Testimonials
From Students & Parents
As a former student, I can confidently state that I would not be the person I am today without the support of this community. After graduating from Crossroads, I went to college for Psychology. While in college, I went back to Crossroads to work as a staff in order to both give back to the community which helped me so much and to expand my opportunities in the psychology field. I have now earned my B.S. in Psychology and I am currently moving on to receive my Masters as a Clinical Mental Health Counselor/Licensed Professional Counselor. I hope to one day come back as a Therapist so that I may further give back to this amazing and supportive community that helped me through a very dark time in my life and guided me to this amazing point of my life which I now embrace wholeheartedly.
It has been 4 years that my son is in and out of many programs. Finally, we found the right place for him at Crossroads. His therapist, Matt Dahlin, was a life change! Matt’s style, flexible approach, calm, sensibility, and excellent communication have made my family and I to be in a much better place. He is by far the ONE for us! Really appreciated!
Crossroads Academy is an amazing program. About 6 years ago now I was a student here. I came here directly after wilderness therapy and was furious with my parents for not bringing me home. I now work here as a weekend staff and looking back on my time here I am 100% thankful to my parents for making that decision. For a teenager that struggles with behavioral and or drug related issues, this is the place you want to be. Crossroads will give you the opportunity to explore sports and activities that would be hard to access for the average teenager such as snowboarding, mountain-biking, climbing, and wake surfing just to name a few. The schooling is also a great opportunity to get caught up if you are behind, receive one on one tutoring, or even finish high school early with a diploma. The therapy aspect is a good balance of one on one sessions, family sessions, and growing your mental health naturally through the day to day activities. Crossroads also offers other options such as working, taking trade school classes, or even playing high school sports with a local high school. As far as working as a staff here goes, you not only get the perks of participating in all the fun activities, but also the feeling of fulfillment and actually making a difference in someone’s life who really does need it. I would highly recommend this program for both the struggling teenager, and also as a job for someone who is looking to do something with purpose and meaning while also having a lot of fun doing it.
Crossroads was life changing for our son. Our son never quite connected with a Therpist the way he did with Matt Dahlin. We are forever grateful for the staff at Crossroads and plan on keeping in very close contact with Matt moving forward.
Crossroads was the most essential and powerful experience for our son and our family.
What I think you need to know if you are considering this for your own son, is how much my son raves about his experience there. He's proud of what he did, the adventures he went on, the hard times he muscled through and became better on the other side. He remembers doing axe throwing, surfing in this indoor theme park, wake boarding, snow boarding, cliff jumping, cold lake plunges. He would tell you that the experiences were just as much a part of the treatment as any therapy.
As a clinician myself with a Ph.D. in child psychology, I can also tell you that this program is top notch. Their goal is to first provide the structure and support the boys need. Next, academically, the kids get on track. I would not underestimate the importance of the school, by the way. When your son finishes this program, his academic history will matter a lot. Crossroads really helped our son get his transcript in order.
And even more importantly, they prepare them for being able to be independent once they come back home. No matter how long it seems now, your kid will come back home and you want to be ready. Crossroads spends the most time of the program helping your son and your family make a smooth transition back home.
He's healthy now and off to college this coming fall. We just celebrated his 2 year anniversary. He has a saying that we all hold dear now..."People say, trust the process. I say at least TRY the process." Thank you Crossroads. I can't recommend this place enough.
I am a former student of crossroads and current staff at crossroads. I believe that crossroads helped me put to work the life lessons and point of views needed to go out and put all my therapy knowledge to use. As a student it was a very hard time, I of course I wanted nothing more than to be done with treatment, and go home but that was the last thing I needed. With the support of amazing staff that took the time to teach me new ways to be active and also listen and give me support when I needed it, I was able to stay in the present and really benefit from the experience.
With all the uncertainty about programs, if you the parent are ready to take the journey with you kid then it will make the world of difference, my true therapeutic breakthroughs didn’t occur until both my parents got into the process and were honest with themselves as well. A healthy relationship takes communication and that is a two way street. I can say as student and staff everyone at crossroads is dedicated to helping these kids get a second chance. I sure appreciated it.
My son spent 9 transformative months at Crossroads in 2022. After three months in the wilderness, he was able to practice living an imperfect life while facing challenges like temptations, unfairness, and dealing with disappointment, alongside an amazing group on therapists and staff. Was it perfect? Of course not, but life is not perfect. Living and learning with role models, the caring adults, many of which faced their own set of challenges in life, was invaluable. He's been home almost a year and has remained the thoughtful, strong, communicative young man we saw emerge at Crossroads. We will always deeply appreciate the owners, staff, therapists, educators, etc.
It has been just over a year since my son graduated from the Crossroads Academy and he is doing amazingly well. He didn’t always love every minute he was there, but he learned, grew and healed in the safe, caring environment they provided. His therapist and house manager were outstanding and he still has close relationships with many of the students and staff. I still have good relationships with the other parents and the house staff as well! They taught him how to integrate slowly, safely and productively back into everyday life with all the challenges society presents. Excellent program – I just can’t say enough positive things about it. Also, the parents have a facebook group with lots of support for each other – I am so grateful to the other parents as well! I highly recommend the Crossroads Academy and have endless gratitude for all they did to help my son get on track and move forward into the world.
I interviewed 3-5 therapeutic boarding schools and after meeting Derek Bowles my wife and I knew this was the best place for my son to receive treatment. They are caring therapists/parents to the kids in their charge. My son grew and thrived in their care. He has been clean and sober for over 10 years now. I am still friends with many of the team members all these years later. Please contact Derek if you want to discuss this matter with me. As far as I’m concerned he saved my sons life!
I attended cross roads academy during 2017. My story was a little different than most who attended. I had done my own research and chose this academy on my own and then told my parents I wanted to attend. You will find that every youth rehab program has a flashy website where they show smiling kids doing recreational activities, however crossroads actually delivers in the recreational department. By the way I had attended around 3 other programs before this one but every one of them before crossroads was dishonest with their advertisement. You’re probably aware of the unpromising statistics of rehab centers. I can’t give you one example of anyone I have met that never used again after completing a youth rehab program; this is probably because someone forced into recovery isn’t as invested as their loved ones. I began using again immediately after leaving the program (ran away actually, at around the 7-8 month mark). Although, it didn’t influence me as much as I would have liked in the short term I’ve found that I now have the tools to work on myself. I struggle with my sobriety to this day, have been sober since the 26th of October 2023. What I gained most from this program was one life long friend, my mental health improved considerably, and I gained confidence back that I had lost. I can’t name one staff member that didn’t deeply care for us. I definitely didn’t like all of them lol, but all of them were great people. Their program and system is set up better than any other youth program I have experienced but what truly sets them apart is the people they hire. Shawn , my therapist there was a great help to me. Part of the reason their therapy is more effective is that the therapists come on most of the trips we went on. We got to make a real bond instead of visiting their office once a week. At some of the other places I went to if it wasn’t your appointment they would brush u off quickly. I would encourage you to use a boarding school as your very last resort; but if you must send your kid away against their will crossroads is the place to do it! I do have one complaint though, update the pictures on your website! Many of them are the same as when I first saw it in 2017, I know your busy saving lives and all that but come on people!
I am a former student of crossroads and current staff at crossroads. I believe that crossroads helped me put to work the life lessons and point of views needed to go out and put all my therapy knowledge to use. As a student it was a very hard time, I of course I wanted nothing more than to be done with treatment, and go home but that was the last thing I needed. With the support of amazing staff that took the time to teach me new ways to be active and also listen and give me support when I needed it, I was able to stay in the present and really benefit from the experience.With all the uncertainty about programs, if you the parent are ready to take the journey with you kid then it will make the world of difference, my true therapeutic breakthroughs didn’t occur until both my parents got into the process and were honest with themselves as well. A healthy relationship takes communication and that is a two way street. I can say as student and staff everyone at crossroads is dedicated to helping these kids get a second chance. I sure appreciated it..
If you're reading this review you are likely in a difficult situation and facing one of the most challenging choices you will make for your son. I am sorry and I know how difficult it is. Our son was at CRA for 9 months in 2022. I am so incerdibly grateful that we chose CRA, it was definitely the right choice for our son and our family. The owners, therapists, house staff, academic director, and Nurse are all genuinely caring and invested in the boys and their job. The best words I can think of to describe Crossroads are: real, authentic, positive, solution oriented, open, fair, relational, and down to earth (and active - there is not another program to my knowledge that provides the boys with this much adventure, activity and trips and all with their therapist!). Crossroads gave our son the freedom to make mistakes while still being accountable in a safe environment. Matt Dahlin is excellent. He connected with our son like no therapist ever has. He has a relaxed, upbeat and relatable demanour. He is competent and really "gets" adolescent boys. He speaks their language! Matt was always available and genuinely cares about the boys and what he does. We are incredibly grateful to Crosssroads! Happy to speak with anyone who is considering CRA for their son.
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Programs
We have created a unique environment that emphasizes autonomy and purposeful living. As an established leader in teenage treatment, Crossroads Residential and Academy programs have set the standard for adventure and recreation in a treatment environment.
Our Approach
Recovery work with teens is most effective using a relationship-based approach and recreational therapies to build that connection. Crossroads has set the standard for adventure sports in a treatment setting, in conjunction with a diverse range of therapies and academic intervention.
