Being a teenage girl has always been difficult. They face scrutiny from all angles and are constantly being beaten down by impossible expectations. For many, hopelessness, depression, and other mental health concerns have become a crippling epidemic.
The mass isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic, along with common mental health challenges such as comparison, insecurity, and body dysmorphia exacerbated by the rise of social media, are all factors affecting a large number of teens today. From a survey conducted in 2023, The World Health Organization found that 57% of teenage girls in the country are experiencing high levels of depression, growing exponentially from the 36% reported in 2011. These mental health struggles are often what contribute to young girls turning to drugs, alcohol, and other vices to cope.
To combat these issues, Teen Challenge Adventure Ranch plans to open Genesis Ranch, a new campus for girls in Northwest Arkansas, offering a holistic residential treatment center option for teenage girls who need help fighting mental health issues and drug or alcohol abuse. “Nowadays, girls are under attack. They’re told that it’s just not enough to be a girl, and I want to fight that. I want to let them know that being a woman is wonderful,” says Joy Thomas, the center’s academic director.
The Teen Challenge Adventure Ranch was started 51 years ago in Morrow, Arkansas, by a local pastor who wanted to provide a residential treatment center for teenage boys. The center now has a full staff of therapists, all on a mission to teach the boys how to decode their emotions. It also provides training on complex trauma responses to help them become well-rounded and well-equipped individuals. Along with group and one-on-one therapy sessions, the center also offers equine therapy and nature adventures, both of which give the boys a taste of experiential learning. “When they’re introduced to the classroom, we teach them things like how to recognize their stress and healthy ways to deal with it. Another big one is how to ask for help, which is something a lot of teen boys struggle with,” says Joy.
For the past three years, the staff at Teen Challenge Adventure Ranch has noticed an unmistakable need for a girls campus. Joy says she finds inspiration from kintsugi, the art of putting broken pottery together using gold to emphasize the cracks instead of hiding them, a beautiful metaphor for our brokenness only contributing to our story and not ending it. “That’s what I see with these girls. In the end, she truly sees and understands her value.”
Like the original boys campus, Genesis Ranch will offer equine therapy to the 12 girls, ranging in age from 14-17, admitted to the program. Horses teach the teens about trust, how it’s created, developed, and sustained through emotional connection and immense patience, all while in a non-judgemental environment. The horses also sense the teenager’s emotions, providing behavioral feedback that helps the teen recognize their own moods. This pressure-free interaction allows teens to exercise self-control, giving them space to practice calming themselves, thus calming the horse. Bonding with the horse also garners a sense of ownership and pride in the teens, a feeling that is foreign to many in the program and often leads to positive growth in all areas of development for the teen.
What truly sets the program apart from other centers is the emphasis on rebuilding and supporting the entire family. The inner turmoil that many teens face often weakens the family unit as a whole, sometimes leading to other issues such as marital tension, divorce, familial chaos, or “glass-sibling” syndrome, a syndrome that causes siblings to be overlooked. “It's often devastating to the families, so we offer parental support. We teach them how to reconnect with their son and work toward forgiveness on both sides,” Joy says. The program offers “reconnection” therapy, where families are able to learn how to interact and function in a healthy and sustainable way. A six-month-long “aftercare” program is also required of all teens before they graduate from the program, during which they return to living with their families but are consistently connected to the program’s therapists in order to continue developing vital coping mechanisms while in the “real-world.” At the conclusion of the aftercare program, students are invited to a formal graduation where the team celebrates their commitment to self-improvement.
I want them to know that being a woman is wonderful.
Nowadays, girls are under attack.