An actual House of horror. I've spent the last 20 years of my life trying to undo the damage this place caused. They will take any existance of a prior identity you may have had and replace it with trauma and fear. I was terrified when I got here. They removed all of clothing and put me in a solitary confinement room because I was immediately identified as a flight risk for no reason other than being new. Then I was physically and emotionally tortured for about a year straight after until I faked my way through. Which is something they tell you to do. The exact phrase they used was "fake it til you make it." I actually received a complex PTSD diagnosis because of the abuse I faced here. When I explain what happened to me here to real mental health experts, not these money hungery wannabe's, I'm usually met with shock and disappointment. They are ashamed that these places exist and are masquerading as "treatment". Do not make the same mistake my parents made when they sent me here. They also needed years of therapy themselves to deal with the shame and guilt that came with it. read more

Sickening place I'm now almost 30 went here at 16 now undergoing EMDR therapy from this place. I wish nothing but the best for all the survivors who endured abuse during their traumatic controlled stayed. They tore apart my identity, I felt like a controlled robot. This place made me lose my identity due to their abuse and demands. You had to put on a fake mask just in order to leave. Control control control. If you ever think about sending your kid here, keep in mind they could have a lifetime of trauma. I have reported this place to all my therapists I had to see after leaving. I was sent here for bad grades, but left with trauma and eating disorder and substance abuse addiction. read more

If there are any prospective parents reading this and are considering leaving your child in the care of Logan River Academy, I beseech you to dig a little deeper into the dark and dangerous history of "LRA". I would have given this place zero stars, actually there is no 5-star rating system that can describe the damage this facility has on the youth who were either taken in the middle of the night and forcibly taken there (with the parents permission; however I do not entirely fault the parents as they were sold a fake bill of goods as well). What gives me the authority to write about some "behavioral modification" facility in Utah? Well, I am in my late thirties now, but was once one of those kids taken in the middle of the night and delivered to Utah. The only thing that saved me from doing something terrible at that time was knowing that these abusive facilities could only legally hold someone until they were eighteen years old. That meant I had to just take the abuse for nine months and then I would be out. It took years of different therapeutic modalities later in life to come to terms with what happened to me there, and I was definitely one of the most average kids there. An example for those wanting to know what I mean by abuse would be when I was locked in a "room" which had just enough space in it to fit a small mattress. I was not allowed to wear socks or shoes (this was part of their "flight risk" protocol), and I stayed in this locked closet for three months. This is one of many, many ways I describe as abusive, and I think anyone who has any humanity would objectively agree with this label. It was horrible to watch kids that were 15-16 years old get abused physically in front of me and being powerless to stop or interfere with anything. The cadre were all the size of Utah State football players, and treated the kids they were tasked to help in the most sadistic ways. It is difficult to explain the magnitude of what this does to the adolescent brain at such a formative age, but journal articles will demonstrate it leads to an extremely low sense of self, and a dramatic rise in suicidal ideations and suicides. If I were a patient/youth/abused child/etc. there and was 14 years old, I can easily understand why that may seem like the only option out of the constant abuse. Parents, please, look at the reviews and read them in their entirety. I would not have written this much if I didn't hope that seeing through all of the lies and deception of LRA meant saving even one child from going there. On my eighteenth birthday, I remember walking the exit hallway (which I hadn't seen since I entered nine months ago) and seeing the staff acting like the ones who should be attending, as they demonstrated the sadistic personalities and traits that LRA claimed to "treat". If anything, when I joined the Army later on it made the 4-month boot camp seem like nothing. I had been so accustomed to being screamed how worthless I was by the LRA cadre that when the drill sergeants did it, it wasn't something that elevated my heartbeat. Logan River Academy messed me up for some time (obviously during, but also after I left) and I am lucky to be alive writing this. I had closed and sealed away all of this trauma in a deep locked box inside my head, and it only came out accidentally when I was receiving treatment for PTSD for incidents that happened in the Iraq war. I left LRA in 2004, and after two decades to find out this disgustingly abusive facility that lies to children's parents, abuses autistic kids, and is a primer for being in prison, is still in business. There was a restructuring here, a restructuring there, but when there are so many websites for the victims/survivors of LRA and similar institutions, it is abhorrent to know this facility still exists with the same name. I don't know what "positive" changes occurred during these multiple restructures, but the fact that the name remains the same means nothing has changed. Please, do not send your kids here if you want them to live a healthy productive life. read more

Our daughter was at Logan River for about a year 2018. It has taken me this long to write a review due to PTSD trauma. I have been in EMDR trauma therapy for 2 years following this experience. I am a RN and my husband is an engineer. We are normal average people that work and enjoy life. Our daughter obviously struggled as she was placed at Logan River. Our education consultant set it up. We literally paid someone to help us find the right school. I could write a long statement, but Ill spare you all the details. Long story short, We tried to let go and believe in the program. We "knew" this was the best thing for her at this time. I sadly didn't feed into or listen to her complaints, I wanted to but was told this is best. For about a year our daughter was physically and mentally abused at Logan River. I say that in brutal honesty and from experience. (She went to another school that was fabulous). She was in solitary confinement multiple times, for a day up to multiple weeks. We were not able to skype because she would "loose her privilage" We went months with out talking or seeing her. She got Christmas taken away, that was hard. We finally got to see her, she had lost a lot of weight. She stood there looking at us like a zombie. I hugged her and she started crying. She was not suppose to cry apparently, at that point, 2 men were pulling my daughter away from me, as she wouldn't let go of my shirt. They carried her screaming mommy, in one direction and picked me up and took me outside. All I could do was breathe and throw up. We were asked to leave. I have many stories that are as horrific. I finally listened to her and we pulled her. They do not tell the truth. They tell you what you want to hear. You have a false sense of security. I however did write about my daughters struggles in as memoir i wrote, akingdomfaraway.com read more

I am a parent and want other parents to be very careful sending their children to Logan River. Ultimately my daughter was bullied by the other students and felt she was abused by the staff in building two. She's been home now a year after graduating from her final therapeutic boarding facility and is now experiencing PTSD from her stay at Logan River. She was a total of three therapeutic boarding programs and Wilderness therapy, and this was the only program she felt she was mis-treated at. Please don't discount the reviews stating children felt abused, because I can tell you that some of these children do leave LR worse for attending which is the case for my child. read more

Sadly, Logan river academy is not at all like they advertise on their website. My nephew spent a year and a half there and was subjected to all kinds of abusive situation's -- solitary confinement, loss of "privileges" such as wearing regular street clothes are making basic personal . He was treated much like a prisoner. Their goal was to break him down. Please search online for Logan River, Academy, and Buse and you will read some very disturbing reports. Breakingcodesilence.org. Is a good source of information about views reported from past students. read more

Hi, I am a past student who was at LRA from 12/26/19 to 01/19/21 and honestly I loved it. Well as much as any teen can really love being in treatment away from home. I have seen the comments about the abuse students once suffered there, and honestly I feel those are no longer concerns. (More details below.) I truly did learn a great deal there, as well as making many friends out of both staff and students, (all staff relationships were kept professional). I still speak with my old therapist occasionally, updating her on how I'm doing, and I'm looking forward to talking to my old staff once the time limit is up. Now details: The closest thing that comes to solitary confinement, at least in the girls program as I can not speak for the boys, was a consequence for bullying other students of a silent 8 hours of study hall on dorm 2, a dorm used for consequences (silent time), as well as breaks from dorm life, safety concerns, and sick bed (sick bed had there own space on the far end of the hallway). If you were there for any of the last 3 reasons you were permitted to talk to others who were also there for any of those 3 reasons. The ONLY time silence went on for multiple days was if 2 students got in a physical fight with each other. (In all consequences of more than 2 hours, students were allowed to earn time to talk to their peers who where on dorm 2.) There are always staff that aren't the best but many of the staff, in the girls program at least, were wonderful. Overall I highly value the staff/student relationships I formed, the progress I made, and the program as a whole. read more

they lie to you. say that they will do something for you, but don't. I am a former student. a numerous amount of staff quit because of how kids were treating them, The staff who were power hungry were desperate to see the kids in misery and would intentionally gaslight and subtly provoke them. They will wait until the last minute to send you to the ER for anything just to make sure you're not faking. they tell you to drink water for everything. If you ask to go to the med station, theyll tell you to drink water even if it's not a water situation. read more

Horrible facility. Staff and conditions were abhorrent and their counselors were atrocious. Consider investing the high amount of money you'd be spending into something useful for your child. They may be having a tough time, but if you have the resources to send them here, look into something like a wilderness camp where they'll learn useful skills and then have them study abroad where they can grow as individuals rather than be placed with the money hungry owners of this facility. Consider investing the money into a sport or hobby that will refocus your youth and not create feelings of long term resentment accompanied by family therapy. Your child is not in this situation only because of themselves, it takes work as a family to get out of it. read more

Good program where the staff really do want to help. Pretty basic residential treatment center, use a phase system, they earn different activities, have a clock in program where they can earn money by doing dishes and deep cleaning and such.... realistically the rules are not much different than just a boarding school with therapy added. New management within the last year that I thought was a good change. read more

I'm surprised this place hasn't been shut down to be honest. I was sent here in 2002. I witnessed mental and physical abuse by many staff members towards kids they were supposed to be helping. I was picked on repeatedLy by certain staff and threatened more than once. They had a hack dr who diagnosed you with whatever condition so they could force pills down your throat....no joke. This place reminds me of the old folks home Adam Sandler accidentally sends his grandma to in the movie happy Gilmore. read more

I was a student at Logan River Academy for a little over two years and these are my thoughts about it. I think that most of the therapists are very good but I do not think that the treatment I received at logan river was helpful to me at all because of the way the program worked. They give every kid this hope that they can make tavasi, when on tavasi you are able to have a few more freedoms like walking around unsupervised and being able to work. They use tavasi as a way to manipulate and get students to change their behaviors. The way to make tavasi is by getting scored by the staff. These scores are then counted up and judged if you can "phase up" . I always found it unsettling how grown men can sit down and judge and criticize a normal 15 year old for doing normal teenage behaviors. But anyways they tell every kid that if they make tavasi they have a good chance of going home. And that isn't always true. But now I want to talk about the staff. Most of the staff at LRA are untrained, unprofessional, college students. These are the staff that take care of us, put kids in holds, and score us, which they bring up ALL THE TIME. I was sexually harrassed by a staff member and not taken seriously when i brought it up and the staff member stayed employed and worked with me. This staff member held it against me and treated me harshly because of it. I was tackled by multiple fully grown men for standing up when I wasn't supposed to. I think that the staff dont view us as humans, or at least they see themselves as above us in some way (talking about a specific morning manager) Logan river academy is a place that is built to destroy any child's confidence and send them into a depression and its pretending to be something its not. read more

as a former student this place does not help your children. they suck money out of rich LA families with kids who've been diagnosed with something as mild as ADHD. they cover up abuse. most of the staff are very disrespectful and do not care for the kids, they just want to be able to control them. all types of harassment were very common between the kids (yes all genders) and the staff do nothing to stop or report it. some of the staff have also been reported for harassment as well. most staff that actually cares for the kids normally leaves within a few months because the way the program works they have to treat us terribly and they just can't do it. if you care about your child you'll keep them far away from here and anywhere similar or you'll find out you wasted tens of thousands of dollars on ruining them even more. read more

I am working with a kid who was in Logan for 3.5 years (graduated 4 years ago). Despite of being a smart kid and academically managing to get 3.5 GPA, he did not gain any self-confidence there and was severely traumatized by the staff treatment (both physical and psychological) in response to behavioral issues. Maybe the conditions have improved, who knows, but I would do a lot of homework before sending my kid there. read more

If you're a parent, ignore any bad review. I have had a life saving experience with Logan River Academy. Sure any kid that goes there is going to complain it's not their dream destination. For parents that have a kid with emotional, behavioral or refusing to go to school issues; this is the best place. My son was there a year and a half. He went from an angry kid running,hiding, playing possum, punching the car inside door handles until his knuckles bled on the way to school refusing to go everyday even with his older linebacker and state wrestler brothers trying to help me - to a great kid now getting A's and B's, back into sports and just a happy kid. Sure things can be tough for kids transitioning there, but no kids are getting physically hurt and I give credit to the entire staff for having to deal with these kids and how they deal with them. In addition, while my son was there during COVID, in addition to having nowhere else to run and learning instead; he was also snowboarding, mountain biking, hiking, kayaking, fishing, skateboarding, etc...while all his friends back home were at home playing video games. Great multi phase program. Highly recommended and I would love talk to anyone about my great experience. read more

We placed our son here in August of 2018. He is on the Autism spectrum, (high functioning) and was suffering with severe anxiety and depression. We decided to send him with the help of our school district, his psychiatrist, and other mental health professionals that have been involved in his therapy over the last 10 years. It was an extremely difficult decision to make, and an extremely emotional time. It's definitely one of the hardest decisions I've had to make over 38 years of being a Mom. I decided to stop listening to all the negative things being- (it felt like at the time), gleefully "thrown" at me by mostly well- meaning people. As I've already stated, it was a really hard thing to have to decide, but we were at a place where something drastic needed to be done to help our son! He had almost completely stopped leaving the house, he was depressed, his anxiety had skyrocketed, and he'd stopped attending school. We'd tried EVERYTHING! Nothing was working anymore. I'm so happy to report that he has done an almost complete turn around in 10 months! We are so pleased at the work that his awesome therapist, teachers, and other staff at Logan River have put in to help him become the independent, funny, quirky young man that we knew was locked up inside himself! After attending two parent seminars at the school, (which is beautiful, in my opinion) and having countless Skype sessions with him and his therapist- and numerous phone calls with our son, I can confidently recommend this school to other parents out there that I know are in similar situations! read more

I wish to update my review due to the time passed since the last one. Again, I'm a clinical social worker with a masters degree and licensure. I work with all types of adolescents and the more life I live, the more I realize what this place has done to me and countless others. Because of what I endured at LRA, I have started a nonprofit to help survivors of this type of abuse. I have been so effected by the things that happened to me there, I will be in therapy the rest of my life. Please please please do not send your child here. Research, look at reviews and contact previous students. You will cause so much future pain for your child if you send them here. Please don't be fooled. read more

The following review is intended to help parents and families, as we did approximately 5 months, assess the best program for our child. We utilized the following, an educational consultant, healthcare professional associated with a wilderness program, program based care, parent's with similar experience's and our own due diligence. After completing the admission process, at that time, we felt Logan River Academy was the most suitable. That's not to say that all the requests were met, but most of the boxes were checked. We quickly realized within weeks commitments made were not going to be met. During the drop off, we stressed the importance of allowing for a fitness program which greatly relieves stress and anxiety for our son and an outlet to deescalate. We had seen that during previous stops prior to our LRA experience. LRA had essentially no equipment and no designated space. The small designated area also housed musical instruments, stands, etc. All administrative individuals assured us that space would be made available and we even offered the equip the gym. Neither one of those considerations ever came to fruition. And as we expected this lack of follow up had a profound impact on the experience of our son. The staff also stated that workout days during the weekends would be provided to the individuals interested in partaking in such activities, however, the reality was if one of the resident's did not want to go the entire group was prevented to go off campus. The reason given was because staffing was so limited and stretched that the two individual groups could not be supported. I share this for many reasons, but the most important one is the shortage of staffing in dormitory resident support, cafeteria, therapy, etc. presented itself for the entire stay that our son was there. At LRA a "traditional" dormitory is set up for all resident's, with the exception of "Dorm 8". In theory Dorm 8 was utilized to separate an individual if unacceptable behavior was witnessed/reported. We were informed on the very first day that Dorm 8 was used as a therapy tool. One in which a resident and dormitory staff would talk through the situation focusing on a thought process such as, what were you thinking at that time, why did you respond in that manner and are there alternative ways to manage similar situations in the future? It's a great theory, however, because of limited staff this therapy was never provided. Dorm 8, during the entire 5 months, was strictly used as a punitive tool. Punishment through isolation. Communication was also a large area of dissatisfaction. It existed in the therapeutic side of the program, general daily exchanges, as well as the executive level. Follow up was limited at best. The highly touted academic offering was extremely limited. It is my belief that if we were not engaged in providing educational materials from his home school, the academic piece would have not had any value whatsoever. Other concerns pertaining to LRA include the quality of therapy, both individual and family sessions. I honestly believe our son left LRA in a worse emotional state than when he arrived. When I look back on this experience there is not one aspect of the Logan River Academy program that I could say that had a positive impact on our son. Nothing. During this time even with the extreme limitations pertaining to staffing shortage's, acceptance of individuals continued in an ongoing manner. The final experience is mind blogging. We were informed on October 13th that our son's roommate had tested positive for Covid-19. We were later informed that another resident had tested positive some time during the weekend (Oct 11-12). Our son's roommate was never removed and isolated, nor was he asked to wear a protective mask. The response from the school was that the first positive resident had lunch in the cafeteria and didn't feel it was necessary since exposure had all ready taken place. At that point no protocols were introduced, isolation, protective masking or social distancing.....nothing at all. Clearly not incompliance with the current CDC guidelines. At this time a decision was made to remove our son from an environment that was completely unsafe. As individuals evaluate various programs you will look for the elements of a program that will address the needs of your child. In all honesty I do not believe Logan River Academy can meet any. The program is unprofessional, lacks qualified services and individuals and severe shortage's across the board for all staffing areas. One last comment, since our son has returned home we have coordinated support via medical therapy and ongoing counseling. Upon his first visit to his physician, his physician questioned the medication choices and dosing. Our son is now receiving a completely different medication plan and we are now optimistic that he is now receiving the care that we initially desired. read more

I was beaten on my first day at LRA, and then I spent the next week in isolation. This place is messed up, they need to be shut down. You don't want to send your kids here. read more

I cannot speak highly enough of LRA. They saw the possibilities in my son and worked so well with him. He came so far during his time at LRA. We were pleased with all aspects--the therapist/counselor, the medical team, the teachers. Obviously, the kids at LRA are difficult--they are there for a reason, but the staff at LRA does yeoman's work. My son was emotionally well cared for, happy (except for having been "sent to treatment"), and learned how to deal with intense anxiety and anti-social behaviors. I would recommend LRA to any family. read more

I can not say enough about how great Logan River Academy is! My son was returned to me- no longer a victim of anxiety and depression. As a parent, it was very hard to select a program for my son to live at to receive the intervention he needed. I visited several programs. I was very skeptical of sending my son out of state (I live in CA) to live in Utah, at a facility that had some apparently very negative reviews. I chose to do my research instead of believing extreme negative or extreme positive reviews. I looked at the facts here: https://hslic.utah.gov/notices-of-agency-action AND https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0185-residential-treatment-programs-teens . I went to the facility to see for myself what it looked like, meet the staff and get a "gut feeling". I was pleasantly surprised by the opportunity to meet face to face with students and ask them questions about their experience. I was impressed that I they were not the the "best" kids in the program, but real kids with real stories. They were well-adjusted, cared for, and felt loved. Wow. None of the negative website reviews were real. I took a leap of faith and sent my 17-year old highly anxious and depressed son to Logan River. In addition, he has gluten intolerance and several food allergies. He had not gone to school for 2 years due to severe anxiety. My son went willingly, understanding he needed help and was happy to finally have the potential to receive the help. He was in the school for more than 6 months, but that was his need. Many kids came and went in less time than my son, because they had different needs. I can not say enough about how great Logan River Academy is! My son left a highly anxious, depressed teen who stayed in bed all day every day. He returned happy, engaging, motivated, achieving all A's in school, and finally balanced emotionally and medically. Yes, the time apart was hard. But the staff were amazing- ALL of them- and responsive. Best of all, they are so loving and kind, and act as if each child is their own. The parent trainings are relevant, insightful, and compassionate. The focus on family unification is real, and family therapy is a huge part of the program. There is no "solitary confinement" room. There is no abuse. There are no needles used in any way against any teen. Do your research. Call, email, visit Logan River Academy. Search for any health violations or child violations on the official government websites. You won't find them. Read the article here: https://www.dailydot.com/news/anonymous-logan-river-academy-abuse-allegations/ . What you will find, is your child loved, cared for, and helped in the best way possible. And hopefully, your real child will be returned to you, the child underneath the anxiety, depression and fear. read more

Logan River Academy is not a bad place. It can be an amazing place for some. And it can be a horrible place for others. For me it was somewhere in between. So don't take my review too seriously because it really depends on what kid you send there. It has to fit the kid. Some kids the pants may be falling all the way down. Some kids the pants look like they should be part of a new suit. I was somewhere in between. The people who helped me along the way did, especially the people who are still in my life, and equally especially the people I miss who I hold right at my heart forever because I lost touch or can't get back in touch. But my therapist and my life coach are the ones that changed my life the most. For them, forget the 3 star review because I'd give them 7 if I could, and I'm not naming names on here because that's not fair to these people but I just want to say these are 2 of the best people I have ever met in my life, and I can't find the right word and this doesn't do a service to how much this means to me but I am more than privileged to still have these people in my life, and have unconditional care for me the way that they do. Some staff I have much respect and much love for and I will never forget. And I do the best I can not to hold hate in my heart, so I'll say there were other staff that were bad people or people who were good people but had no place working there and to those people, your intentions may have been right if you were one of the good people, and I respect that, but you did not boost my confidence. To the bad people, you absolutely destroyed the little confidence I had left, and I don't hate any of you, but I'll never forgive any of you for that. Managers were all great at their job and great people. However the concept of LRA residential life changing kids for the better or whatever they may say, was outdated by 80 years, flawed, and downright wrong. You were manipulated to be a perfect angel to get where you wanted to be, and you were based on a number 1-5 on that. No kid should be based on a number in how they are in life. That's downright wrong. Some staff who were bad people would give kids a score of a 0 even though they weren't supposed to, sometimes because the kid did something wrong, or other times because the staff would do it for no reason other than they don't like the kid and they take out there problems with thereself on the kid. And let's just be clear the staff wanted to get you in trouble for getting bad scores. Thank you to my therapist for not taking these scores seriously and thank you for eventually just telling the staff not to score me. I'll never forget that and all of those times you've been there for me. My personal experience is that my confidence even though it was very low coming in it is even lower coming out. But I needed this place and I left and now I'm an unpaid intern for I minor league baseball team and I hope to go into sports management when I'm older and I went from Landmark College and now I will start attending Lynn University in the fall. I am majoring in sports management. And again, my therapist and life coach 7 stars at what they do and 7 stars as people. I can't thank you enough for what you have done for me and continue to do for me and again I can't thank you enough. Some teachers were amazing. Those teachers I will never forget. Others were horrible and racist and I'll never forget you either. My roommate and one of my good friends from there was given horrible racist mistreatment by teachers on more than one occasion. I'll give an example. A substitute who frequently worked there and that I had in class before too called him the n word with the hard r for no reason. She then threatened to beat him with a belt because he's a slave. This kid did nothing wrong and behaved exceptionally in this classroom, and this teacher did this for no reason at all other then she's a racist and she didn't like him only because he was black. This kid is now a wonderful man, and I wish all the best for him. I'll end on this. Kids should not be perfect and should not be based on a number. Kids are and should always be perfectly imperfect. So should all adults, and I think it is downright wrong to base any adult on a number let that be clear. To my therapist and life coach, thank you for always being there and still sticking with me through my life today. You are the best people I know. And some I have lost touch with who I dearly miss, and others I am still in touch with and I count my blessings for that every day. To the parents, be sure that this place is right for your kid before sending your kid here. If it's not, figure out what is right for your kid. And to other parents who are reading this for no reason it's just a review and your kid does not need to go here and I hope you and your children are doing amazing. Thank you for your time. read more

I will never forgive myself for sending my son to this place 6 years ago. It was not therapeutically helpful and they mistreated him terribly. They put him in solitary confinement day after day. He was always a good kid but just had emotional issues and they had no idea how to work with him and get him to open up. They destroyed him. The administration and owners never told my husband and I that this was also a place for kids who were headed to jail. I had no idea. They hid this from us. My son never committed a crime in his life and never touched a drug in his life. But he was forced to live and be amongst these kind and no one ever told us They lied to us. Take your money and send to the best wilderness program out there and then bring your child home and take care of them and give them love. read more

Logan River Academy has been a blessing in our lives. When your child reaches a point that all the help you offer - including therapy and the most comprehensive local programs - is not enough to keep them safe and help them get healthy, you are faced with a very difficult decision... to consider having to place them in a residential facility. When we finally knew that it was time to get our son this level of treatment, we did a lot of research to find the right place. No amount of research could take away that it was a scary decision. But we finally chose Logan River Academy (LRA), and we feel very fortunate for having found them. If you are in the position of having to make the same decision for yourself, you are no doubt looking fearfully of some negative reviews. But also take note that there are positive ones. The truth is LRA cannot simultaneously be so bad and a positive, healing place. Something in these very different scenarios does not add up. Personally, I found many of the bad reviews so bad that I decided that they must be biased and/or the place has made some serious changes over time. But surely no one would write positive reviews if it were as bad as some describe. I suggest that if you think LRA might be the right place for your child, do your child and yourself a favor. Do some research: Talk with the staff. Visit LRA. Get the names of people who have had experience with LRA and talk with them (not anonymous people online). Make an informed choice. I can also tell you this: I do not live at LRA, but my son does. He says that the descriptions of overly harsh punishment are just not true. (And we have seen no signs of this. What we have mostly seen are therapists and other staff who show caring toward our son. And importantly, he tells us that he feels cared about.) Our son says he was not happy about being there at first, but now he knows that it has helped. He says that it started to help once he started working with the program. It has not been an easy time or a straight path to healing, but he has made progress - and continues to. And for this, we are grateful. read more

There were days when I didn't think my child was going to make it through life. Depression set in after many years of trying to battle the issue. Logan River Academy was a life changer/saver. My daughter is now in college and has thanked me for sending her to LRA. She lives with a roommate, has a job, drives and is very successful in all ways. She is also off all meds and life is wonderful. Without LRA suicide and depression would have won. Now she is the winner. I can not say enough good things about this amazing and supportive wonderful group of people and their hard work. These folks are in it to help kids and it pays off big time! read more

Our son, then daughter, went to Logan River Academy. LRA was a great match for their special needs. Overall, the facilty is very nice and the level of care excellent. As a parent, choosing a residential program is very very difficult. The abundance of communication from the therapist, nurse, and school helped to alleviate some of the daily worry that may occur when a child is in placement. Our children's therapists were very responsive to any questions or concerns we had and spent quality time with us in family therapy. Over the several years we were involved with LRA we observed how they not only maintained a wonderful program but chose to make continual improvements benefiting both student and parent. read more

I went a decade ago for about six/seven months to help with my intense anxiety and depression. Some things were good and should be mentioned, the staff(the babysitter types who were with us when we were not in class) were almost all very kind and understanding, especially the big guy Mike. HOWEVER, they did use force in a ton of situations that did not call for it, allowed a few bad egg employees to work there despite continuous complaints, dismissed most criticism as being from students holding a grudge, and allowed anti-semitism to go on throughout my tenure there. My parents had tried most everything, (police, meds, family therapy, more meds, outpatient care, and alternative schools), and LRA did what those things could not, but I do not believe in the end that the means here justify the ends. Only the most desperate of parents should be considering Logan River, and from them only the most desperate of desperate should actually send their child. I recently heard from someone that I went with and thought to myself I could help paint the picture of what the experience is like. I think the place is gonna be hit or miss, your child will either endure and learn some coping skills or they will endure and learn some coping skills while developing exciting, different sorts of neuroticisms and all sorts of new anxieties and anger issues (a lot of kids relationships with their parents suffered because of the dynamic of stripping them of their rights, making the parent into a focus for anger). Anyway, the administration and medical staff, which looks to be the same as when I was there are not particularly special and I have to imagine that there are better options. read more

Sean has done nothing but supported our daughter and us through a terrible time. Thank you Sean and the staff who haven't stopped trying for us. We're super grateful and recommend Logan river academy. read more

I still have nightmares about being back here. I spent 11 months at LRA when I was 15 and 16. It was scary enough to be taken from my bed in the middle of the night by total strangers and transported to Utah. But then when I actually made it there I felt more alone than I ever had in my life. My therapist was disconnected totally from the issues I was going through. She would literally snack through our sessions, and write on a whiteboard about depression like I was some kind of idiot. The staff made no attempt to connect with me on an individual basis or try to help me through my hard time. Instead they would focus purely on structure for structure's sake - handing out infractions with unnecessarily harsh punishments. Most of them got quite a kick out of it too. It is sick. They take any opportunity they can get to use "PI" (Physical intervention). I saw a staff member grab a child by his throat and slam him to the ground (the kid hit his head on the door frame on the way down and had the hugest knot I've ever seen after). Another staff member (of about 300 lbs) knelled on a kid's shoulders for like 2 minutes while this kid was crying in pain begging him to let him up. Many of the staff members made fun of kids. A lot of these guys are young college students. They would play along with the "cool crowd" and further outcast the not-so-cool kids. The actual school part of the program is an absolute joke also. I felt like I was in special ed classes. In summary - I know there are programs out there designed to empower young children who have found themselves on the wrong path and give them the tools to get to a better place. LRA, however, is not one of those places. They use fear to rule, and force these helpless children all into the same cookie cutter without regard for any one child's individuality. read more

I attended 4 months at Logan river academy when I was 16 and I am so thankful my parents pulled me out fast enough. I do NOT recommend this "treatment center" for ANYONE. I went home with 5+ months of nightmares being back. While I was there I was treated with no respect from staff or other students. All I got out of this place was nightmares and more interest in drugs and alcohol due to all of the negative talk from others. My heart goes out to all of the kids at Logan River. Please do NOT sent your kids here. There are better programs out there. read more

Wonderful staff with quality professionalism. Personable therapists that are great with the kids and they are willing to work with you.

I love this place. I have worked in multiple treatment facilities and none of them have come close to LRA. I'm an MSW student at Utah State and have the opportunity to work with students on both the residential side and clinical side. LRA is very structured and not necessarily an easy program, but easy doesn't always help. Every student gets out what they put into their treatment. The staff and clinical team are always there to hold the students accountable and give them opportunities for growth. read more

Great company that cares for their employees and the kids that they counsel. Wonderful environment that creates a sense of wellness and care. Great place read more

Logan River Academy is a place dedicated and committed to helping adolescents. LRA cares deeply about the students and their well being. I have worked at LRA for almost 18 years and feel it a privilege to get to work here and serve our students and families. read more

Staff would let students say thats so gay all the time and let them call people faggots and let people say queer. There was also a kid that accused me of raping him and they didn't do shit. This place does not help with depression and if your child is gay don't send him here. They also lie about not restraining us and I have proof. My Theryapist was awesome and helped me so much and the teachers but besides that it hurt me. They lie people love money and sometimes you need to trust the kids. I'm not sure about the abuse but I have seen things so close that it is not funny. read more

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/from-prison-with-love-why-i-became-an-activist-hacker_us_58038d95e4b0f42ad3d26331

This school was recommended by an educational consultant, but our son found almost immediately that he could not trust or confide in his therapist, and the dorm staff--made up of imposing former college athletes--literally enjoyed threatening the boys with "PI's" or physical incidents. These amounted to beat downs that were sanctioned by the school if and when certain rules were broken. We were told not to believe our son (when he spoke of this and we subsequently talked with staff), but then it happened to him and we saw the aftermath. He also spent an inordinate amount of time at one point in "development'--otherwise known as solitary confinement--for minor infractions like not wanting to turn another boy in... Our son once became very upset about another young man with severe ADHD who was kept in 'development' for weeks on end because he literally could not sit still and stay focused... I will admit that there was one caring employee who helped my son get through the worst times, but overall I believe that the owners of Logan River Academy wear blinders to the harm their staff is doing to troubled teens who are at their most vulnerable point. We pulled our son out after only a few months, and I do not recommend this program to anyone. read more