youth here at Turning Point. For some this is their first Christmas away from home. For others it may be just another year they do not get to spend the Holidays with their family. This year we worked hard to make new holiday traditions at Turning Point. We brought in some of our own family traditions from making gingerbread houses to having Santa Claus visit on Christmas Eve. We also took the youth to look at Christmas Lights and drink hot chocolate. 

We held our family day on the 19th. Mrs. Carlile and her cooking class made a great lunch. The theme this year was Mexican food and it did not disappoint. We also held a family group on communication which was great as many families shared stories and thoughts they had. We appreciate all the families that were able to come and spend the day with their son!

We really enjoy working with these young men and look forward to what they next year brings us!

Longest Day In October

 This month according to tradition we did a long, long day. We held many groups throughout the day and focused on the youth. We used the theme of victim empathy and empowerment throughout the day. We started the day off early with a big breakfast to fill the boys up. After that we went to two different homes to help the owners of the homes with their yard work. The boys and staff helped trim trees, rake leaves, throw stuff away, dig up gardens, etc. The people were so happy to have the help and really appreciated the help. This is a great way for our youth to interact in the community, not only to get their service hours, but to show that they can make a positive difference in someone else's lives.

As administration we decided to start a new peer council for the youth. We developed this as a way to empower the boys in the facility and hopefully get them to see that they can control things in a positive way and use this control and power to build healthy relationships and have a happy life.
We also did groups on self esteem, treating others with respect, and attunement with each other during the afternoon.

As dinner time approached we let the youth know that they would be in charge of cooking their own dinners. We gave them the ingredients and told them to make what they wanted to make. We also broke them up into teams. It was a good way to see the youth come together and resolve conflict, or they did not resolve conflict. Some of the food was great, some of it was not.

 As the sun went down and dinner was cleaned up we had the youth read the following poem.

The Cold Within

Six humans trapped by happenstance
in black and bitter cold
Each possessed a stick of wood,
Or so the story's told.
Their dying fire in need of logs,
the first woman held hers back
For on the faces around the fire
She noticed one was black.
The next man looking 'cross the way
Saw one not of his church
And couldn't bring himself to give
The fire his stick of birch.
The third one sat in tattered clothes
He gave his coat a hitch,
Why should his log be put to use
To warm the idle rich?
The rich man just sat back and thought
Of the wealth he had in store,
And how to keep what he had earned
>From the lazy, shiftless poor.
The black man's face bespoke revenge
As the fire passed from his sight,
For all he saw in his stick of wood
Was a chance to spite the white.
And the last man of this forlorn group
Did naught except for gain,
Giving only to those who gave
Was how he played the game.
The logs held tight in death's stilled hands
Was proof of human sin,
They didn't die from the cold without,
They died from the cold within.


James Patrick Kinney

After this we headed out on a hike at which the end they were greeted by the fire. At the fire they were to read on a piece of paper what was keeping their cold within and to burn it if they were ready to move forward. This was a very moving experience for so many of the youth, staff and therapists as well.

We truly work with some great kids. 

We look forward to the next big activity!

Therapy Day At the Southwest Wildlife Foundation of Utah

The therapy day we participated in this month was a little different than the others. There is a man in Cedar City who is a  Master Falconer and Educator and has over 46 years experience working with animals, especially birds. His name is Martin Tyner. He gave us a great presentation on his Golden Eagle, Scout, and his hawk. The youth have been reading his book, "Healer of Angels" that is about his life. Many of the youth can relate to him as he struggled with a learning disorder and other trials in his life. He worked hard to become a Master Falconer and to have the Southwest Wildlife Foundation of Utah. He was inspirational to many youth. 

We were also able to have a picnic at a local park where the youth were able to relax and enjoy being outside. 

Intensive Therapy Day February

The weather has been nice lately in Cedar City. For our therapy day this month we chose to head over to the softball fields to play some softball! Pod A beat Pod B in a close game 18-17. It was a fun time as staff and youth both were able to play. 

After the softball game we ate lunch (which is some of the boys favorite time of the day) Kalua Pork and rice. It was great! 

Once we had cleaned up from lunch we had a guest speaker. His name is Ray Elam. He is a member of the Cherokee Nation. He gave an amazing talk on the background of Native American Tribes, where they lived, how they lived, and much more. He enjoys sharing his culture and encourages others to embrace who they are. One of the big things he shared that with the boys was not to stereotype Native Americans, and that most do not live up to the negative stereotypes that many place on Native Americans. He ended his talk with telling the boys that they do not have to live up to the negative stereotypes that they have been given and they can be so much more. The boys really enjoyed hearing from Ray and he is an amazing person who has given a lot back to the Native American Community. 

Hurricane Canal Trail

Hello! Our intensive therapy day for the month was spent hiking the Hurricane Canal Trail. Wikipedia has a short history on the trail :

Hurricane Canal and Canal Trail

For approximately 80 years, the Hurricane Canal was the lifeblood of the Hurricane Valley. Built over a period of 11 years (1893–1904), mostly by pick and shovel, the canal stands as a testament to pioneer ingenuity and determination. Since 1985, the canal has lain empty. In 2000, special interest groups came together to preserve the canal, receiving grants and volunteering time to construct a trail to stand as a tribute to the sweat and toil early settlers put forth to make the canal a reality. A monument at the trailhead recounts the canal story in brief. Much of the trail, which only covers a small section of the canal, is the actual west bank of the canal, which “canal riders” rode every day when the canal was in operation to ensure there were no leaks or other problems since the bank was somewhat unstable. Two of the trail’s unique aspects are walking in the canal itself – on a steel flume across a wash and through a tunnel immediately thereafter. The trail provides excellent views of the towns of Hurricane and La Verkin throughout. The trail ends before reaching the Virgin River Gorge, approximately five miles from the canal’s former headwaters..

This was a challenging hike at times, but very rewarding. It was a great hike.

The focus of the day was on what can we or the youth build on to make our lives better. We looked at the way these forefathers of Hurricane had built this canal to bring water to the valley. We challenged the youth at different stops along the way to ask them what they can build on to help them in their lives. How can they become more successful? Are they prepared to work as hard as they need to in order to be successful? We had some interesting and enlightening conversations.  

All in all, it was a great hike. It is always such a great time to get the youth out of the facility and out into nature. We enjoy our times spent together and it truly is a great experience. 

Family Day!

Christmas time means family to so many people. We try to make it about family here at Turning Point. This year we invited all the parents to Turning Point to spend some time with their sons. 

The day started off with a parent group. The group's focus was on how the parents feel after their sons have sexually acted out. Rick read a letter from a former parent that detailed some of their frustrations and anger at their son for sexually acting out and changing much of their lives. Many in the group could relate to the feelings that this parent felt. It also gave the youth in the group the opportunity to see how their parents felt and how their sexually acting out may have changed their families' lives. 

After group we held a graduation ceremony in which two young men graduated from high school and one graduated the program. It was a perfect day to hold the celebration in which so many parents were present and hopefully can cheer their son on to do the same.

We were then treated to a fantastic lunch. Each quarter a teacher has a cooking class in which they spend the entire quarter learning how to prepare the menu for the parent day. This year it was Italian themed. It was great! 

Once lunch is over the parents have a chance to visit with their son, have a family therapy session, and a parent teacher conference. 

We are so thankful to have parents who support their sons. 

Longest Day Ever, Ever!!!!

Each month here at Turning Point we try to have what we call "The Longest Day Ever". This day is a day in which we spend as much time as we can with the youth in therapeutic activities. This month we decided that in having "The Longest Day Ever" we would challenge ourselves and the youth to have a very long day. As in 24 hours of group and together time! The following pictures are just a snapshot of some of the things we did throughout the day. We did learn a lot about ourselves as therapists, but we also learned a lot about the youth we work with. One thing that I learned was that we were able to challenge our youth and they were able to live up to those challenges. We were also able to see a different side of  many of the youth and that was neat. I think the youth were also able to see a different side of many of the adults! We had a great time and cannot wait to see what the next "Longest Day Ever" brings!

 Some of our youth doing service. This was a very special part of the day as we were able to help out a couple that truly needed service, but also were very appreciative of the hard work our youth did on their yard and home. 

 We challenged each of the pods to cook their own meals! They did great at the challenge and some of the food was even worth eating!!!

 For one of the group activities we had each youth create a mask to show their true feelings and what they are hiding on the inside. It was a powerful activity for many of them. 

 In the middle of the night we had a hike and this was the sight that greeted them when they arrived at the end. It was also great because it kept us warm! We held a group here about committing to the program and to the changes that need to be made to show their victims they have changed. 

Of course we have to have a picture of the sun rise. We had each youth spend some quiet time and watch the sun rise and think about who they are and what they need to do in order to succeed. It was a great day. We were all very tired, but it truly was a great experience for all who were there. 

Thanks for reading!