Red Hawk Academy for Girls - Littlefield, Arizona

Jennifer A

The only program that has been successful for our family is Red Hawk Academy (RHA). She has been in three different programs, two of which she was expelled due to her defiance and conduct.

RHA offers a safe and caring environment. The staff listen to us and guide us to making the best decisions for our family and our daughter. RHA offers encouragement and support to our daughter. It is hard to think about where my daughter would be if we did not seek help for her last year.

Words of wisdom, when you call a program or visit a program, pay attention to your gut instinct. Ask for the telephone numbers of parents who have had a daughter in the program. Not all therapeutic boarding schools are bad and abusive. Talk to the head of the school/program and make sure you feel heard and understood by that person. The first time I called Valerie at RHA, I had a really good feeling. She had a positive attitude and answered each and every question I asked. She was not evasive and she was forthright with her responses.

I am truly indebted to RHA...the school has saved my daughter!

Suzy Rosa

Red Hawk Academy welcomes our daughters into a
loving, enriching, supporting community---a family
that supports the mental, physical and spiritual
well-being of each girl.

Individualized therapy embraces each girl and works
with her to gain control of her life and future.
Red Hawk therapy works thru our daughter’s past
and awakens them to build a bright future.

Red Hawk Academy teaches our daughters to respect
themselves and others, fulfill their responsibilities,
and manage their responses for a successful future.

Our family is greatly indebted to each member of the
Red Hawk Academy team. With great purpose and
commitment, they have guided and affirmed our
daughter to become a more confident student, friend,
and contributing member of our family. We feel
confident that she will successfully reach out in love
and service to others as she moves into the future.

Aimee Swanson

So far so good!!! Our daughter was in and out of so many inpatients/short term residential to count. They are useless!! I wish we would have sent her sooner to avoid some additional scars but my God if you are in the position where your daughter has to be in a long term residential facility you must come here!! It’s the hardest but best decision you will ever make!!!
Update, a few weeks after returning home, and will try to update regularly. Sonny and Val(Mel as well!) have been amazing they are always available to help us as parents and our daughter to make sure that we are doing everything as best as we can to get her accommodated back to ‘real life’. Also the amazing life skills and knowledge that some young woman never get but lucky to get in their 20’s/30’s she received when she was 16/17 yo!! If you are looking at places you know what you have to do!! Don’t wait too long like we did but we are grateful she went!!

Kara Anderson (KMA)

I wish to write a review that speaks to parents, grandparents, guardians, any loving individual that is trying to "give a better life or save a life ". I just picked my daughter up from graduating Red Hawk Academy for Girls. Personally, I feel we saved her life. She chose life. At what point she decided on life I do not know. My daughter ended her freshman year in high school with 42 missing assignments and a suspension. Prior to this, she was on the honor role. The decline was drastic. She had given up. She had substance abuse issues, self-harm, outbursts, suicidal behavior, you name it. Our home was not safe, she was not safe. A formal psych eval was performed, multiple therapists, but every 3 days, something big was documented. We could not get through 3 days in our home without some big catastrophe! I began looking at Inpatient RTC programs. Something most parents only threaten, but never follow through. I applied to the first place and was DENIED entry. I was devastated! Because my daughter's history of suicidal behavior they would not take her. So now what!?! They referred me to another program. That place didn't respond to my application. I was then approved to send her to Wilderness. 10 weeks for a sweet price. But only 10 weeks? I was very very tempted but not willing to chance that short term risk. I called a hotline... Told them my story.. Same story I had told 3 other times. They directed me to Val at Red Hawk Academy. I didn't jump at Red Hawk Academy right Away. I was a mother still frightened and in denial by the devastating reality of our situation. I waited longer for even more events to happen at home. I finally made "THE" call to Val for help. I then committed to do the hardest thing I ever did in my life. I had them send their transport team to my home in secret, pick up my daughter and escort her to Red Hawk Academy for what would be just shy of the next year of her life. Guess what that program did for my girl? They saved her life!!! She is thriving. She has learned self-love, self-care, how to be a mentor, a sister. She found that she loves to help other people and hopes to go to college. I mean she WANTS to go to school!!! She genuinely puts the needs of others before herself. I'm not going to just thank one or two people at Red Hawk. Every single person there helped my daughter! They have created a family there that helped my daughter thrive. In my girls own words she said "You forced me to come here and now I'm being forced to leave." As a family we have learned to communicate. I will thank Val for that. My daughter learned to work hard doing hard labor that is almost unheard of in this day in age, Sonny thank you for that. Mel, thank you for the horse therapy!!!! Anita, thank you for making sure she was taken to all her med appointments and going through all the mail. To all the girls, thank you for being her sisters! The first time I visited her, it was apparently clear she felt more at home with you than me. That is a hard pill to swallow for a mom. To all staff thank you! You loved my daughter every second I could not and even when hard and disciplined that was representing what I could not give. It shows in her now. To all prospective parents, you must have trust and faith. Obviously, whatever you're doing is not working. I believe in my heart that I saved my daughter's life. At the very least, I and my husband presented her a chance at a better life. The rest is up to her. Red Hawk Academy exists!!!! Utilize them. They help provide the tools. It's up to your child if they want to succeed or not. Luckily for me, my daughter is choosing life!!! Thank you, Red Hawk!!!!

Jessica Bell

Redhawk was able to help my 12 year old when many others couldn't. My daughter was at Red Hawk for 8 months. The therapeutic and recreational environment saved her life. She went from a defiant, anxious, depressed and suicidal girl to one who has self control and a handle on her conditions. She is a smiling productive member of our family again. The work she put in, and we put in as a family made all the difference in the world. Val and team are caring, thoughtful partners in the girls' behavioral health recovery.

Mike Reynolds

I am writing about Redhawk RTC. My daughter is currently at this facility and I couldn't be more pleased. She has been seen by 5 psychologists, numerous Therapists, has been to multiple Crisis Intervention Hospitals, and to 2 other RTC's ( and was asked to leave one of them).

She is a very complex case and has acted out in various ways. When she was removed from an RTC, we were introduced to Redhawk via a recommendation from a crisis intervention hospital. I sent my daughter to Redhawk and flew there to meet her, the staff, Valerie, and Sonny. I really liked the place as it is clean, the staff seemed friendly, and Valerie struck me as someone who might be right for my daughter. Fast forward a few months and I cannot be more pleased. Sonny has become someone my daughter respects and minds, Valerie and Celeste have been doing tag team on her therapy, and being there with the horses and nature walks have all been doing my daughter a world of good. I can tell that with so many issues, she is getting therapy 1-3 times a week plus attention from Valerie on a daily basis. My daughter continues to improve and to work on her traumas as well as a couple of other issues.

One thing I really would like to add is that I have been dealing with everything for over 2 years before Redhawk. My daughter has been on a laundry list of meds, seen a lot of other professionals, and has even been to have brain scans done. In all of this, I have found that the professionals have been less than forthcoming with information and at times conversation. Valerie has been answering my text messages daily with updates, available at all times by phone, and has been very gracious during the times I go there to see my daughter. She has bent over backwards to be helpful and has been keeping me up to date on everything happening with my daughter.

I cannot stress enough how happy I have been in my experiences with Redhawk.

Kathi Pfeiffer

From the day we sent our granddaughter to this program, we have felt she is in good hands. There is constant contact with us parents and we have contact with our granddaughter twice a week. Any concerns we have had have been addressed very quickly and adjustments were made. This is not to say the road has been easy for our child but the bumps have been dealt with by the facilitators with compassion and guidance. We see big changes (communication and accountability being the biggest) happening and appreciate the patience Valerie has with our child. This is a working ranch facility and there are plenty of opportunity for outside experiences. They take the girls on lots of excursions to practice team building skills. There is a light at the end of the tunnel, and we are seeing that now after our granddaughter being there several months. They truly want the best for the girls there.

Randall Moore

I recently moved from Columbus, Ohio and having worked as a Director of a Methadone Treatment Center and worked with numerous drug centers, I was curious of what treatment or therapy was provided in or around St George. Learning about the Red Hawk Behavioral Health, I requested a walk through of the facility by the Director since I was interested in the caliber of therapy and support staff. I was extremely impressed with his candid presentation and information . He was explicit in the need to follow federal guidelines and additionally for the ladies in therapy to follow in house rules. He stressed the importance for these ladies to follow in house rules since this is the basis and foundation of accepting authority, supporting their therapy, and becoming independent. He
said the ladies know if they don't follow the rules they can be dismissed from the program. Based on this Director and what I have seen a the facility, I would with no hesitation, recommend this center for treatment and therapy.