Building self-esteem through accomplishment

In the past two decades, a healthy sense of self-esteem has been emphasized to support the well-rounded development of young people. While self-esteem was mistakenly seen as its own reward during the 90s, it is now understood by many educators and counselors as a desired effect of a child’s efforts rather than their cause.

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Self-esteem, it has been found, must be founded on concrete achievements. Students are supposed to feel good about their accomplishments. While a degree of confidence is needed to coax students into trying new things, praise should only be reserved for accomplishments; the more (and the better) they accomplish, the greater their rewards. The Washington Post even reports that too much unwarranted praise may make young people more dependent on outside feedback than self-started initiatives.

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Today, more educators would rather encourage students to work for their praise and recognition and have them build self-esteem from there. The satisfaction gained from a job well done (and the drive to improve from a less than satisfactory one) is seen as a better contributor than a positive self-image to academic performance and mental and emotional development.

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A combination of hard work, determination, a keen eye for mistakes and correcting them, and the ensuing satisfaction and praise of a job well done is one of the keys to holistic development, according to current pedagogical standards.

Turn-About Ranch is committed to helping troubled teens overcome behavioral issues through a combination of ranch responsibilities, animal-assisted therapy, and psychiatric therapy sessions. Visit this website for more information.

The truth about learning styles

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The tenets of learning styles continue to be widely accepted by the educational system. Learning style proponents assert that individuals differ in regard to their modes of learning, such that people are separated into distinct types of intelligences identified by psychologist Howard Gardner.

However, a 2008 study discloses that the concept of learning styles is a myth. The researchers found no particular type of interaction between learning style and mode of instruction which is a precondition for corroborating the uses of learning styles in the general educational practice.

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Psychology professors Cedar Riener and Daniel Willingham also found that the concept is obscure, debunking in their article the common notion that students can be categorized into auditory, kinesthetic, and visual learners as previously proposed by Gardner. The authors contend that students’ preferences about how to learn make no difference when tested under controlled conditions. They affirm that “learning is equivalent whether students learn in the preferred mode or not.”

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These contradictions provoke educators to rethink their instructional practices and urge them to investigate the potential of educational programs focused on the “universal learning style of the human mind” which, perhaps, forms the basis for the residential treatment programs of therapeutic boarding schools, such as Turn-About Ranch. Under the schema, students process information from a variety of methods instead of learning from a limited type of module. The specialized structure supports experiential learning which could be a good supplement to conventional instructional methods.


Turn-About Ranch concentrates on providing students with authentic experiences that promote academic and personal growth. Its programs feature regular therapy sessions set against the backdrop of a ranch environment. Go to this website to learn more about its innovative educational programs.

How equine therapy promotes focus and tactile skills in children with developmental disorder

Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDD)—most notably Asperger’s syndrome and autism—hinder children from having normal verbal and non-verbal communication abilities, make them over-focus on a certain area of interest, and turn them clumsy and repetitive with their speech patterns. Medication is often used to alleviate the conditions, but is often taken only to control symptoms like hyperactivity or seizures. Thus far, there has been no known cure for these disorders yet.

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Recent studies, however, reveal that animal-assisted therapy can be highly beneficial for children with PDD. Equine (horseback riding) therapy, for example, has shown to have positive effects on the physical, emotional, social, cognitive, behavioral, and educational skills of patients. The rhythmic motion of riding a horse helps kids to indirectly enhance their focusing senses, triggered primarily by the slow, deliberate, and relaxing movement of the animal.

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Apart from providing rhythmic motion benefits, equine therapy also stimulates tactile senses. Patients get to feel the horse’s skin, mane, nose, and tail. Being able to distinguish the surface qualities of these animal parts, children are able to develop their verbal communication skills and interest in other physical objects.

As per research, introducing children to “animal friends” helps them relax and lower their stress. The playful nature of animals draw patients out of their shells, helping them become more relationally open to others.  

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Turn-About Ranch is an adolescent treatment center in Utah that caters to the needs of troubled youth through equine therapy and other programs. Visit its official website for more information.

Tempering your temper: Reining in anger before it controls you

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Anger is a natural emotion. People feel it all the time, often when they would rather not. Of course, like most emotions, anger should be expressed as other emotions should (indeed, the American Psychological Association emphasizes how doing otherwise is harmful). With this in mind, people ought to let anger pass, or divert or express it in positive ways.

This emotion, unpleasant as it may be, is a natural response to threats and irritants, and leads to many heightened (though sometimes negative) feelings and behaviors, which in some cases can allow people to take up arms and defend themselves. A little anger in one’s life, therefore, is necessary in survival situations.

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However, while psychologists point out the dangers of bottling up anger, expressing anger through aggression only serves to heighten feelings of anger and do nothing for the well-being of the angry person. Moreover, such a mentality is often used as a license to cause harm to others, and can be detrimental to the mental health of the aggressor in the long run. There is a reason why Christian philosophers have named uncontrolled anger—wrath—a cardinal sin.

While it is true that anger is natural and not necessarily harmful, acting on it is often against laws, mores and traditions, and common sense. People should make it a habit to discover ways to channel anger in less aggressive or destructive ways. This pamphlet from the American Psychological Association provides more information on the matter.

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Turn-About Ranch specializes in providing both traditional and nontraditional therapy methods for teens with issues on self-inflicted abuse, anger management, and the like. Visit this page for more information.

Harnessing the healing power of human-animal bond

Humans and animals share a powerful bond. Through the ages, this bond has been the source of solace and relief for people who suffer from physical or emotional pain. The healing power of this relationship is explored through what is known today as animal-assisted therapy.

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Animal-assisted therapy is a known preventive and interventive method which is held by the contribution of specially trained animals and professionals. The animals can be used to promote certain advancements in individuals receiving therapy, including the calming effect that positive animal interaction brings. Animal-assisted therapy is also seen as an important catalyst for therapist-patient bonding.

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Moreover, animal-assisted therapy has been especially effective with children. A slew of studies have shown that children have an innate fascination and curiosity toward animals, which makes it easier for a child to empathize and relate to an animal whose actions are simple and obvious, than with a human who exhibits more complex behaviors.

Although some do ask whether animal-assisted therapy can indeed initiate long-lasting improvements especially in mental health, what cannot be denied is that therapy does work with the aid of an animal. The benefits of animal-assisted therapy for humans with mental disorders have been well-documented using cats and dogs. Studies have also noted that therapy using farm animals have positive influences on self-efficacy and coping ability among patients with long-lasting psychiatric symptoms.

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The right kind of human-animal bond can bring forth powerful changes in a person’s life. This website explains how Turn-About Ranch in Utah employs equine therapy in helping troubled teens.