The Strength to Thrive Our Family After Discovery Ranch
In this episode, therapist Tiffany Silva Herlin, LCSW, talks with Aiden and his mom Rivka about life after Discovery Ranch. They share honest insights on family reintegration, ongoing support, and the continued healing process, offering hope to families navigating the post-treatment journey.
This powerful conclusion to the podcast series offers real hope to families currently in crisis by showcasing the tangible results of committed therapeutic work. Whether you're considering treatment options for your child, have them currently in a program, or navigating the post-treatment journey, this episode provides valuable insights from a family who has successfully traveled this path. To learn more about our services, call us at 855-662-9318.
Introduction to the Journey
Tiffany: All right—this is our final episode, episode three. Thank you so much for joining us. My name is Tiffany Silva Herlin. I'm a licensed clinical social worker. We have Rivka and Aiden here with us to wrap up our last episode and talk about what it’s been like to return home after residential treatment. Please remember that this podcast is not a replacement for therapy. Always seek support from a mental health professional for your unique situation. Okay, let’s jump in. What has it been like since you’ve been home? In our last episode, I asked you if it was all worth it. So now that you’ve been home—how long has it been?
Aiden: I’ve been home for... a little over a year now.
Tiffany: Okay, so looking back after a year—tell us a little more about what’s made it worth it.
Aiden: I think... It’s not just about knowing that you’ve changed. It’s when you kind of step outside yourself for a minute and look at yourself from the outside. If that makes any sense—I’m not sure if that makes sense.
Tiffany: No, keep going.
Aiden: It’s like, you’re able to see the change you’ve made. Because when you’re just living it day-to-day, it feels like, “Oh, this is just who I am.” But then you bring back this good part of you—your true self—and you realize, “Oh wow, that’s still there.” And then you look back and go, “Interesting.” That’s been one of the coolest things: seeing how I went from being this, like, angel of a child... to this kind of demon version of myself... and now, to someone who’s a thriving young adult.
Tiffany: You’re getting very meta—I love it. Keep going.
Aiden: It’s just something you look back on and think, “Wow.” Even if it takes a minute to see it, there’s that moment when it hits you. Like, “That’s where I was.” And now I’m here.
The Challenge of Transitioning Home
Tiffany: Well, you've been hiking up in our mountains, right? Have you ever gone on a really hard hike where, in the middle of it, you're like, "I hate this. I'm dying"—not dying, but you’re just so thirsty?
Aiden: Yes.
Tiffany: And tired. And you want to give up?
Aiden: If you go into Southern Utah and hike Indian Peak...
Tiffany: Okay—but when you got to the top and looked down, what did you feel?
Aiden: It’s the most beautiful sight ever. And even if you whisper, you hear that echo. It’s this feeling, like—especially when you’ve made progress—it’s like a hill climb. You can symbolically relate it to the climb of personal growth. And when you reach the top, where that echo is, it’s like, "Now let me spread this—this-this positivity and this growth—to my friends who are still struggling, and let that echo through them," you know?
Tiffany: Yeah.
Aiden: I think it emphasizes that idea. But it’s so hard.
Tiffany: Let’s talk about that. Mom, has it been easy bringing him home?
Rivka: So—no part of this...
Aiden: I think the answer is right there.
Rivka: No part of this process has been easy. There is no easy street in this entire journey. From the moment we transitioned to not having him home, our reality shifted completely. We were suddenly living with states between us, flights apart, weekly Zoom calls, letters and cards... Then, coming home, there was another transition—living under the same roof again. Life wasn’t perfect. The challenges didn’t disappear. It became about: are you going to turn to your toolbox, or are you going to go back to old habits?
Rivka: The transition home was hard. We each had to learn how to be the new versions of ourselves in a shared physical space. We had all evolved while apart, and the distance gave us time and space between interactions. But now we were back together—at the same dinner table, in the same home. And there were tensions. I’ll call them “triggers,” even though that word is overused. But those moments felt familiar, and we almost wanted to fall back into the patterns we had three years ago.
Rivka: Fighting that is a real challenge. But every time we chose the toolbox over the old habit, it was so rewarding. And as more time passed with him home, we had more experiences that looked similar to the pa, t—but this time, we handled them differently. And there were a few moments when we had to reset—like, “Whoa, that did not go the way we wanted it to.”
Tiffany: Yeah.
Rivka: And the ability to sit down as a family, have a meeting, and unpack it—to say, “Okay, that went wrong. Let’s regroup. What should have happened? What should never have happened?” That’s the work.
Tiffany: That’s exactly what therapy is supposed to do—teach you. Therapy isn’t meant to keep you in it forever. We don’t want you...
Rivka: Right.
Tiffany: ...as clients forever. We want you to move on and say, “Here are the tools, here’s the experience. Now use them.” Because you’re going to struggle. You’re going to stumble. And when you do, we want you to know how to unpack things and move forward.
Aiden: I want to add—at least as a teenager—sometimes I’m just like, “Can we go back to the weekly calls? I need a break. Seriously.”
Tiffany: That’s a funny thing.
Aiden: And also, I want to emphasize that this isn’t a perfect transition. Even with all the progress, it’s two steps forward, one step back. You’re going to have setbacks. But even if it’s more steps forward than back, it’s still positive growth. Nothing in life is smooth—let’s just be honest. It’s a stormy sea.
Tiffany: Yes, that’s true. And I always like to joke with parents that, while your son or daughter may be coming home from treatment, you’re still getting back a knucklehead teenager—not one who's causing safety concerns or major crises, but still a teenager. You’re still going to have moments where they don’t want to get out of bed, don’t want to do their homework, don’t want to do their chores. You know?
The Importance of Continued Support
Rivka: I think there are a few things that are critical to remember. One is that the journey isn't over just because we've changed the geography of the family. My sister always says, “The day we're done is the day we're buried,” and she's right. There's always an opportunity for growth and improvement as long as we're alive. The journey changes geographically, but you're still on it—so don’t get off the train.
You need to have a therapist in place. Within the first week of Aiden coming home, he met with a therapist. We had three lined up, just in case the first one wasn’t a good fit. After that first meeting, he was ready to be done with her.
Tiffany: Yeah.
Rivka: I asked him, “Do you want a second date to confirm that, or are you ready to move on?” Because we had a backup. But he chose to go for a second session.
Aiden: And now we’re inseparable.
Rivka: She’s been such an incredible resource.
Tiffany: Because she was doing her job. You don’t want her to be your best friend. You want her to challenge you.
Rivka: Exactly. And it took him being willing to go back for that second meeting. I always say finding a therapist is like dating. You’re going to go on a lot of first dates, and it’s okay if the first one doesn’t click. Try someone else. If it feels like a lot of boxes were checked, go on that second date. If it's still not the right fit, move on—because not every therapist is right for every person.
He also met with a psychiatrist that first week. We needed a clean handoff from his provider in treatment to a new one. We happened to love the new psychiatrist and still work with her, but if we hadn’t, we would have transitioned again. The key is not letting there be a gap. Families who don’t do that often find themselves flailing. If you go from 24-hour care and daily therapy to nothing, how can anyone be expected to do well? That’s not a sustainable or realistic transition.
So set your child up for success. Make sure they have a therapist. Make sure someone is supporting the whole family system. For us, we used a program called Wonder that provided wraparound services to help with the transition home.
Aiden: And that worked amazingly.
Tiffany: Wait—real quick. I kept meaning to ask in our earlier episodes: did you go see a counselor while he was in treatment?
Aiden: They needed one!
Rivka: Does today end with a “y”?
Tiffany: I just kept wanting to point that out—so many parents need to be doing their work, both during and after treatment.
Rivka: One hundred percent.
Aiden: From my perspective, it felt like while I was in treatment, the parents were also in their kind of treatment—just at home. It was like they were in the same process, just in a different place.
Rivka: Right. Show me someone who doesn’t have something to unpack. But more than that, think about the message you're sending your child. Are you in this or not? If you're at home, cruising along, setting expectations for your kid but not doing your work, what does that communicate? It feels like rejection. Our whole family committed to this journey. And the siblings? They need space too. They’re coming into this from their place of trauma. We had to be intentional about giving them support and the freedom to engage at their own pace.
Tiffany: Yeah.
Rivka: Every one of us has been on a three-year journey of healing—working on communication, family systems, and understanding relationships. And like I said at the beginning, Aiden’s journey has been a gift to our entire family. We're still healing, and we’ll continue healing, but we're better for having walked this road.
So when you're bringing a child home from treatment, it’s critical to have all the logistical pieces in place. Your child needs continuity—a therapist, a psychiatrist, family support. Hopefully you’ve already started building that during the treatment process.
Tiffany: Because they need support.
Rivka: Yes.
Tiffany: They need a whole community.
Rivka: Exactly. Make sure the family has a designated therapist too. That could be the same therapist your child sees, or someone different. Some families prefer to have a separate family therapist. Each situation is different, and there’s going to be some trial and error.
Tiffany: And it’s not just about Aiden coming home. It’s a transition for him, but also you, and if there are siblings, it’s big for them too. How did they respond?
Rivka: One of our children struggled. He wasn’t ready for this source of trauma to be back nearby. That was hard. Aiden, though, was incredibly gracious with that sibling, giving him space. It’s been a journey. At first, we were just sharing space with very little communication. Over time, we’ve seen small steps—sometimes barely noticeable, sometimes very tangible growth. Then things might plateau again.
Grace is the name of the game at this stage. Giving everyone the benefit of the doubt. Everyone’s trying, and sometimes we just need space to experience and process whatever comes up.
Emotional Processing and Family Healing
Rivka: And I think it's important to understand that the feelings aren't always pretty. There are moments of anger, pain, sorrow, mourning—and we have to allow space for all of that. Feel it all. Be in it. Process it. Express it if you need to. And then, let’s be productive about moving forward.
Allowing the process to unfold naturally is key, as long as everyone’s in it 100%. Parent participation is pivotal. And so is your leadership role. We’ve talked about the family system—parents are the leaders of that system.
Tiffany: Yeah.
Rivka: While your child is in the program, you have co-parents—you have this incredible, multifaceted team of support. But once they come home, it’s just you and your spouse. Or maybe a co-parent. The party gets smaller.
Tiffany: It’s a smaller community that you're coming home to.
Rivka: Exactly. You're returning to your nuclear family, this more insular community. And that in itself is a huge adjustment. As a parent, you’re going to find yourself second-guessing—“Is this the right call?” Do the best you can. And turn to your toolbox.
One of the first questions I ask myself in those moments is: Is this coming from my toolbox, or is it from a familiar past? Just identifying the source of whatever is about to come out of your mouth can help you decide whether it should come out at all.
Tiffany: Yeah.
Rivka: If it’s from the toolbox, go for it. If it’s just a knee-jerk reaction rooted in old habits, take a pause. Walk away. In our family, we say “I need space,” and that phrase immediately puts everything on hold. Go take your space. That might mean a shower, a run, or just going to your room to be alone for a bit.
We spent all this time learning and building our coping skills—physical, emotional, mental. Now it’s time to use them. Let people in your family use their toolbox.
Tiffany: Yeah.
Rivka: Use it yourself. Carry it around with you. Whether it’s you dealing with your child, or you with your spouse—turn to your toolbox. And the more you use it, the more natural and intuitive it becomes.
Creating New Patterns and Pathways
Tiffany: A lot of this comes down to taking what you’ve learned in therapy and making sure you're doing the inner work—that introspective work. To stop and ask yourself, “Am I falling into old patterns, or am I creating new ones?” Right? Because we’re human. We’re going to fall into old patterns sometimes. That’s how our brains work—they prefer the path of least resistance. Creating new neural pathways takes time and effort. There’s a challenge to that.
Rivka: And remember—we’re creating even newer pathways when we shift the geography.
Tiffany: That’s true. Absolutely.
Rivka: We learned all these new skills, new ways of communicating, and we practiced them during those 30 months of not living in the same space—just visits, trial runs, overnights. And now it’s not temporary anymore. This isn’t a weekend. This isn’t a week-long visit. This is every week now. It’s “What’s next?” What school? What comes after?
Tiffany: Yeah.
Rivka: What’s the new rhythm? In our case, Aiden is a tennis player—an avid tennis lover. So we started looking at tennis academies, trying to figure out which one we want to engage with. It’s like a fresh start, three years later. But we know tennis is his thing—his healthy, happy space. So why wouldn’t we prioritize that?
We had to find a new schedule, new habits, a new rhythm that works not only for him but for our whole family system.
Tiffany: Aiden, I’m going to ask you a question. What’s been the biggest adjustment for you being home?
Aiden: In treatment, the schedule is set. Lunch is at this time. Therapy is at this time. The group is at this time. School is at this time. Everything’s built-in.
Now, school is at this time, tennis practice is at that time—but when do I do homework? When do I go to bed? That’s all on me now. I have to build my structure.
I think that was the biggest adjustment. I’ve done a pretty good job with it, but it was the hardest thing—figuring out my new rhythm.
Tiffany: Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. You’re not being told what to do—you're shifting into a more independent structure, and now you have to be in charge of it.
Rivka: Exactly. And it’s also important to remember that kids thrive in structure.
Tiffany: Oh, yeah.
Rivka: They need boundaries, they need rules, they need guidelines. Structure is like a sacred word. And knowing who plays what role in the family helps.
In our family, my husband is way more structured than I am. I travel for work, I’m in and out. I change things constantly. I’m not the icon of structure. But Joey—my husband—is. And Joey and Aiden both tick that way. That’s how they function best.
So I’ve learned that my role is to support that. Even if I’m on a different rhythm that day, or this week, or this month—or this year! Supporting that structure is key.
When Aiden came home, we had been empty nesters for a year. Our other three kids—one graduated, two in college—and it was just us and the dogs.
Aiden: And then one came back. One decided he wanted to come back.
Rivka: Right! And suddenly we’re not empty nesters anymore. Meals had to be structured again.
Tiffany: Yeah.
Rivka: I’m usually the “fly by the seat of my pants” kind of person. I eat when I’m hungry. But my husband loves meal times—and Aiden thrives on knowing when to expect what. So all of a sudden, meal times mattered again.
Every family defines structure differently. But if you're committed to your child's thriving, the structure needs to start with the child coming home—and then you figure out how it fits into your family unit.
In some families, there are two dinner times. Our older kids aren’t hungry at six. But my husband and Aiden? They’re eating at 6:00 or 6:01 is too late. The dogs get fed at 5:30.
Aiden: At 4:00, though—it’s too late for the dogs.
Rivka: Yeah, there is a rhythm. And sticking with it helps everyone feel okay. Of course, some of us aren’t hungry at six, and that’s fine too. So we roll with it—but again, give each other grace.
Finding Flexibility in Family Dynamics
Rivka: Extend grace to everybody and everything, so we can all figure out what our new normal is. Everyone in the family needs to be thriving.
Tiffany: Yeah.
Rivka: And that might not mean the same schedule for all six of us—and that’s okay. That’s part of having a bunch of young adults in the house.
Tiffany: So there’s got to be some flexibility, some grace, and some reevaluating how things run. That makes sense.
Rivka: And setting priorities, right?
Tiffany: Yeah.
Rivka: We’re a list family—we like our lists. We like to outline things because when you write them down, you sometimes realize, “Eh, this isn’t that important.” So we bump it to the bottom. It helps the family communicate as a unit.
Now, Aiden didn’t love this, but there were times when we’d say, “We need to have a conversation about X, Y, Z. We can do it now or after dinner.” And he’d go, “I don’t want to talk about it at all.” And we’d go, “Now or after dinner.”
Sometimes, if it was a bigger conversation, we’d schedule it. Sunday was our family’s recap day.
Aiden: At first. Then we started recapping when we needed to.
Rivka: Right. It started as a set family meeting every Sunday afternoon. That was the time to address non-urgent issues. We’d have an informal agenda—things that had come up during the week—and we’d also map out the schedule for the upcoming week.
Because when Aiden first came home, there were so many appointments. Some braces hadn’t been adjusted in who-knows-how-long, doctor visits, all that. So we took it week by week.
Tiffany: Yeah.
Rivka: And we created a family schedule every Sunday. Eventually, we found our rhythm. We sort of “graduated” from our wraparound services after about four months, though we stayed in it for five. By that last month, we barely used them—we were finding our footing.
Tiffany: Yeah.
Rivka: We actually preferred running the meetings ourselves by then. So my advice? Find the support that works for your family—and graduate when everyone is ready.
Aiden: Yeah, because if not everyone in the family is healed, then you’re not actually going back into the community as a whole unit. You’re going back as fragmented individuals.
The healing process isn’t done unless everyone’s done healing. And if that’s the case, how do you reintegrate back into your community?
Navigating the Return Home
Tiffany: Did you feel like you got treated differently?
Aiden: No. I think the amazing thing about moving to another state when I came home was that no one had to know. I had this—
Tiffany: You had a fresh start.
Aiden: Yeah, a fresh start. I had this opportunity to reset, make new friends—my story started fresh. I felt almost… reborn. Like learning to walk again.
Rivka: Within our family and extended community, we told everyone Aiden went to boarding school. That’s what we told the cousins. No one knew it was a therapeutic program. So it allowed for a pretty graceful reentry, which I think is important.
Remember—this is your child’s story. Aiden is a young person, and it’s not something we need to put out there for everyone.
Tiffany: Right. I agree.
Rivka: If Aiden wants to share his story, I 100% support that. But it’s not just my story to tell. I remember having a conversation with Aiden like, “Why do your friends know?” And he said, “Because my inner circle needs to know what I’m going through. This is my trauma too.”
Tiffany: Yeah.
Rivka: That’s part of each of our stories. But remember—our goal is reunification and reentry. We want to preserve our kids’ ability to come back and be productive members of society, without a label or a target on their back.
Tiffany: Yeah.
Rivka: Aiden was fortunate—he came back to a new state and a new environment. But most kids are going home to the same house, same neighborhood, same school.
Tiffany: Yeah.
Rivka: So be careful what you put out there about your child. Get the support you need, but don’t gossip about your kid. They need to come home.
Tiffany: Not everyone needs to know the details.
Rivka: Exactly.
Tiffany: Saying they’re at boarding school is fine and appropriate. If someone’s in your inner circle and you trust them, you can share more. But it’s case by case—what protects your family and your child is what matters.
Rivka: That’s exactly right.
Tiffany: Aiden, what lessons from Discovery Ranch have helped you the most?
Aiden: Honestly, I think the biggest thing I carry with me is this idea—mainly in school—that work time is work time. There are times when I fall back on it, I’ll admit, and I don’t always apply it at home. But if you have stuff to get done, you can’t just sit there and relax. You’ve got to get it done.
Rivka: It’s not just going to happen, right?
Aiden: Right. Everything takes work. Things don’t just fall into your lap. It’s not like you wake up and there’s suddenly a million dollars in your pocket. You worked for it, or you bought a lottery ticket—something had to happen.
Tiffany: That makes so much sense. Like we’ve talked about in this whole series, things that matter take work. Long-lasting change takes work.
Rivka, what tools have you learned as a family?
Rivka: (laughs) Take a deep breath before you talk.
We all have learned behaviors that are hard to let go of—and I’m not sure they ever really go away. Sometimes they rear their ugly heads and catch you off guard. And sometimes, you’ll be in a moment and think, “Oh my gosh, I almost reacted that old way,” but then you catch yourself.
And in those moments, celebrate that success. Catching it is a win. Even if the instinct is still there.
Building a Toolbox for Life
Rivka: Aiden recently said to me, “The trauma doesn’t go away. It’s always part of you.” And it’s true. It doesn’t go away—but we build new pathways around it. We learn to move through it. And as we do, we build a toolbox.
That toolbox should always be growing. Some tools become obsolete, and others get refined. Life will present new circumstances that require different strategies. Like, if it’s pouring rain outside, going for a run might not be the best option at that moment. You have to be flexible.
I read somewhere—though I can’t remember where—that you should have a “Top Three” for every scenario. When something happens and you feel like you’re grasping at straws, you should already have your top three go-to strategies. So if running won’t work because it’s raining, what are your next best three options?
It sounds really basic—and maybe it is—but when you’re overwhelmed, life is very basic and concrete. You need something simple to hold on to. So if you’re flooded, you better know what your three options are to either get out of the situation or to calm down so you can address it.
One of the biggest things we’ve learned as a family is that when someone says, “I need space,” it’s pencils down. Like in those cooking shows—hands up, step away. That’s what we do. No one continues the conversation. Not even one more sentence.
Tiffany: You all respect that.
Rivka: Absolutely. We don’t throw that around lightly, either. It means something. And it’s helped us recognize that escalated people can’t de-escalate other escalated people. If one person is flooded, chances are others are getting warm or hot, too. But honestly, it doesn’t even matter if they are or not. If one person calls “Uncle,” everyone steps back.
We’ve had to develop a family vocabulary around this. For some people, it's “I'm flooded.” For others, it's “I need space,” or “I need to tap out. Can we revisit this in 30 minutes?”
And another thing we’ve learned—not everything can be postponed forever. So sometimes, it's: “I know this is hard right now, but we need to come back to it. Let’s take 30 minutes. Do what you need to do. But in 30 minutes, we’ll regroup.”
That kind of structure is really important—learning how to give space, but also when to reengage. Everything has its place in the hierarchy of priority.
The Power of Vulnerability in Family
Rivka: It’s been a process of trial and error, but we’ve learned how to communicate as a family. And if I had to name the key ingredient in our home, it would be vulnerability—in all caps. We’ve all learned to trust each other enough to be vulnerable. Because really, what’s the worst that can happen?
Tiffany: Vulnerability leads to connection. True, lasting connection.
Rivka: Exactly. And trust.
Tiffany: You can’t have a connection without it.
Rivka: Right. So we all had to learn to put down our tools, our defenses—our armor—and just be real with each other. And honestly, the “worst” thing that comes from vulnerability?
Tiffany: Is connection.
Aiden: And that’s not even a bad thing.
Rivka: Not at all. And something else we’ve found—something I’ve said before, but it fits here—is that we’re all better versions of ourselves now. Through this journey, each of us has connected to ourselves in ways we hadn’t three years ago.
It hasn’t just been about strengthening our family relationships, though that’s happened. It’s also been about getting to know ourselves. This experience, this program—it gave us time and space to unpack our stuff. And that’s changed us.
Tiffany: Yeah.
Rivka: Over the last three years, we’ve all done individual therapy and family therapy. And in that time, we’ve each discovered beautiful, powerful parts of ourselves—and each other. We’re closer. We’re stronger. We’re excited. We’re looking forward to being together this May, to what comes next, to watching our children launch into their lives.
It’s been a grueling journey, no doubt about it—but one filled with incredible rewards. And I truly believe, the best of those rewards, we haven’t even seen yet.
Reflections on the Journey Ahead
Tiffany: I’m excited to see what the future holds for your family, especially after how hard you’ve all worked to get to this point. To wrap things up, what’s one thing you each wish you had known before starting this journey or treatment?
Aiden: I wish I had known how long it was going to be. That there’s no set timeline. I wish someone had told me, “You’re not coming home until you do the work.” Because there’s no other way. I think if I’d known that from the beginning, the whole process might’ve gone faster.
Rivka: Do you think you would’ve been more engaged? Less resistant?
Aiden: Yeah. I don’t think the journey would’ve been as intense or taken as long if I hadn’t fought it so much.
Tiffany: That makes sense. If you’d accepted it earlier, maybe it wouldn’t have felt so severe.
Aiden: Exactly.
Rivka: For me, I don’t know that there was anything I didn’t know, only because I was so close to Aiden’s process the entire time—even before the program, when we were trying to do the work at home. There was always a lot of effort on my end.
What I do wish we had understood sooner is just how comprehensive and systemic this journey is. In the beginning, my husband was kind of on the sidelines. But eventually we realized—Aiden isn’t just coming home to me. He’s coming home to both of us. And that means we both need to be involved.
Understanding that this is a whole family process helped us make better choices. We could bring in the right resources and support earlier. The sooner you realize how much of yourself you need to bring to this process, the sooner you start making real progress—meaningful, lasting progress.
Tiffany: Yeah, that’s so true.
Rivka: Would it have helped to know that earlier? Probably. But I also think that kids tend to figure things out in their own time. That’s just part of the process—you have to meet them where they are. And it takes as long as it takes.
For the adults, though—I think we can learn things faster if we’re willing to listen. So when you bring your child into a program and you’re going through the intake process, and they tell you what’s expected—believe them. When they say you’ll be attending seminars a few times a year, joining weekly family calls, staying engaged... It’s not optional. This becomes a top priority.
The sooner you make room for that in your life and your family system, the sooner healing can begin. That’s when the family starts to shift, redefine itself, and move toward reunification.
Celebrating Milestones and Achievements
Tiffany: Aiden and Rivka, it’s been incredible to hear your story—your journey from a place of crisis, to the ups and downs of healing through treatment, and now coming full circle. I imagine there was a time when you weren’t sure if graduation was even possible.
Aiden: Yeah. There was a point where I didn’t think high school was even going to happen. Like, “Am I even going to finish?”
Tiffany: And now here you are—graduating. Your family hasn’t all been together for years, and now you’re reuniting to celebrate this huge milestone.
Aiden: Yeah, we’re all coming together for my graduation.
Tiffany: That’s such a powerful rising-from-the-ashes, Phoenix-type story.
Aiden: Yeah.
Tiffany: So what’s next for you?
Aiden: Right now I’m in the process of deciding which college I want to go to. I’ve been accepted to multiple mechanical engineering programs—that’s the major I’m going for. I’ve received scholarships from a few schools too, which helps.
I’m just really excited. I get to continue my education—something I honestly never thought I’d have the opportunity to do. There was a time when college wasn’t even on the radar for me, and now I’m choosing between schools. That’s huge.
Tiffany: That’s amazing. I can tell you’re incredibly bright—and clearly, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Rivka, you’re just as wise and insightful. I mean, you said in our first episode that there was a time you weren’t even sure if Aiden was going to be safe, or if he’d end up in jail—and now look where you are. You’re celebrating college acceptances, scholarships, and your family coming back together. Can you even believe it?
Rivka: Yes—because I lived it.
Tiffany: (laughs) Fair. I guess that’s kind of a dumb question.
Rivka: No, not at all. It’s just... when I take inventory—like yesterday, we spent the day at the ranch, and I probably haven’t fully processed it yet—but what I felt was tremendous pride. Pride in Aiden, in our family, in the staff here. Their tenacity, their commitment to stay with us through this journey—it’s remarkable.
They could’ve given up. It was hard. Aiden tested everyone.
Tiffany: Most teens do.
Rivka: Aiden is officially in the top five most difficult Discovery Ranch students. (laughs)
Tiffany: Probably one of the most memorable, too.
Rivka: I’d say so. And I celebrate everyone’s success in this. It’s our children. It’s my husband. It’s Aiden. It’s the staff. It’s our educational consultant, who has become like family. It’s our extended family, my siblings who have been right there with us, my parents who stayed involved. We’ve had an incredible support system.
The community we built and grew into was centered around Aiden’s survival—then his success. And this moment—it belongs to a lot of people.
Tiffany: It does take a village.
Rivka: It does. And our village is full of people we love tremendously. People we owe so much to. People, we are now welcome into the next phase of this journey, because Aiden’s only turning 18. There’s so much more ahead. And we’re excited to share it with all those who have become our family along the way.
The Importance of Sharing Success Stories
Tiffany: There’s so much negativity out there—especially in the media—about this industry. It gets a lot of attention. But what doesn’t get enough attention are stories like yours. Stories that need to be louder. Stories that offer hope and inspiration to families who are struggling and need to know that there is a way forward.
Rivka: I think it’s imperative to understand that Aiden is one story—and yes, he’s our story—but in the 20 years that Discovery Ranch has been operating, there are more than a thousand Aidens.
Tiffany: Yes.
Rivka: Families need to remember that. In just one program—Discovery Ranch—more than a thousand students have come through in crisis and gone on to live successful lives. That’s the story of hope. That’s the bigger picture.
Tiffany: Yeah.
Rivka: We’re a living, breathing example of that success.
Tiffany: Yes.
Rivka: And what we’ve experienced—what we’re celebrating—has happened thousands of times. That deserves to be recognized.
Tiffany: And so many families aren’t in a place to share their story like you have. Maybe they can’t, or maybe they choose not to be this vulnerable—and that’s okay. But it means that for every one story told like yours, there are so many more that go unheard. You represent just a fraction of the lives that have been changed.
A Message of Hope for Families in Crisis
Tiffany: Rivka and Aiden, thank you both so much for joining us. And to our listeners, we appreciate you tuning in and walking through this family’s journey with us.
We want to remind you that this is just one story. There are thousands—if not more—families out there who have walked a similar path. Many aren’t in a place to share their stories publicly, but that doesn’t make them any less powerful or real.
If you're a parent who is struggling with your teen, and you're at the point where you're considering residential treatment, please know—there is hope. There is healing. And there are safe, compassionate programs out there that can help your family rediscover connection, trust, and that deep vulnerability that leads to true and lasting transformation.
Thank you so much for joining us today.
Rivka: Thank you for having us.
Tiffany: Yeah.
Aiden: Thank you.