Resource Spotlight: Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch
Earlier this week, we looked at why access to mental health support matters so much for young people, and how hard it can be for families to find the right help when a child is struggling.
For a lot of kids, the right help is a therapist they see once a week. Others need support that follows them out of the therapist's office and into school and home.
Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch was built with those families in mind. The North Dakota nonprofit works with children facing serious mental health, behavioral, educational, and trauma-related challenges, and it connects psychiatric treatment with schooling and family support in one place.
Who the Ranch Serves
Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch started in 1952, when a small group of families from Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod congregations in rural North Dakota began taking in boys who needed a safe and stable place to grow up. The Ranch began serving girls in the 1990s and now has campuses in Minot, Bismarck, and Fargo.
Today its residential programs serve children and teens ages 5 to 17 whose mental health needs have grown beyond what outpatient care alone can address. Every child arrives with a different story, so the Ranch begins with a different question. Instead of asking what is wrong with a child, staff ask "What happened to you?" and build care around the answer.
Residential Treatment for Children and Adolescents
Residential treatment is the most intensive care the Ranch offers. Children live on campus in a structured setting with support around the clock, which the Ranch describes as the highest level of psychiatric care available outside an acute psychiatric hospital.
A multidisciplinary team builds an individualized care plan with each child and family. Depending on what a child needs, that plan can include individual, group, and family therapy along with psychiatric care and life-skills training. The clinical team works on site and includes therapists, nurses, psychologists, addiction counselors, occupational therapists, and a psychiatrist. Stays vary from child to child, but the average is three to six months.
Is Residential Treatment the Right Fit?
Residential care is a significant step, and it isn't meant to be the first one. One of the Ranch's eligibility criteria is that a child has already worked with an outpatient mental health team that feels more structured care is needed. Admissions staff talk through each child's history with the family to decide whether residential treatment makes sense and whether the child meets North Dakota's eligibility guidelines.
Plenty of young people do well with outpatient therapy, school-based support, or other services in their community. Residential treatment is meant for situations where those supports haven't been enough, and it's a decision best made together with a child's care team.
Dakota Memorial School
Treatment doesn't put a child's education on hold. Most children in residential care attend Dakota Memorial School (DMS), the Ranch's on-campus school, which operates in Minot, Bismarck, and Fargo.
DMS takes a trauma-responsive approach to learning. Teachers start from the understanding that a student's behavior usually serves a purpose, so they look for what's behind it and help students find healthier ways to cope with difficult emotions. Classes are small, and students keep access to special education, 504, and Title services.
DMS also enrolls day students, who live at home and receive the same education as residential students. Families interested in day enrollment can reach out to their child's current school or the DMS principal at the nearest campus.
How Treatment, School, and Daily Life Fit Together
What sets the Ranch apart is how closely its services are tied to one another. A child's therapy, psychiatric care, classes, and free time all happen in the same community, and the Ranch builds school life into each child's treatment plan instead of treating it as something separate.
Wellness staff lead physical activity and new experiences that help residents practice their social skills, and there's still room in the day for kids to simply be kids, whether that means riding bikes, fishing, or playing board games.
Families Are Part of the Process
The Ranch treats family involvement as essential to a child's progress, both during treatment and in the long run. While a child is in residential care, families take part in family therapy, coaching, and parenting education. Staff encourage regular calls and visits and keep parents and guardians informed through weekly check-ins and updates.
Planning for a child's return home is part of that work. The Ranch helps families set up community supports for after treatment ends. In 2019 it also added an aftercare program that provides follow-up care and guidance as children settle back into their communities, and that program has since been expanded.
Outpatient Mental Health Care
Not every family needs residential care, and the Ranch also offers outpatient services through Dakota Family Services. The clinic opened in 2005 to support young people after they finished residential treatment at the Ranch, and it has since grown to serve the wider community.
Dakota Family Services provides therapy and psychiatric care for children, teens, adults, couples, and families. Its services include assessment and evaluation, individual therapy, medication management, and psychological testing. Families can visit clinics in Fargo and Minot or use online therapy, and the clinic is in network with most major insurance companies and managed care plans.
Outpatient care works differently from residential treatment. Children come in for appointments while continuing to live at home, and parents are often brought into sessions, especially when the child is younger. To learn more or schedule an appointment, families can call 800-201-6495.
A Christ-Centered Mission With Voluntary Participation
The Ranch is open about its faith. Its stated mission is "to help at-risk children and their families succeed in the name of Christ," and it describes Christian values such as mercy and compassion as the foundation for how staff work with children and with each other.
Spiritual Life programming includes weekly chapel services, Spiritual Life groups, and one-on-one conversations with a pastor, chaplain, or deaconess. When a child is admitted, staff ask about their spiritual background and beliefs, and that information is shared with the treatment team for planning.
Participation in chapel and Spiritual Life groups is voluntary. Children who choose not to attend join an alternative values-based group instead. The Ranch notes that many children arrive with little or no faith background, and families who have questions about how faith fits into their child's care can raise them with the admissions team.
Locations and How to Begin
The Ranch provides residential treatment at three North Dakota campuses:
Minot: 6301 19th Ave. NW, Minot, ND 58703 (701-852-3628)
Bismarck: 1227 N. 35th St., Bismarck, ND 58501 (701-224-1789)
Fargo: 7151 15th St. S., Fargo, ND 58104 (701-237-3123)
Families who want to ask about residential treatment can call the admissions team at 701-221-5323 or fill out the form on the Ranch's Get Help page. Admissions staff will talk through a child's needs, help determine eligibility, and help gather the medical and school records required for the state's Universal Application. They also coordinate with the state and with the child's school along the way.
Cost is often one of the first questions families have. According to the Ranch, residential treatment is typically covered by private health insurance, state programs, or a combination of the two, and there is special Medicaid coverage for children in residential treatment. Families can ask to speak with a billing specialist before treatment begins.
If a child is in immediate danger, call 911. Anyone in a mental health crisis can also call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, which is free, confidential, and available 24 hours a day.
Ways to Support the Ranch
You don't have to live in North Dakota to help. You can donate online, shop at or donate items to one of the Ranch's thrift stores, or write a Hope Note to encourage a child in treatment. Congregations can also get involved through the Ranch's church partnerships.
Learn More
If you're a parent or caregiver wondering whether the Ranch could help your child, call the admissions team at 701-221-5323 or start on the Get Help page. They can talk with you about whether residential treatment is the right fit. For outpatient therapy, reach Dakota Family Services at 800-201-6495.
If you'd like to support the Ranch, you can make a gift today or explore other ways to give. Visit Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch to learn more about its residential programs, Dakota Memorial School, and how to get involved.
