Six Program Skill Components

Life Skills – Empowerment

The life skills component of FRA focuses on teaching our young women how to operate more independently in daily life. In these classes students are taught everything from time management skills, how to create and maintain a budget, how to create a resume, how to conduct oneself in an interview, to how to change a tire, or cook a nutritious and balanced meal. This component continues to enhance the need for independence and self reliance, governance, and citizenship.

Academic Education – Strength

The academic and experiential education component of FRA provides both classroom and outdoor instruction in diverse fields. These classes are designed to expose our students to areas of possible interest, and to assist them in re-learning important study habits, classroom etiquette, and homework ethics in preparation for college. These classes also address important areas for self-management. Classes take place on the ranch and students are given the option to choose between numerous different topics. Some such topics are Equine Skills, English, Creative Writing, Art, Social Issues, Relapse Prevention, Womens Issues, Current Events, Stock Market, and many others. We utilize these classes to gauge how invested a student is in their educational pursuits prior to helping her enroll in college.

When students transition to Phase Two, they can take online courses or attend Houston Community College to attain their GED or seek their college education.

Nature-Based Skills and Therapy – Courage

We believe that being out in nature is innately healing and empowering for our young women. In this component of the program our students are taught outdoor skills. We believe that the process of learning these challenging skills is empowering in and of itself. We also utilize a more Nature-Based Therapy approach which exposes our students to the healing impact of simply being out-of-doors surrounded by nature. In this component of the program, students may be doing expressive art therapy outdoors, they may be participating in yoga or meditation outdoors, or even simply being a part of groups that are held in nature. The premise for all of the Nature-Based work is about respect, for the environment, for all life, and for each other. The young women are taught “Leave No Trace” ethics, as well important environmental ethics in regards to being in nature.

Equine Skills – Love

FRA shares its property with a professional dressage ranch, where Olympic caliber horses are bred and trained. In this environment, our young women are well trained in the basics of horsewomanship, from barn management and daily horse care, to beginning and intermediate riding skills. They are exposed vocationally to the management of a high-caliber breeding and training facility, and to all the professionals who make their living caring for horses; vets, farriers, breeding specialists, and so on. The focus of the riding program is English, both hunt seat and dressage. Through every aspect of the Equine Program, the young women are taught respect, love, care, and compassion for self and others at all times.

Holistic Health – Respect and Nurture

Group and individual sessions that target issues of emotional growth and personal development are interwoven throughout each component of the FRA program. Specialized groups such as Grief & Loss, Survivors, and Addictions, etc. are also provided to meet the individual needs of each student . The staff is committed to utilizing the student’s daily experiences to help them process and reflect upon their growth. The advisors/mentors assist greatly in the development of this growth through their relationships with the students.

We also offer AA/NA three to four times during the week to all students in an effort to help them better understand their addictions and learn new coping mechanisms. AA/NA is also provided as an opportunity for those students who want to focus on their futures in a positive and healthy way—living life without drugs and alcohol.

In addition to the services mentioned, we have the capability of working with medication needs, additional therapy, and assistance with learning disabilities.

Career Training – Passion

In this component, young women begin to explore their passions, dreams, and desires. We teach them important skills such as interviewing, resume writing, and work place professionalism. We also provide mentoring to assist our students in discovering what it is that they might like to pursue as a career. We incorporate the internship into this component, thus helping the young women to practice a career that they might be interested in. By providing them with mentoring and support, they can learn more about themselves as professionals in the workplace, and develop needed skills with which to move forward in life. They work with their mentors to choose classes in college that will help them explore career opportunities and give them a basis from which to make further career and educational choices.