I am the mother of a current student at the school. We have had quite the journey to find a school…read morethat is not abusive and productive for his needs. My son had attended 5 other therapeutic boarding schools prior to his start at Valley View. Many, if not all had an element of emotional or physical abuse. The industry is corrupt in so many ways, from the educational consultants who get financial kickbacks to the money-hungry owners of the for-profit schools, it really is difficult for a desperate parent to weed through the BS and find a school that actually cares about your child. VVS sets itself apart by being a not-for-profit school thus not driven by financial gain. They have proved to our family that there schools available that are truly child-centered. From the start, the school believed in my son. He wasn't just another "bad kid". Upon his arrival, he was in fact probably one of the most challenging kids at the school, but they trusted the process and supported him through it. Throughout his 1.5 years there he has grown into the young man that I could always see. The school started with getting his medicine correct. Because they have a full-time nurse they were able to monitor his behavior and report it back to the psychiatrist. They would make small adjustments to the dosage and time administered to give him the best opportunity to succeed. This then allowed his brain the opportunity to use the tools they were teaching him at VVS. I think one of the biggest differences between VVS and other therapeutic schools would be that they allow the boys to still be kids. The environment is less clinical and more supportive. It functions much like a regular boarding school with the support that kids like my son need. They have clubs, outings, and social opportunities to allow him to mature in a more natural type of environment. The staff has been so supportive of my son, so much so that his advisor takes him and other students fishing at a lake by his home and to have dinner with his family after. They interact with him much like a family member would, making him feel included all while being away from us. My son has gone from being kicked out of over 7 schools to being elected onto student council, on the honor roll, and even the school librarian; a position they created for him seeing what his strengths are. That is just what you get at VVS, they look for the good in your child and create opportunities for them to excel in that area. I can not thank them enough for the transformation they have allowed my son to make. I want to speak a bit about the negative reviews that can be found for Valley View. From what I have seen in our many years of therapeutic settings, you are dealing with students and sometimes parents with mental health needs. Often times disgruntled students that did not succeed in the program can interpret their experience as abusive. Other times they are angry that their parents "sent them away" and feel they need to seek revenge on the school. From our experience, when my son has had an issue with the staff he will let me know over the phone or facetime call. Often times when he and I talk through it we discover that he was interpreting their actions or words out of context...which is part of the reason many of the boys are there in the first place. There have been a few times that I did feel the need to bring it up with his advisor. Every time I addressed it with the lead staff, the issue has been addressed and resolved. My son has learned a lot from that process actually. He learned how to address things that make you uncomfortable, be heard, and the issue resolved. My last point I want to touch on is the price. This is a self-pay school, for most, insurance will not cover any part of it. This was the case for us. It is a huge financial investment. We have chosen to prioritize our son's future and are so happy we did. We went from being concerned that he'd ever been able to live on his own, to looking for top universities after graduation. Valley View School has given my son a chance at the life he deserves and for that, we will be forever grateful!

Before I start I want the reader to know that I was a troubled young man who absolutely made…read moreprogress at this school even though some events that happened to me are probably illegal now. These events happened 40+ years ago. I was adopted (as a baby, my adoptive parents were all I knew). So being institutionalized from them stung quite a bit. I remember being angry and confused during my first day. I had a moment so I snuck behind a shed (music and wood shop) to have a cigarette. 5 minutes in a large bald man showed up and told me to put out my cigarette. After I put it out I had a few smartass words for the man. He grabbed me by the collar and shoved me against the wall of the shed and said "You are here now!". That was day 1. I forgot this guys name, I do remember his brother taught guitar there. The next BIG thing that happened was, during my year I was having a bad day due to losing a privilege or something. I was walking by one of the Phils that ran the school. There was Phil Spiva and Phil (A-Hole). I was walking by Phil A. and again I'm sure I said something bad to him because he followed me into my "private" room then he shoved me onto my bed. He then got into my face and yelled "Your parents don't even want you anymore!" (Word for word). A very nice thing to say to a boy who was just rejected by his adoptive parents. Maybe I'm wrong for letting these past events affect me, maybe I should let it all go. So for whoever is running that place now, memories last a lifetime. Be careful of who you hire. Moving on

The woman in charge should not be working with children. At all. Very unprofessional and cold with…read moreparents and children alike. All other staff are great and the facility is clean and creative, it's too bad the woman in charge is who she is. They used to have a great reputation - what a disappointment