It looked like just a swing. But for Kassidy* it was an opening. She had sat in many offices with adults who tried to get her to “open up” about her trauma.…
brain science
Have you ever heard the old saying, “When you look good, you feel good?” In many cases, the inverted version of that sentence is also true, “When you feel good, you look good.” Sometimes, the kids at Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch don’t feel good OR look good. The reasons vary by child, but commonly fall into a few different categories.…
“Our kids are unable to pay attention to the positive things in the world around them,” says Dr. Wayne Martinsen, psychiatrist at Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch. “Instead they are mindful to the awful things—the tone of voice when someone is angry and is going to hurt them, the leer from someone before they sexually abuse them.” The more they practice noticing and paying attention to the positive things they are experiencing in the moment, the more positive experiences they’ll have to reflect upon in the future.…
Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch is truly a special place. The boards of Directors, staff, and I are dreaming broadly and boldly about the upcoming generations impacted by this organization's ongoing work.…