Developing Self-Esteem is a Key to Strong, Healthy Relationships
One of the most effective treatment programs Boys & Girls Town provides children in our residential treatment program is therapeutic recreation.  When children are given the opportunity to interact in play, bond with an animal, sing or play an instrument, they uncover talents and and begin to identify strengths, improve self-esteem and practice problem-solving – all of which are keys to developing strong, health relationships. 

Boys & Girls Town recreation therapists utilize a variety of programs and group activities to enhance a child’s self-esteem and develop positive coping skills and emotional expression.  Unlike traditional physical education that focuses on improving skills, therapeutic recreation focuses on accomplishing treatment goals and objectives through ongoing recreational activities.

Equestrian Therapy
For more than 40 years, Boys & Girls Town of Missouri has matched horses with children who have severe emotional and psychological problems. The unlikely pairing was created after children at Boys & Girls Town developed strong bonds with horses during weekly recreational visits. Therapists discovered it was easier for children who had been abused or neglected or who experience emotional and behavioral problems to relate to their horse companions who offered unconditional love and affection. The successful combination created our now year-round Equestrian Therapy Program.

Today, this program impacts the lives of hundreds of children who are in our care. The first time in their young lives, children learn how to develop the bonds of trust. We witness the transformation of withdrawn, depressed youngsters into happy, self-confident children through the help of their new four-legged friend!

Most troubled young people have never experienced the joy of sharing, the exhilaration of being appreciated, or the satisfaction of a job well done.  Boys & Girls Town’s unique equestrian program offers them opportunities to experience these feelings of responsibility and success.

Qualified instructors work with groups of eight to 12 children, teaching them the fundamentals of proper animal care and safety.  While participating in trail rides, horse shows and other activities, the children gain an understanding and appreciation for their horse’s power and beauty.  They also learn more about themselves along the way and are often able to express their feelings in ways that traditional therapy cannot deliver. 

The Equestrian Therapy Program is an important enhancement to the treatment and educational programs we provide.  Weekly therapy sessions help these children process the skills and lessons they have learned.  The result is that children who have previously known only failure and pain now are able to set aside distrust, anger and defiance and learn to trust adults, their peers and themselves. 

Meramec Adventure Learning Ranch
Meramec Adventure Learning Ranch is the therapeutic adventure and experiential center of Boys & Girls Town’s therapeutic recreation program.  Situated on 1,200 pristine acres in the heart of the Ozarks, the Meramec Adventure Learning Ranch offers three miles of riverfront, wooded hills, fields, streams, bluffs and caves, as well as state of the art recreational facilities. It offers a secluded haven perfect for the youth at Boys & Girls Town of Missouri to experience therapeutic recreation program.

Meramec Adventure Learning Ranch blends high adventure and wilderness activities with the chance to have fun and be a kid in a safe supportive environment. We use these “out-of-the-norm” experiences and relate them to real life situations, helping individuals find their way, not just in the woods, but in life. All activities are planned, executed and processed to accomplish therapeutic goals.  These rigorous, yet exciting, activities help interrupt negative behavior patterns and provide the opportunity to adopt alternative behaviors and make better choices and leading to enhanced self-worth. 

School in the Wilderness, Boys & Girls Town’s therapeutic summer camp experience program, brings the best of therapeutic outdoor programs and adventure therapy together with an incredibly exciting summer camp-type experience designed to produce dramatic positive results in troubled children.  Children in Boys & Girls Town’s care and other therapeutic programs participate in a week-long program filled with hiking, challenge courses, waterfront activities, rappelling, horseback riding, land navigation and canoeing.  Along with these activities, youth are able to participate exciting summer camp activities in a safe structured environment that allow them to make positive decisions and changes in their lives and at the same time, build memories of “camp” that will last a lifetime.