We are blessed to have found Ozark Trails Academy.

We made a very good decision sending our Grandson to OTA. We did a lot of research and found this was a well put together program. Then we decided to contact them and learn more. From that point on we knew we made a good responsible choice for our family.

Our grandson who we raised since he was 3 was on a downward spiral due to several different circumstances. One being he had lost his father to drugs and we had lost our Son. The amount of fear we had of losing our Grandson after losing our son was unbearable, we knew he needed help and so did we.

On March 29, 2024, we brought our Grandson to OTA. He was very angry when he got there. The staff came out and after about an hour of talking to him he went in with them.

Richard, who is the owner of OTA, stayed in contact with us throughout our Grandson’s stay there. He is a very humble man. We never had a problem with contacting him if we had anything we felt like we needed to talk to him about. Everything was always resolved in a timely manner to our satisfaction. One thing Richard did that brought us a great amount of joy and a sense of security was he always sent us pictures of what our Grandson was doing. Our Grandson was there for 11 months, and Richard sent us a total of one hundred ninety-five pictures (I counted them). Richard stays involved with everything going on at OTA and spends quality time with the kids.

All of the staff at OTA played a big part in our Grandson’s recovery. Our Grandson talked very positive about the staff and came to care about a lot of them. They worked with all of us. They treat the cause and not just the symptoms. We had to work on ourselves too. Through Family counseling we learned how to communicate better and to understand what part we played in the disfunction going on in our family and we also learned what we were doing right and how to move forward. The staff at OTC loves the kids that are in treatment there and they were very respectful to us and our Grandson. Another thing great about the pictures Richard sent was you could see in our Grandson’s face as time went on how healthy he was becoming.

They gave our Grandson and us the tools we needed to move forward. Our Grandson was suffering in so many ways, grief, depression, abandonment, anxiety, etc. Our Grandson had 4 months from the time he was sent to OTC until he turned 18. We were worried he would check himself out, but our Grandson made the choice to stay after talking with the staff. We are so proud of him. He stayed 7 more months after his 18th birthday.

We were nervous as heck when he was getting out. A few days after he came home, we ran into a situation between the 3 of us that we had worked on in our family therapy. I had a meltdown and our Grandson walked us through it with what he learned at OTA.

Our Grandson hasn’t been perfect since he got home but has been pretty good. We know we have to stay doing our part too. Just remember sometimes the child can become the teacher in some situations.

We will be forever grateful for the love and care Ozark Trails Acadamy gave our Grandson and us.

Sincerely,
The Gutknechts

I’ve been a therapist at Ozark Trails for 3 years now and love it because I get to see lives change.

I attended Ozark trails and the staff were very helpful. I was a bit of a shit, but I would gladly come back as a staff. I’m 20 now, and I really awakened from my little bubble after being homeless for a year and a half. The first memory I had after purchasing my own apartment was, “Damn, Richard and Micah were right.”

Our daughter just graduated from Ozark trails. The staff is amazing. They did a wonderful job working with our daughter. We can never thank them enough!

This facility saved my daughter’s life. I am forever indebted to them and would encourage anyone looking for a truly effective program to reach out to them.

After three suicide attempts, multiple mental health facility hospitalizations, and once running away, I was out of ideas for how to help my then 16 year old. All the other places declined to help us because she was “too complicated”.

OTYS was confident in their ability to help her and frankly, I was desperate and exhausted.

Dropping my daughter off at OTYS wasn’t hard for me. I knew she would be safe. She may hold the record for the longest time there but she is a new person and the staff and leadership there get all the credit. She was there for over 2 years. She completed high school while she was there and gained so many important insights and coping skills. She loved the staff like family and they loved her. The outdoor adventure, equine therapy, group programming, etc. was just what she needed to address her complex issues. She had some mental and physical health set backs while she was there but Richard and the staff always took care of her like she was their own kid.

As a family, we also learned quite a bit about how to support her while still holding her accountable for her choices. OTYS helped reconnect our very broken family.

I believe 100% my daughter would be dead by now if we hadn’t found Ozark Trails Academy.

I am thankful for this place every day!

ozark is where u send ur kid if you want real change. this place changed my life with the help of all the staff and the therapy used.

i went from a drug addicted kid failing out of school to almost 2 years sober and graduated as a junior and helping others through their own journeys.

i wont say ozark is perfect but i would say its the best place in the whole industry. im able to refuse drugs offered to me with no second thought and am a million times happier than i was before this program

special thanks to sonya and wes for changing my life by being brutally honest and 100% caring

Our daughter spent a year at OTYS. This was after exhausting every other possible avenue. We live very far from here, the trip takes more than an entire day of travel via plane/drive. All this to say, it has been absolutely worth it!

She is a different child to the one we dropped off there 12 months ago this August. She’s not only mature, respectful, self confident, and proud of her own accomplishments. She’s also now able to handle social situations and isn’t scared or worried about what people think of her. She’s able to handle being confronted now, even if it’s for something negative that she needs to work on. She also knows that she’s worth caring about bc she sees that all of the staff truly cares about her.

The reason for all of this is because of the amazing staff at OTYS. They truly care for these kids. Our kids can tell when they’re being cared for vs. when someone is just there to collect a paycheck. This staff fosters an environment of respect, for yourself and for others, self-esteem, care, and trust (among the kids and the staff). The kids develop deep bonds with each other as they grow and learn about themselves in this truly unique therapeutic process.

Our daughter has truly worked hard on herself here but only because she wanted to and that’s as a result of the excellent program that Richard has developed at OTYS! We love you guys! Thank you for everything!!

The Ozark Trails Academy in my opinion saved our son’s life. Their approach and therapeutic team is like no other. My son was received and was treated like family with care and understanding the moment he arrived.

The Ozarks team and staff is well experienced, passionate, patient and clearly devoted to their mission to helping struggling teens. Our son went from being extremely angry, defiant and rebellious to an eventual mature, calm, happy and open minded teen.

Through consistent therapy, as well as indoor and outdoor activities and their online schooling, this all helped my son break out regarding his underlying condition as well as keeping up with his schooling.

The process of healing is not an overnight success and does take time. The program is built upon trust and years of experience. For all to succeed requires full trust in every aspect of growth while in their program.

We are thankful and grateful to Richard, the director of the Ozark Academy. His genuine understanding of our son’s condition made this extremely difficult period of time in our family’s life much more tolerable and smooth.

There are so many people to thank. In our case Tracy, Larry, Sonya, Karee, Joe, Des & Micah played such a huge role in our son’s success. We can’t thank them enough.

This truly was one of the hardest decisions we had to make in our whole life. The stress, anxiety and psychological despair was truly unbearable.

Our son, a young 14 years old and an only child, was going on a wrong and dangerous path in life. Rebellious, stubborn, angry and defiant. We couldn’t talk, reason with or even approach him.

Through our efforts, we came across Ozark Trails Academy. It was truly a Godsend. Richard Jones was there for us from the very beginning and helped make this transition from impossible to possible.

We were able to see the safety and love that our son was given right away. The setting is beautiful and healing. Between expedition, equine therapy, hiking, sports, and individual and group therapy, we truly believe Ozark helped save our son’s life.

The day our son graduated will remain a day of celebration for the rest of our lives.

Our son was at Ozark for 14 months. They literally saved his life. Their 3 level program works once your child buys into it — some kids quicker than others.

My son slowly changed from an irresponsible, immature depressed druggie to a responsible young man with a genuine interest in improving his life and appreciating his family.

Ozark’s system isn’t perfect and it’s not for everyone, but Richard is a good owner who genuinely cares about each and every child. The staff he hires also really cares and sacrifices a lot of their personal time for these kids.

Our son had a life changing experience at Ozark — one that will change the rest of his life for the better.

Ozark Trails Academy gave our son back his smile.

Our son spent 13 months at Ozark Trails working through depression and addiction. They equipped him with tools to work through challenging situations with therapy and outstanding relationships with staff and peers. He was able to finish high school and receive a diploma while working therapeutically on his life challenges.

I strongly recommend Ozark Trails for any child who is struggling with depression, trauma, and addiction. Thank you to Micah, Des, Tracey, and Sonya for going above and beyond to reach our son when we were so desperate for help.

Why Ozark Trails? The simple and true answer is a loving staff. This is not a job for the staff, rather a passion for what they do knowing they are going to help someone change their life for the better.

The decision to send your child is very painful but the results and long term outcome are life changing for the entire family.

Ozark Trails Academy saved our son from certain suicide. He was severely depressed when he arrived.

After a correct diagnosis and appropriate medication and therapy intervention, we have our son back! He’s happy, confident and has learned to cope with stressful situations.

We appreciate the staff including Mica, Richard, Tracy, Chris, Larry, Allie and many many more staff members who loved my son and were vested in his treatment. Thank you for all you have done!

Ozark Trails is an absolute Godsend: our daughter spent 14 months at OTYS and she is a new person.

She has acquired skills to adapt, communicate, learn, adjust and lead. The staff members are top notch and each therapist is remarkable. The culture of the school is far and away the most compassionate and loving you will find.

We are so grateful for this program, these amazing individuals and the passion they have to serve young people and their families. Thank you OTYS. WE LOVE YOU!!

Bills to insurance. Our child thrived with the outdoor adventure based programming, and the intentionality with which they build a positive peer culture.

I like that parents are involved and also somewhat challenged to grow to help sustain changes made by the child. This program gave our child and our family a fresh start.

Ozark Trails saved my child AND my family! I cannot thank you enough for what you all have done.

From the owner Richard all the way to the education coordinator Larry, the entire staff was professional, patient, and encouraging in the best ways.

A special shout out to Des, Amy, and Tracy for always being there for our kiddo and us parents. I’m grateful for the connections you made with us and all of the support through this process. I will happily advocate for this Academy to any parent that needs to hear from a family out of crisis exactly what this place, and especially Richard has done.

I had the privilege of being mentored by some of the wonderful people who volunteered their time to Ozark Trails. I also got to volunteer my time.

The staff are thoroughly background checked and interviewed to ensure the children’s safety and well being. From my experience there, everyone’s objective is to help these children succeed.

The facility and property are incredible, with wilderness and outdoor activities, clean indoor spaces, and strong accountability standards. The staff are tough but fair, empathetic, and compassionate.

Now I am an active duty member of the United States armed forces. I credit what I learned there for helping me succeed in life. Thank you.

Our daughter spent one year at Ozark Trails and I can honestly say it saved her life. The therapeutic team, staff and all of her peers changed our girl’s path for the better. We are forever grateful and would highly recommend OZT to any family that has a struggling teen.

My daughter went to Ozark Trails for 13 months. She came back to us with the skills and perspective to lead a healthy life. I am very thankful for the treatment staff who cared for my daughter and their persistence. Thank you!

I cannot speak highly enough of this facility. The staff connected with my son and changed the course of his life. They saved my son.

He was a month and a half from turning 18. I was uncertain he would stay, but with time and support, he did. Time healed his heart. Ozark Trails gave us our son back. I will forever be grateful.

This is a place for family transformation. Their gentle approach to treatment invites change in both the adolescent and affected family members.

Richard is a patient, kind and caring leader who welcomes the difficulty of reprogramming troubled behaviors. The staff is inviting and has an open parental communication system. Equine therapy and the program’s values help restore broken relationships and bring hope back to families in crisis.