Eagle Ranch Academy receives strong endorsements from highly respected sources.
The Arslanian’s and their Eagle Ranch Academy have served Montel Williams, members of the NFL, well respected Mental Health Professionals (Doctors, Therapists, Psychologist’s, etc). And, when Dr. Phil’s attempt to help a struggling young basketball star failed (he even enlisted the help of Samuel Jackson, Coach Carter, and several NBA Stars), The Arslanian’s and ERA were there to help pick up the pieces. The young man has graduated from ERA and is now thriving and a family has been saved.
Check out the endorsements, advice, and websites of these well known figures. ERA Students learn valuable Life Lessons first hand from some of these outstanding people when they visit Eagle Ranch as Special Guests.
The Montel Williams Show
The Montel Williams Show selected the Eagle Ranch Academy Residential Treatment Center (RTC) as the best RTC in the USA to help two young struggling girls who appeared on the show on February 18, 2008’s segment titled, “Families in Crisis: Mothers And Daughters At War.” Are you a parent of a struggling teenager?
Call Eagle Ranch Academy at 888-698-7095
Dan Clark, Motivational Lecturer and New York Times Best Seller
When Dan Clark heard about the Arslanian’s commitment to helping families save a struggling Teen or Young Adult, he immediately called and offered his services.
Dan travels the world providing inspiration to thousands with his motivational talks. He was the first civilian taken into Iraq by our military leaders to provide support and inspiration to our troops. He delivered his message of hope and strength to over 30,000 of our brave soldiers.
Dan Clark has provided inspiration for some of the best of the best, and when he could have been any where in the world, he was with the Arslanian’s sharing his time with the students of Eagle Ranch Academy. We invite you to check out Dan Clark’s personal website – www.danclarkspeak.com
Dr. Maryann Rosenthal, Clinical Psychologist / Author / Speaker
– International authority on family dynamics and life achievement, offers a powerful endorsement of Eagle Ranch.
When Dr. Rosenthal speaks about the issues of today she says…”Our culture has become obsessed with immediate gratification, violent entertainment, celebrity status and skin-deep role models. In order to plant the seeds of greatness in our children, we must first step back and take a look at our own lives and actions.” As she continues speaking to Parents she offers valuable instructions on…”how to raise your family to be resilient, strong, and moral. Together we can raise children into champions in all corners of the world.”
Dr. Rosenthal is an advocate for Eagle Ranch. When Dr. Rosenthal speaks about Eagle Ranch Academy on national TV her endorsement of Eagle Ranch is clear when she said…”We have sent many young people there…and it is excellent…it is a really cool place.” When she directed her comments to some young people about coming to Eagle Ranch she said…”I think you would blossom…you would feel love …you would find your dream.”
Hear these powerful words on The Montel Williams Show Video
Dr. Rosenthal is an acclaimed Speaker and Author and her recent books include: “Raising Your Child to be a Champion” & “Be a Parent not a Pushover” Dr. Maryann Rosenthal has a lot to offer Parents with struggling teens, and you can read more about her views on her personal website – www.drma.com
The following is a letter from a mother of an ERA graduate offering advise to parents with students that are enrolled at Eagle Ranch Academy:
Dear Paul,
As our time with ERA comes to a close we are both sad and glad as I am sure Reuben is too. We will all be a little nervous going it on our own without the wonderful support of ERA. I know we will 
have long distance support, but we have come to love and trust your staff and will miss regular association. But we are so glad for the hard work you all have done on behalf of our family. Thanks forever!
Also, I have an idea that may help other parents of ERA students. One mom from Illinois has called me a few times. Her son, Nick, is a new student there. She was calling with some concerns and feelings that I had at first, too. So I am thinking that some of my experiences may be common to others as well.
If I could share some of my “what to expect” and “how to cope” thoughts, the gist of what I would share is: Trust the process. With each stage of the program, from admissions, to graduation, I have had to re-learn this dozens of times. If you don’t feel the staff or therapist are taking your child’s problem seriously enough, they are. They are just use to it and for you it is a shocking revelation.
Trust the therapist and staff. They are human and may make mistakes. Sometimes they are over worked and might even forget an appointment–something you have been waiting for all week! But they never forget your child and are constantly thinking of their welfare. They spend sleepless nights seeking for inspiration to motivate your child. Sometimes the assignments they give your child may seem a bit crazy! But they have a lot of experience with children like yours. They have the advantage of a totally controlled environment that you did not have at home and that alone, gives them the opportunity to direct your child in ways you could not.
ERA focuses on the things that got your child there. ERA is not an institution of academia. students do have an opportunity for and are encouraged to do accredited school work. But it is not the primary focus. Our son was there 8.5 months and completed more than one year’s worth of credits. But he was not putting in six hour school days or being particularly challenged. The
focus is on the student learning to govern himself in all things. It is on the 8 values. It is on making healthy choices, and in our son’s case, sobriety. ERA is about helping your child to focus on his family relationships. It is about discovering his weaknesses and strengths and learning what to do with those. Everything at ERA is about helping students leave ERA equipped to succeed outside of ERA.
There was a time when I was a little bothered that ERA did not have some fancy vocational training program or more advanced educational component. But before ERA my son was skipping classes and failing them and in a life threatening relationship with drugs. As a graduate he is now ready and eager to return to academic studies, finish his Eagle Scout award, get a part time job, participate in our family and church.
One thing I did that I would like to share with other parents was keep an ERA journal. Each time I got a postcard, I taped it into this spiral notebook. And when the therapist called, I dated the entry and took notes as she spoke with us. I wrote down the things our son said in the sessions and what we said. When that is your only contact with your child for an entire week, it helps to re-read those entries and make sure you and your spouse, correctly remember what was said. If gives you a way to monitor a particular issue and give some continuity to your sessions. And as the months go by, you can look back and see what your concerns were, remember how anxious you were, and realize how much you have grown as well. It will help you increase your trust in the process and the staff.
The new student mother who called me last week asked how long it was until we had our first phone session with our son. I couldn’t remember, so I got out my notebook. In looking back at those early entries, I recalled feeling anxious as this mother did. A few little lines on a postcard is not much to keep you going when you have just committed yourself to enormous debt and sent your child to strangers in the desert! Ten weeks was a long time then, to go without hearing my son’s voice and getting some reassurance from him that I had done the right thing. But now I realize the wisdom in that “time out” session. It gave our son and us a cooling off period that we didn’t realize we even needed. For ten weeks he was focusing on writing his amnesty paper and thinking about the things he had done to get him there. And for us, that ten weeks without the insanity that his choices had brought into our lives, healed us. We began to be restored to our former selves. With that peace came the strength we needed to begin looking at our own emotional growth. Keeping a journal helped this process.
Another thing I would like parents to know is that nothing at ERA is contrived. They do not use deception in any part of their program. I thought they did, but they don’t. There are plenty of times when simple human mishaps bring about opportunities that will test your child. Students learn to trust the staff and process, probably faster than you do, because they are there and can feel the genuine love and concern they have for each other.
The teaching method at ERA seems to be discovery. Little is spelled out for you and the students. When you are ready to know something, you will ask about it and get your answers. The therapist will help you and your child think about things and let you come to your own conclusions. They have always been willing to answer my questions and listen to my concerns. In my case, I had an aversion to the AA program as a resource for my son. The therapist, in her wisdom, listened to my concerns and told me her experience as a therapist. Over a period of months, she would explain how she had seen this program help a lot of people. As I began to trust my son more and hear his explanations of why he felt AA gave him support he needed, I softened. During his home visit, we had more experiences that changed the way I view that program. I appreciate the patience and wisdom of the therapist.
The beauty of ERA is time. It takes time for parents and students to discover the lessons they need to bring about growth that will promote success. I learned you cannot predict a graduation date and you cannot rush or force a student’s growth. You have to trust it will happen and trust that the staff have your child’s success and your budget in mind at all times. But this kind of life change cannot be forced or rushed. In talking with my son, he felt sorry for kids whose parents “pulled” them from the program to accommodate a school calendar or a financial crunch. These kids are smart and can sense the limit of a parent’s commitment to the program. They seldom succeed if they know there is a meter running. It just becomes a waiting game for those students. Our son had been a master manipulator and we knew his only chance for success could come in a program that was open ended, depending on his growth. So from the very beginning, we let him know we were committed to doing everything ERA asked of us and that we were determined to stay with the program to its completion. There were times when we were tempted, especially after the home visit. We had even been warned that parents sometimes felt their child was “fixed” after the home visit and did not even return the student to finish the program. It is a temptation. But I can’t even begin to tell you the growth that came in the two months following the home visit. I am so grateful we did not prematurely terminate his program.
I remember one of the first things his therapist said to us. After getting to know our son, we asked her if she felt there was hope for a real change. She said yes, but she hoped we had the stamina to stay with the program. It is hard and you may be tempted, but sticking with it is second most important thing you can do for your student. You have already done the first most important thing and that is to enroll him at ERA.
Sincerely,
Janene
Coach Sark, Hall-of-Fame Football Coach and Father
Sark Arslanian is not only a Hall-of-Fame Football Coach, but even more importantly he is the “Hall-of-Fame Father” for Eagle Ranch Academy Founders, Paul & Dave Arslanian.
He was married to his high school sweetheart for 37 years, and together they raised 6 successful children that have repeated the cycle by raising successful children of their own.
Sark & Verlyn Arslanian are the inspiration behind Eagle Ranch Academy. They showed how children in a loving, nurturing, disciplined home will grow and flourish; and then will repeat the cycle in their own homes. They also showed how to give of themselves to others, and how a helping hand along the way can truly make the difference in someone’s life at a critical time.
Verlyn, prior to her death from a long battle with cancer, was the glue that held everything together. Not only did she support “Coach Sark” in his coaching career, and raise 6 children; she also graduated from Utah State University as the Valedictorian of the Business College with 5 of those children hanging from her apron strings.
Coach Sark (as he is called by all that know him) was voted “least likely to succeed” by his junior high classmates, and has shown us all how to succeed when the odds are against you. His Parents died when he was 13, and with the help of a junior high football coach he made the decision to be a survivor rather than a victim.
Coach Sark says this about ERA: “I was sad when Paul and Dave decided to leave successful coaching careers; but now that I have see the significant impact their school is having on young peoples lives, I couldn’t be happier. As football coaches, together they built many winning programs; and they always took as much pride in the character and life skills development of their players as they did the football development. They produced many All-Americans and professional players, but their greatest satisfaction seemed to come from the great and successful young men they helped produce. Every year in coaching they had a handful of players that without football could have been dead or in jail; and now Paul and Dave have a school full of kids that without the opportunity of coming to Eagle Ranch, they would be dead or in jail. I couldn’t be prouder of my ‘coaching sons’ for the impact they are having on these important kids and their families.”
Jamie Martin, NFL Quarterback with the St. Louis Rams, Player-of-the-Year in College
When I heard my former coaches were running a Youth Program , I thought ‘How perfect’ – then I thought ‘how fortunate any young person would be to spend time with these great mentors’ – their parents will believe it is a GODSEND.
Bruce Covernton, 1st Team All-American, Weber State University, All-Pro & CFL Champion, Calgary Stampeders
“As a college and professional football player I saw many talented players that would have literally been dead or in jail if not for football; and I personally saw the Arslanian coaches use their Value Based Life Skills Coaching Program to not only change lives, but save them as well.”