It has been tremendously gratifying to look back at so many youngsters who have kept in touch with us and have become successful and well functioning adults. This is the real payoff of our job – to be able to feel that in some way we were a part of that process.

The growth of Valley View over the years, as with the emotional development of young people, is never easy nor without periods of frustration. However, I truly believe that we have been blessed with a high level of support and confidence on the part of those who have come to believe in what we do – referral resources, parents and most of all the boys themselves. Without this, we would never have become what we are today.

In spite of the clearest vision of any administrator including skills in developing attractive physical surroundings, a place is nothing without a staff of competent people. I believe our greatest asset lies in a history of attracting and maintaining a group of highly involved, caring and committed individuals. These great people tend to remain with us for a long time as they grow into becoming an integral part of our therapeutic milieu.

I would welcome professionals involved in the referral process, as well as parents who believe that we might be of help, to contact Valley View in order to experience for themselves our unique environment.

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Since 1992, the reward for me has been, and continues to be the opportunity to not only work with a great group of youngsters, but to also develop relationships with them and see them make positive changes over time. It is incredibly gratifying to get a visit or receive a phone call from a student who graduated from our program two, three, or even ten years ago and hear about what he has done since leaving, and hear him reflect on how his time at Valley View School had made such a dramatic change in his and his family’s lives. Knowing that all of us at Valley View had a part in that success is what makes working with these boys worth the time and effort.

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Having worked in human services for nearly ten years, I am grateful to have found a program that stimulates and challenges me on a daily basis. Working with our students and the energy they bring to the table is an ever changing experience that thankfully keeps us on our toes! Since 2004 I have had the privilege to work with these young men in a variety of roles. I truly value the opportunity to work with our students from their initial interview, throughout the program, and ultimately to graduation. Being a part of the change these boys undergo is an experience I’ve enjoyed for the past few years and look forward to the next 30!

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I am excited to join the Valley View team after over fifteen years experience working with youth and families in therapeutic wilderness, residential, and young adult settings. I bring with me crucial skill sets garnered from working as a staff and manager in many leading program milieus, as well as MSW therapeutic experience in the residential and psychiatric fields. I believe that the ultimate therapy for budding youngsters is the opportunity to delve into new horizons with the aide and support of nurturing adult mentors. My mantra in this fashion of work has always been; “give me a fish – feed me for a day, teach me to fish – feed me for a lifetime.” It is through the paradigm of multifaceted experiential endeavors that individuals may begin to develop a sense of self worth, confidence, independence, and new passions for life. It is this passion that will ultimately serve to distinguish them as leaders, innovators, and active participants in the lives they set out to lead in their young adulthood and beyond. There is nothing greater than bearing witness to the blossoming of a dynamic, well rounded character. I am thrilled to work with your son as he embarks on this journey and look forward to joining you in greeting him on the other side.

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I’ve had the pleasure of leading the residential staff here at Valley View for the last twenty seven years or so, and many of my staff have a decade or more of seniority in our program. No individuals work that long with children unless they are totally committed and love their job. Our staff’s commitments to our efforts here speaks highly both of the quality of the program and our student body.

There really is no particular magic to our residential approach. We’ve taken common sense traditional values and expectations for behavior and social interaction and made them the foundation from which we operate. To this we add a staff comprised of committed, nurturing but uncompromising individuals who have the skill and patience to deal with setbacks and the strength to lead students beyond them. Ultimately our students progress because we acquaint them with the experience of real success and make them want more.

I’ve led this residential staff for the last twenty five years because, frankly, I can’t think of a more enjoyable way to spend my days.

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It has always been my belief that Valley View School has a thriving academic program that was established through hard work and dedication over the last 40 years. I am thrilled that I now, through my position as Director of Education, have the opportunity to be part of the milieu that will lead Valley View School into the future.

I began my career at Valley View School in 1999 and it has been an amazing journey for me. I have worked both as an evening counselor and teacher and feel having worked in an assortment of roles gives me multifaceted experience. Caring, consistency and the ability to connect with the students are just some of the attributes I am pleased to say I possess. I have a clear view of the requirements that students are faced with in both the residential and academic setting. Educational opportunities can be found both in and out of the classroom and are not limited purely to academics. Students should be given the opportunity to not only grow educationally, but also socially and emotionally. Creating and implementing a well-rounded educational plan is at the forefront of my agenda.

Over the last decade I have had the pleasure to work with many devoted staff that have helped our school prosper and grow. I have had the opportunity to work with hundreds of students and participate in many aspects of their lives with my goal being to provide them with a positive influence. Making a difference and seeing the improvements the students make over the course of their stay at Valley View School is the reinforcement that all the hard work is making a difference in their lives. Working with our students is my passion and my calling.

I look forward to working with both students and parents. I am excited for the opportunity to lead the academic program, continuing to offer high quality education for our students.

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It’s been my pleasure to work with the staff, teachers, and clinicians at the Valley View School. One of the things that impresses me the most about the school is that although they are very empathetic and understanding of the boy’s needs and difficulties, they don’t encourage using those difficulties as excuses for abdicating personal responsibility and self-efficacy. It is this balance between supportive interventions and high expectations that I think is one of the school’s greatest strengths.

I have also found that the structured environment helps create an atmosphere where the expectations for the boys are clear and designed to convey the sense of security and stability.

It is this combination of a holistic understanding of the boys, that includes sensitivity to their emotional needs, an appreciation and treatment for their diagnoses, as well as the consistent message that we hope and belief in their ability to rise above their difficulties by accepting help when needed and learning to assume personal responsibility that is one of the most therapeutic influences the school offers.

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During more than forty years of practice in clinical psychology, I have had the privilege of accompanying many youngsters on their journey toward personal growth and development. As an affiliate professor in the doctoral program in clinical psychology at Clark University and as an Associate in the Departments of both Psychiatry and Pediatrics at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, I have tried to share the benefits of that experience with the next generation of clinicians.

The fifteen years during which I have participated in the program of services provided by Valley View School have been among the most clinically rewarding for me. The young men of Valley View’s student body have typically presented both daunting challenges and extraordinary potential. Over and again, I have seen families demonstrate selfless commitment and a readiness to sacrifice so that their sons might draw closer toward realizing that potential. Moreover, I have consistently been extremely impressed with the way the dedicated staff at Valley View provide a context within which growth and development might occur. Most striking is their sincere dedication to the overarching proposition that every student can be helped to move beyond the challenges of adolescence and toward a productive and satisfying experience as a young adult.

It has been a pleasure and a privilege to participate in the Valley View program. Further, it has been a humbling honor to have had many students share with me their concerns, their questions, their aspirations, their efforts, their disappointments and their personal successes.

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Since 1987 I have worked as an affiliated psychologist at Valley View School, providing individual psychotherapy to two generations of students. It has been profoundly rewarding to work in depth with these youngsters and their families, within the context of the stable, structured environment that is Valley View School.

Psychotherapy has a significant and respected role at the school, offering a means of helping students recognize problematic emotional and behavioral patterns, learn to regulate moods and impulses, develop an ability to sustain motivation and effortful striving, and integrate a healthier sense of self with increased empathy for others and stronger relationships. The combination of a well-devised therapeutic milieu, a structured, supportive academic component, and a wide range of psychological and psychiatric services is a powerful force for change for many troubled adolescents. I am proud to be a part of Valley View School.

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I started my collaboration with Valley View School as a consultant from the Harvard Medical School doing psychological testing with students. I enjoyed my experience and the school environment so much that I was thrilled when I was asked to join as adjunct staff psychologist. I have been serving the student community and their families with my services for the last eight years. My commitment is to helping boys attain their true potential. In doing so, I operate from a collaborative approach with families and the community of Valley View.

The school works as a prototype of community of which the students are the citizens, and staff is there to facilitate their full participation. The boys are confronted with learning to participate responsibly in order to enjoy the benefits. In such ideal challenging context, I work in helping the boy/citizen to work through the specific obstacle in the way of his full participation in the community. Possible obstacles may be constituted by learning disabilities, self-esteem issues, impulse control, and I enjoy working with different techniques and approaches according to the need. However, the unique strengths of this community, however, are: the strong and at the same time simplified structure of life, which helps everybody to follow clear and strong messages; and the high level of communication among all staff which leaves no space for manipulations, and other behaviors unaccounted for. As an experienced child psychologist, I can honestly say that these components are essential for outgrowing the challenges, which these boys bring with them to the school. Because of these elements I have been able to enjoy results with the boys and families I have worked with, that I could have not obtained in any other context.

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Working at Valley View School has shown to be an enlightening and pleasant experience. I enjoy working with my fellow staff members, the students and parents. Everyone that I come into contact with has a positive approach to education, which has produced a great atmosphere to work in. Throughout my career I have worked for a diverse group of business and I am pleased to have the opportunity to work in the education field. I hope to uphold the high standards offered at Valley View by working together with co-workers, students, and parents.

I am thrilled to be interacting with the Valley View community and continuing to build on the strong values and traditions of the school.

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I am honored to be given the opportunity to work at a school of such distinction. Although I have not been here as long as many of the other staff members, I am very impressed with the warm welcome and support the staff have given me. I look forward to getting to know each of t he students individually and watching their progress here at Valley View.

I have worked in a wide variety of settings as a nurse for nearly twenty years and I have always enjoyed working with adolescents. My background has been predominantly in rehabilitation nursing, which is a philosophy of care, utilizing a holistic approach, to assist individuals in meeting their greatest potential.

This opportunity will allow me to utilize much of my past nursing experience and also provide a positive work environment which I hope will challenge me for many years to come.

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As a chef for greater than twenty years good nutritious food is my passion. Now as a team member of Valley View School I look forward to working with the staff and to prepare healthful meals that growing boys need. I hope to role model and teach good nutritional habits that the students will have the rest of their lives. Good nutrition is the foundation of good health, this is necessary for active learning.

I look forward to using my teaching skills in the formal incidental teaching of the students as they are in the food preparation area and dining room.

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I am thrilled to be part of such a wonderful community at Valley View. My daily interactions with the boys are always interesting and rewarding. Helping the boys and their families with daily correspondence and travel plans for their breaks keeps me busy.

I am very honored to be able to contribute to the daily functions of this highly reputable educational facility.