This is a long over due review. Cannot say enough about Matt Dahlin and the staff at Crossroads, they are kind and compassionate, and we had a great experience. There is something so powerful in their therapeutic model of taking the boys out and giving them adventures. I so appreciated that Matt would spend 4 days a month with the boys doing something cool! Giving him the chance to see the the boys in real time - how they handled the things that they were experiencing. I feel it was a really great stepping stone in my son's journey - learning that he was capable, and finding self love. Grateful for our experiences at Crossroad and getting the chance to work with Matt! read more

Like most parents, we had never heard of a 9 month therapeutic boarding school. We had a fantastic experience at Family First but went into the next phase completely blindly, trusting the success stories of other families who went there along with our therapeutic consultant who knew Crossroads was the best in the business. I talked to 2 young men, now in college, about their experience at Crossroads and they both assured me it was the best thing that ever happened to them. We were scared, had no clue how it would play out but 9 months later - it was the best thing that ever happened to us as well. We are incredibly grateful for our amazing 9 month experience at Crossroads. From the very beginning, Sam went above and beyond. The awesome staff created a safe, structured and compassionate environment for the boys to grow and build confidence. The therapeutic support was fantastic. We're still working with his amazing therapist Noah post-treatment. Watching our son grow over time through our family sessions was truly remarkable. He came home with practical tools and coping strategies that he continues to use every day. Tyson, the substance use counselor, has been absolutely incredible. His ability to resonate and communicate is on another level. Our son works with him as well post-Crossroads and speaks so highly of him. The therapeutic team has been remarkable. The academic program was personalized and ensured he not only stayed on track but he graduated a year early. Cindy, the education coordinator, is beyond amazing. She coordinated weekly subject and ACT tutors. She has helped us so much post-Crossroads as he applied to several colleges and needed various things from her throughout the process. Cindy is a true gem!! Coultin, the house manager, was super organized and a great communicator. He made sure our son kept up with his eye doctor, allergist, orthodontist, etc - along with coordinating everything in between. We actually ended up liking the doctors more in Ogden than here in Dallas - truly impressive! Crossroads helps everyone individually find their passion. There's something for everyone. Our son skied 45 times, worked out daily, went wake boarding/surfing and enjoyed weekly guitar lessons from Max G. The kids traveled to St George, Pineridge, Yellowstone, Lake Powell and even Costa Rica! Outside of home visits he also came with our family on international trips to Columbia and Italy. Watching our son transform at Crossroads - both emotionally and personally has meant the world to us. We definitely had ups and downs throughout but that's the only way to grow. The program made him stronger, more self-aware and ready to take on the next chapter of his life with clarity and confidence. We can't recommend this school highly enough to any family seeking a therapeutic environment where kids are supported and set up to thrive. Everyone was amazing but a special shout out to Noah, Tyson, Cindy, Coultin, Noah R, Max G, Garrett K, Tyler B, Max J, Nick R, Jake, Drew, Sam, Eric, Derek and anyone else we're forgetting. Everyone was fantastic. Thank you for making Crossroads feel like a home away from home. We are forever grateful. read more

I was at Crossroads Academy 11 years ago with the previous reviewer, "Ryan L". Me and almost all the other students had a very different experience there.  Not even sure what he meant by "severe punishment".  Crossroads uses a relationship model, definitely not a punitive one.  The idea that they use "Mormon religious beliefs" is a just so far from the truth.  Religion was not part of the program ever.  I get that Ryan didn't want to be there, but presenting Crossroads the way he did is so far from how it actually is.  If you needed to be somewhere, this was the place. We didn't have to earn recreation.  We snowboarded 4x a week, could go to the gym daily, wakeboarded in the summer and could skate everyday at the house or at the local parks.  We had weekend visits with our parents whenever they could come out and we went on home visits starting at 3 months.  We could actually check out on our own at 4 months, which allowed us to get a job.  Going to this program was a life changing experience that has had a lasting impact on my life. The therapists and staff helped me through a hard time that I will cherish forever. I am grateful for this place that played such an important role in my life. There will always be people that don't believe they need any help or have a want to change, and so will they focus on the negative.  But to be honest, there just wasn't much negative. I will forever be grateful for my experience at Crossroads. read more

According to the book "Beyond Addiction", "trust, empathy & a positive, nonjudgmental attitude on the part of the therapist (& the relief from shame & humiliation that comes with that attitude); on the client's part, the freedom to make mistakes & still feel accepted & feeling understood for who he truly is (not needing to hide, including hiding behaviors like substance use) is the power of a good therapist." This describes the culture of Crossroads Academy. Relationships are key and Crossroads does an excellent job at establishing those relationships with the boys and their parents beginning on day one. Sending our son over 1500 miles away in October 2023 was by far the most difficult decision we have ever made, but it also turned into our best parenting decision. Our son's therapist, Matt Dahlin, had the ability to speak our son's language and to connect with him, contributing significantly to our son's healing. This resulted in more progress with Matt in his first month at Crossroads than he had made over the previous 1.5 years with 6 other therapists combined. Matt kept us connected with our son through text updates, pictures and video clips and always encouraged local visits on the weekends to continue to re-build our relationship with our son. Crossroads outdoor experiential approach to therapy is like no other program out there. It allowed our son to have 40+ hours per week engaging with his therapist and staff in a non-traditional outdoor setting through hiking, weightlifting, mountain biking, skiing/snowboarding, wakeboarding, skateboarding, climbing, community service and many other activities. This approach was integral in his overall healing as it gave him an opportunity to breathe and be himself without feeling like he was constantly under the microscope. Crossroads staff is majority male (minus the director of education, one house supervisor and a nurse practitioner) and their staff are cool, edgy, physically active and creative adults who have a calling to mentor and love troubled teenage boys unconditionally. If you are at Crossroads, you are family. Our son transitioned home 7-weeks ago and he is knocking it out of the park balancing life-- mental health, sobriety, friends, family, school, work, and being active. Crossroads not only saved his life, but helped him create a new one that he loves. Our relationship with our son and the way we communicate has completely changed for the better. The light is now back in our son's eyes and his smile beams with confidence. That is the work of Crossroads! We will be forever grateful for each person that contributed both big and small--Matt, Tyson, Coulton, Jackson, Will C, Micah, Parker, Coz, Malinda, Cindy, KC, Cooper, Monte, Armondo, Sam, and Eric. You are all doing God's work and are a gift our family will never forget. read more

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A great place to help you get your child the help they deserve. A caring home situation with quality staff and therapy.

Do not send your son here under any circumstances. The Dahlins will tell you anything you want/need to hear to get your money. And they are very convincing. Most of the kids here have very serious drug/addiction issues. Our son did not. The Dahlins flat out lied to us. The counselors who worked there would say to our son when their shift was over, "I'm sorry I get to leave and you are stuck in here with all these psychos." My husband went and rescued - seriously rescued -- him after a month there. Huge regret, there is no genuine care for these troubled boys, just a money making enterprise for the Dahlins. Most of the programs in Utah are just money makers for those who run them and your child will come out more damaged than they were before they went in. There are some good programs out there, do the research and speak to as many parents of kids who attended as you can before trusting any of them with your child. read more

Crossroads works! As a parent with lots of anxiety about where to send my kid for help, these guys made it easy. My son learned a lot and got way better. He was able to graduate HS on time, and got into multiple colleges. He benefited significantly from a program they have with a local traditional HS. Layton Christian Academy,. Here he was able to play football. This made his transition way easier. He also was able to meet more good people who cared for him from all over the world. Crossroads is a family run business which I like, I think they care more. Matt Dahlin was his counselor and was a great influence. They understand "boys" and their diverse needs. They get that not every kid fits in the box. They have a cool program where the boys are required to work a local job. Another real world method to instill discipline, responsibility, and a sense of pride. They also promote physical exercise indoors and out. They use local gyms, outside ski slopes and lakes during each season. Community service projects are also a big part of the program. I would, and have recommend Crossroads Academy to any family who's trying to get help for their child. Ps my son did get hurt snowboarding, his councelor who was on the trip called us immediately. FaceTimed us in fact so we could see our guy...they took good care of him read more

If you're reading this then you're trying to find the right place for your son to help you all get through some tough times. We were right there and its new and daunting and confusing. I acknowledge that every kid is unique and there's no one size fits all, but I can tell you that Crossroads was everything we hoped it would be, and more. Start with the boys that we met when made an initial visit. Relaxed, comfortable, many were confident and articulate about why they were there and how they had grown and improved. Not forced, not fake, not under the watch of anyone. It was genuine and meaningful.   What we saw that worked for our son was that he needed to stay busy with school, activities (not traditional organized team sports, but skiing, skateboarding, climbing, more), and a real job. All this to promote growth from disobedient teen to confident young adult in an environment where they are accepted no matter who they are or what challenges they're facing.   Crossroads is well-rounded, keeping them busy mentally, physically, emotionally, and socially, all under the guise of living a real life that fulfills the boy's own desire for earned empowerment and respect.   The integration with kids who have different strengths and weaknesses is a learning opportunity itself, and your son will become friends with this variety of guys who help and learn from each other.   There will be some conflict with parents, therapists, and other kids. There will be some tears, some bad calls, and more pain. But we know that's what it takes to get through. These guys have seen it all, and many times, and they will help you through it. Nothing phony, all genuine, all practical. No guarantees, we all know that, but Crossroads gave us the best chance.   Don't forget the support staff. You mostly talk with your son's therapist but your son interacts daily with everyone from his academic advisor to the house mom, night staff, and more. Every one of them makes an important contribution to your son's growth and all were quietly influential all the way through.   Crossroads promotes a path is that is lined with positivity and realistic opportunities to earn more freedom and the ability to manage themselves. We witnessed development in goal setting, support for others, and realization of the importance of self-improvement on very specific behaviors. It's been real and so satisfying for our entire family. read more

Can't say enough good things about the Crossroads program! The entire staff was there to help our son and our family. Our son needed to see the amazing person he is- We are incredibly grateful for Matt Dahlin and everyone at Crossroads for helping him see beyond his troubles. Matt and the staff helped him grow, mature and find his spark again.If you have son who is lost and needing guidance, we highly recommend Crossroads! read more

We found ourselves in an extremely difficult situation with our son at the age of 17 due to stealing alcohol, drinking, smoking pot and being extremely disrespectful to us, we knew that we needed to find someplace or someone who could help navigate our son in the right direction. For us, Crossroads Academy was the answer to our prayers! We loved that our son was able to continue to enjoy everyday life while learning the highs of life that come with activities such as snowboarding, wakeboarding, hiking, mountain biking.... Crossroads focus is on each individual boy and what their specific need is. For our son, he needed to begin to understand what it meant to be high functioning Autistic and learn to love himself. Crossroads and his relationship with Matt Dahlin his Therapist was one of the most positive things that could have happened to our son and our family. At Crossroads, our son was able to focus on recovery, recreation and relationship/problem solving in his day to day life. We loved that unlike some of the other RTC programs we looked at, Crossroads allows the boys to be trusted and face the consequences of their decisions. They aren't behind a locked gate. They are in the real world, working out at the local Gym, going to movies and dinner on Friday nights in groups along with amazing trips they take with the boys. Our son spent just under a year at Crossroads and played on the Ogden Club Soccer Team - a passion that he has always had and was able to continue. Staff members always made sure he got to and from practices and games and even went to cheer him on. As a parent, we can all agree that there is nothing natural about sending your child away. It was the scariest and saddest thing we ever had to face. From day one, Matt and the entire staff made us feel comfortable at every turn. Our weekly Zoom calls with our son and his therapist Matt helped build back trust and an openness we didn't ever think would exist again with our son. Being able to keep up with Academics during his time at Crossroads was important to us and it allowed him to transition into his junior year of High School back at home and graduate with his HS diploma. When I went to pick him up to bring him home, there was a sadness for him in that he had made some really great friends and that was hard to leave. They let me sit in during the very last group meeting where each of the boys told my son something they loved about him and what they would miss. This brought tears to my eyes because I could tell that our son was truly loved and learned how to love himself during his time at Crossroads. We are forever grateful to Crossroads, Matt Dahlin and the entire staff for showing us that we were right to trust handing over our son in their very capable hands!!! read more

Cross Roads Academy in Ogden Utah has been a savior for our teenage child and our family. After our teen completed 3 months in an excellent wilderness program, we knew aftercare was going to be a critical part of the ongoing healing process. We decided on Cross Roads and were grateful every day that we chose this place for our child. The staff, the Dahlin Family that manages CR, and in particular Matt Dahlin were caring and stable beacons of light through a chaotic family period. Their outstanding care of our teen and help to our family was immeasurable. Our teen is now back home, healthy and doing great! It is a journey and we are grateful every day to Matt and Cross Roads for helping our family get back to a healthy and happy household. There are a lot of residential treatment centers to choose from, and CR is one of the best for struggling teens. read more

Our son transitioned to Crossroads Academy from a wilderness program. After 15 weeks away, he wasn't ready to come home, and we weren't equipped to have him home. He entered the programs defiant, non-complaint, school avoidant, and using drugs. The Crossroads program and the staff are amazing, from the therapists, to the house manager, to the evening and weekend supervisors and the academic director, each are invested in the success of participants and their families. I liked that they let us speak with current participants to ask them about the program and how they felt about being there. Seeing their relaxed postures, smiles and confidence made us feel comfortable in selecting Crossroads for our son. Crossroads provides balance between therapy, school, exercise/physical activity and employment. They do a great job preparing boys to transition back into the demands of daily life, equipping them with tools to become successful. We were fortunate to have Derek Bowles as our son's therapist and we have seen an amazing transformation in our son. I'm happy to share that he completed high school early and has been working steadily, saving money for college in the fall. He's been offered a 4-year scholarship and is excited for the future. Thanks to Crossroads Academy, our son sees a future for himself. read more

Crossroads is by far the best decision we could have made. No other place we visited offered the warmth, authenticity and high level of standards that Sam Dahlin gave us on our first visit. Matt Dahlin then provided our son with the respect, compassion and all-around best therapy we could have hoped for, giving him the tools he needed to manage anxiety, gain confidence and realize his potential. And our son was the most active of his life while there as he mastered snowboarding, rock climbing and mountain biking, to name a few. Nearly two years post Crossroads, our son has peace in his life and is healthy, well-adjusted, confident, and doing well in college thanks to Matt, Sam, and the staff. Highly recommend. read more

If you are reading this review, then you are most likely in a highly emotional state, and having to make a a very important decision about someone you love. As a parent of a former student at Crossroads Academy, I can wholeheartedly say that my family is forever grateful for the support and love our son/brother received while in their care. The structure and system that Crossroads provides is caring and safe, and at the same time designed to promote healthy independence and self-love. The boys are provided excellent one-on-one and group counseling for both personal issues and substance abuse issues (thanks Nik and Tyson). The classroom setting at Crossroads helped my son stay right on track with school. The house setting felt like a home (thanks Coultin), with dinners together, cleaning chores, fun group outings for various activities, and supportive accountability among the boys living there. One last thing, the staff truly cares about each student, and were so supportive of my son and his personal journey. My son is a happy and thriving young man today! I highly recommend Crossroads Academy. read more

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. read more

Not sure where to start, and typically I wouldn't take the time to write a review of a business; but our family's experience with Crossroads is simply too important and meaningful to not share. Like any of the reviews you will see, we were a family in crisis with a son (and the rest of the family) that needed help with no idea how to go about getting it, all the while feeling like the world was spinning out of control. Crossroads was the answer, and Matt Dahlin was the strength and the glue for our path forward. My son, and our family, will never be the same in such remarkable and meaningful ways. Not only are things back on track, but frankly my son has grown into himself in ways I didn't think would be possible. And I'm proud to say that my wife and I have as well. Crossroads keeps the kids very active, connects with them meaningfully, let's them still experience the real world, allows them to fail, to fall, and most importantly teaches them how to pick themselves up and adjust. There are very few professions that truly have such noble and giving foundations, and there are so few businesses in this profession that achieve excellence. I guess that's what I would simply say. Crossroads achieves a level of excellence in an area for families that is so scary and overwhelming that it makes their success that much more impactful. And everyone on the team at Crossroads is wonderful, but I just can't say enough about Matt D. He cares for my son as much as I do...I feel that unquestionably. And his skill at connecting with all the boys he works with is truly inspiring. My son is just finishing up high school, is heading to college, and has such a bright future. Crossroads unquestionably was the key. It sounds like such an overstatement, but it's just the truth...Matt Dahlin and his team were the light in the darkness. I feel so grateful for them in our lives. Truly grateful. read more

This is a great step down program for transitioning boys with substance abuse issues and other moderate family relationship issues from a more restrictive rehab or treatment facility, to transition them back to the real world. You will not find a warmer or more supportive staff. Our son thought the world of his therapist and the staff, and he made many friends among the peers there. They use an Arbinger-based truly "relational" style of therapy. They're not using fear to create fake change in the boys. They use their position of respect to help the boys be successful. This isn't a Behavior modification model cloaked as relational therapy like many of the programs appear to be. Derek Bowles and Sam Dahlin and their team of therapists and recreational therapists keep the boys busy and teach them responsibility as well as helping them to learn new passions to replace their unhealthy ones. They do a fabulous job with exposing the boys to new outdoor experiences and they get to visit some of the most beautiful parts of Utah and Idaho. They are able to tailor the experience to the child. They allowed our son to participate in a lacrosse team with a local high school. Their school is accredited and set up to help the boys have better self esteem as they progress self-paced through the material that follows the Utah State guidelines. Five stars! read more

Crossroads Program for Adolescents is good and monitored by Utah's DHS. They have great staff in Barrett and educational staff Cindy Thurgood. Do not let the owners of this facility move your son to the young adult program without showing you IN WRITING what they will provide and adjust tuition accordingly. This is an oppprtunity for them to make additional $ while providing less services if you are not prudent with Derek, Sam and Eric on the front end. You definitely will not get any $ returned on the backend and they will charge you for services not performed or received. Young adult program is a total rip-off. Adolescent house staff is great too although turnover is high. This facility also does not feel the need to call you when your child is admitted to hospital...happen to us on 3 different times. Two of course were not life threatening, but he was a minor and he is our child and he was scared. Third time was life threatening and we still were not notified. I would not recommend this facility even though it has lots of fun activities for your children. Not well organized or supervised. read more