YBGR's programs focus on families while blending clinical and academic excellence. Judeo Christian principles are incorporated into treatment.



Interdisciplinary team of professionals including:

  • Psychiatrists
  • Clinical and School Psychologists
  • Psychiatric Nurse Specialists
  • Nurses
  • Masters level licensed therapists
  • C.P.E. certified chaplain
  • Licensed addiction counselors
  • Recreation therapists
  • Equine therapists
  • Regular and Special education teachers with endorsement
  • Counselors and behavior specialists



Treatment Includes:
  • Comprehensive assessment
  • Individualized treatment plans
  • Individual, group, family, and recreation therapy
  • Psychotropic medication (if needed, and authorized by parent or guardian) administered and monitored by psychiatric staff
  • 24-hour nursing
  • Specialized private high school and public elementary school offering a full spectrum of educational services
  • Therapeutic work experience
  • Pastoral care groups with mentoring as assigned
  • Psychoeducational groups
  • Equine assisted therapy
  • Experiential therapy
  • Aftercare plan

SAIL Model of Treatment

The SAIL Model was developed by Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch (YBGR) as a guide for the treatment of children/youth in the YBGR psychiatric residential treatment program. It is a broad based approach focused on helping emotionally damaged children/youth recover from the effects of adverse childhood experiences and life impacting situations, or better deal with the impact of biologically based emotional disturbance.

The components of the SAIL model are a guide for YBGR in developing a culture with four dominant characteristics which serve as goals related to a quality treatment environment.

Safety - To promote a non-violent, nurturing environment based upon beliefs, norms, methods and protective structures.

Affect Regulation – To promote valuing respect for the individual, therapeutic communication, healthy relationships, and affective regulation skills.

Integration of Developmental Tasks – Physical, Psychological, Social, Educational, Spiritual – Incorporating accurate assessment of developmental strengths and deficits with goals focused toward advancement along a healthy developmental path.

Living Learning Environment – Every person who works or lives at YBGR has a role in the community. Every interaction provides an opportunity for teaching, learning, practicing, and incorporating new skills and behaviors.

In addition to the SAIL model, the eight (8) organizational values of YBGR help youth in treatment redefine “normal” in their lives. These values are: excellence, faith, hope, integrity, relationships, respect, safety, and stewardship.

Damage to the body, mind, and soul experienced by so many of our children/youth necessitates a treatment setting and model that must attend to all of these domains simultaneously, through the use of a united and integrated mix of individual, group, family, milieu, and medical approaches/interventions. Underlying these approaches/interventions are ideological and theoretical foundations.