Theme:  Experiencing Healthy Intimacy

Thursday

8:30 AM - Parent Breakfast (CALO Conference Room)

     Please join us for a hot breakfast in the conference room with other parents as we discuss the retreat

9:00 AM - Parent Seminar – Landon (CALO Conference Room)

     Persogenics: recognizing, appreciating, & embracing differences

10:15 AM – CALO Staff & Students Depart  

Caleb, coaches and students leave CALO for Windermere in CALO bus

10:30 AM – Pack, Gather and Load  

 Parents, clinical, & leadership staff load gear in vans and personal vehicles

10:45 AM – Travel to Windermere

11:45 AM – Arrival & Briefing

   Briefing in the multi-purpose building

12:15 PM – Check-In

   Families check-in to lodging units

12:45 PM – Lunch

1:15 PM – Therapy Activity

2:45 PM – Family Time

5:30 PM – Dinner

6:45 PM – Parent Support Groups

   6:45 PM – Student Activity

8:00 PM – Campfire

9:30 PM – Family Time

   Families together inside lodging units

10:00 PM – Lights Out

Friday

7:30 AM – Breakfast

8:15 AM – Briefing

8:45 AM – Family Therapeutic Activities

1:00PM – Check-Out

1:30PM – Lunch

2:00PM – Slide Show, Feedback, End

2:45PM – Load Up 

Parents, students and coaches on bus and personal vehicles

3:15 PM – Departure

Parents and students not returning to CALO leave Windermere

CALO bus leaves with students, staff and parents returning to CALO

 Lodging Information

Family Lodging Unit

• 3 beds in each unit (1 full size mattress and 2 bunk beds)
• Running water
• Restrooms
• Showers
• Electrical outlets
• All guests must provide their own linens—sheets, pillows, blanket, sleeping bag, etc.

Clothing/Gear List

• Hat/Beanie
• Sweatshirt
• Rain jacket
• T-shirts
• Shorts
• Socks/Shoes
• Sandals
• Underwear
• Long pants
• Sunscreen
• Insect repellant
• Lip balm
• Toiletries
• Flashlight
• Wet wipes
• Hand sanitizer
• Appropriate Swimsuit
  • Women—conservative one piece
  • Men—conservative
• Towels
  
  • Bath
    
  • Face
  • Water activity
• Bedding
  • Pillow
  • Sleeping bag and/or sheets/blankets
• Sleeping attire
• Camera (confidentiality restrictions)
  • Only pictures of your student and/or staff (no other pictures of students)
    
• No pocket knives
  
• No weapons, fireworks, matches, etc.

Rob posted a few weeks ago on this blog about our parent retreat. Since that post we have had some very nice comments from parents, students, and staff who attended. I thought it might be nice to hear directly from one parent about her experience at the retreat. I was struck in reading her email by how alone parents can feel when dealing with a significantly emotionally challenged teen. The retreat helped many parents and students recognize similarities and also helped to end some of the isolation they have felt. Here is the unedited letter from the attending parent:

"My husband and I both attended the CALO parent retreat and found it to be extremely helpful.  Our situation was a bit odd: our daughter had only been at CALO for 6 weeks when the retreat happened and she refused to go on the retreat with us.  We initially felt awkward being the only parents whose child chose not to attend, but we also felt strongly that there would be a lot to learn at the retreat and it would be a great opportunity to meet the other girls in the program as well as their parents.  We found this to be the right choice on all counts.

The staff were amazing and we learned a great deal from them. They gave seminars, but they also taught us important things with the activities they had designed.  The activities were all designed to build trust and closeness and it really worked!  We enjoyed the adults and teenagers on our team very much.  And although we were sad not to have our daughter with us it did give us a chance to watch other families try to handle the same problems we have had with our daughter.  The similarities between their stories and ours were both startling and very encouraging.

As the parents of children with attachment disorders we had all tried everything we could think of...we had read parenting books and tried lots of different parenting strategies and in spite of all our efforts our children were in treatment. During meals at the retreat we discussed these things with the other parents and it was heartwarming to hear different versions of the same stories.  So many of us feel isolated and confused and in many cases harshly judged by friends, neighbors and even family who generally see our children at their best and cannot imagine why that charming child would behave so badly for us. What in the world are we doing wrong?  We left the retreat feeling as encouraged as we had been in a long time.  The other parents were encouraging, the staff were encouraging and really, the other teens were encouraging talking about their own issues and improvements and their hopes for our daughter.  We are so glad we went and look forward to another retreat- hopefully one that our daughter attends!"

CALO students recently returned from a very exciting rock climbing trip.  For almost three months our students spent a great deal of energy learning how to tie knots and anchors and utilize rock climbing safety gear so they could qualify to participate in an exciting team work rock climbing trip.  Although it was warm and muggy, and the bugs were thick, we had an absolutely wonderful experience learning the basic concepts of teamwork while overcoming different challenges together.   

So many times during our recreational therapy sequences the most therapeutic moments are not planned; they just happen.  This trip was no exception.  While camping with our boys we thought it would be a fun adventure to sleep on top of Sam’s Throne in northern Arkansas.  The only difficulty would be transporting enough water from the vehicles to the campsite nearly two miles away.  Students were broken into teams and assisted one another carrying the heavy seven pound water containers to the campsite.  Creative thinking skills were utilized as teams used ropes and sticks and teamwork to haul the heavy water containers along the narrow trail.  In one of the most spontaneous recreational therapy moments on our trip our boys show true empathy and consideration for one another as they struggled along side their staff to carry the jugs full of the life sustaining water. 

While working with our girls even our staff were squeezed as they helped girls overcome their fears on an 80 foot repel.  Although it took significantly longer to help everyone complete this courageous task, it was a truly amazing process to watch girls who had steadfastly made up their mind to refuse the activity, slowly and willingly change their minds and attitudes as their peers sat and talked with them and used their excellent teamwork and empathetic communication skills to convince their friends and peers to take that scary leap of faith and repel down a mountain.  With nothing more than a few miner scrapes and bruises our girls were able to celebrate together at the bottom of the mountain after repelling (some of them upside-down) down the cliff. 

Already our students are gearing up for summer, and that means fun in the water.  We are currently passing off our swim tests so we can enjoy activities and adventures in the ski boat and the canoes.  Students will have opportunities to improve and learn about their own communication styles and will be coached how they can more effectively connect with those they care about.

One of the amazing benefits of the CALO program is the picturesque lakeside setting. Our setting offers our students and their families a soothing, peaceful and yet engaging environment for growth and healing to occur. 

Lake Ozark, Missouri is located on the shores of Lake of the Ozarks in south central Missouri. The Lake of the Ozarks measures more than ninety miles in length and has several tributaries supplying it. In total, it has over 1,100 miles of shoreline in four different Missouri counties. The massive body of water backed up behind Bagnell Dam is the largest manmade lake in the Midwestern United States and is a popular vacation spot for residents from all parts of the country. The area contains more than 200 lakeside resorts, hotels, motels and camp grounds. 

There are two state parks in the Lake Ozark area:  Lake of the Ozarks State Park is the Largest State Park in the state of Missouri with about 17,000 acres and Ha Ha Tonka State Park is the newest State Park in Missouri purchased in 1978. It comprises about 2,400 acres on the Niagua Arm of Lake of the Ozarks.

CALO’s facility is located on fifteen acres with 700ft of waterfront. CALO utilizes the natural beauty of our surroundings to enhance and grow our recreation therapy program through wakeboarding, water skiing, fly fishing, canoeing, swimming, camping, rope course activities, climbing and bouldering.  Our students have also created a walking trail for our golden retrievers as well as participating in a variety of service projects on campus designed to help students connect with nature. One upcoming project that our students are excited about is creating a canine obstacle course for canine training.  Please feel free to peruse our website for pictures of our students enjoying our location, location, location….

Throughout the year the creative arts program works through the recreational therapy department to help the students explore and ultimately grasp an understanding of important values including goal setting, teamwork, communication, trust and service.  We recently finished an exciting and productive sequence focusing on communication. 

Approximately ten weeks ago the creative arts department ventured into new territory for our CALO students by choosing to hold the first ever CALO Variety Show.  Recognizing the students' many gifts and talents we decided to put together a show that focused on the different ways our students could communicate through creative arts.  The focus was not on comparing talents, but giving students an opportunity to express themselves through those talents or creative passions such as music, dance, art and drama.  The students were asked to choose their type of act, and explain what they were trying to communicate through that particular selection. The students spent several weeks in preparation working together and rehearsing for the show. 

We were pleased to have a community church offer their stage, sound system, lighting, and volunteers to make this event an amazing experience for the students.  Not knowing what to expect, the students arrived the morning of the show for a dress rehearsal.  The event took place on that same afternoon and proved to be an awesome experience for all who were present. The students rallied and supported each other in a way that made CALO very proud.  Vocal, drum and piano solos stirred emotions as they communicated a passion for music and rhythm.  Dance performances were both impressive and entertaining as students showcased their ability to get their groove on.  Theatrical performances and comic acts kept the audience entertained as students from CALO had opportunities to communicate their own individuality in a cohesive way that brought students and staff together.