Ironwood Mentor Blog

For the past week and a half I have stayed at Ironwood as a mentor. My experience coming back has been very beneficial to myself and to the residents. I have only been graduated for about two months now and most of the residents were here when I was still a resident myself. I would say that it is easier to talk to and relate to peers that you already know on a personal level. The experience would definitely be different if I came back a year from now.
Graduating Ironwood, I feel is one of the most important things I have done in my life. Sticking it out through the good and bad times paid off big time in the end. Ironwood is a safe place that residents can work on themselves without the distractions that come from the outside world. In a way it is a second home to me and always will be. A major benefit of graduating versus getting pulled from the program is that you can come back and mentor.
Wearing a red shirt at Ironwood is a big responsibility. I was a peer leader when I was a resident, so coming back to mentor was not a new thing for me as it is for others. I feel that there is a big difference between being a peer leader as a resident and coming back as a graduated mentor. The biggest difference is that you have been in the outside world and have a lot of advice to give. You have been through it and you know to some extent how everyone feels in the different levels.
I really enjoyed my time here. It helped me out greatly in my own journey that I have to go through. It is really nice that I got to spend time with peers that are at all different levels in life and in the program. I believe that I have given back to the Ironwood process that has helped me so much. I urge all graduates from Ironwood to take the time to come back and reflect on your time spent here and how it impacted you. While along the way giving advice to others that are going through the same things you have.

June third of last year marked the biggest change in my life, it was the day I arrived at Ironwood. I had no social life and I was a high school drop out. In one year I transformed into a completely different person, eighty pounds lighter, I finished three full years worth of school work, and found a confidence that I have never felt before. It was a dream come true for me and it was a lot to get used to. I graduated from Ironwood about two months ago and things could easily have gotten out of control. Instead of falling into the old patterns I used to be stuck in, I stayed true to staying on track to be the person I want to be. During this trip back to mentor I have been able to sort out the aspects of my life that weren’t up to my new expectations and thought of ways to make them better. Also, I got an opportunity to give some adivice to the kids that are about to experience going home and some of my expirences that could benefit them. I enjoyed giving back to the Ironwood community that i know so well and hope to do it again sometime in the near future.

Taylor S.

I came to Ironwood on May 6, 2010–a social recluse with an addiction to video games– and left with the knowledge and support system to lead a very happy life. When coming back to Ironwood as a mentor, I needed a refresher course on one of the main lessons taught at Ironwood which is the need for balance in my life.

The time in between my graduation and my arriving as a mentor I had gone from one end of the social spectrum to the opposite end. My social life was so good that I let the balance in my life go. Being that I am starting college in August, I realized the need for me to regain that balance in my life, and this is why I came back to mentor.

During my time here as a mentor I have not only refreshed myself on balance, I also learned how good it feels to help the other residents. Being a graduate at Ironwood, I felt it necessary to share my insights and experiences with the residents, and to know that what I have to say is actually helping these kids is a really great feeling.

Having had mentors when I was a resident, I know how much I am looked up to because I saw my mentors in the same way. Mentoring at Ironwood is not only a great way to keep your life on track, it is also a nice and fun way to help other kids out that are going through a lot of the same things that (I) went through, and so I would recommend it to any and all Ironwood graduates.

Advice that I would give to a potential student: Although you will probably not realize this until you have graduated, Ironwood is not a punishment. In fact, it is more of a blessing. Your parents have sent you here because they love you and only want what is best for you, and although you may feel differently, you do not know what is best for you.

Ironwood is a safe place where you are surrounded by staff that care about you and the other residents, who you will get to know better than any friend you had back home, and they will know you just as well. They have tons of awesome animals, that, at least for me, helped get me through each day. I will not lie and say that it’s easy and fun all the time, but you do have fun, and most importantly, you get your head on straight and your life back on track. To make the most out of your Ironwood experience you have to be honest. Yes, you can B.S. your way through, but you are there so you might as well make the most of your time.

I would tell a potential parent that Ironwood is a really good place to send any teenager whether he or she is bad or not. The lessons that your child will learn here are going to be invaluable throughout their entire life. But I will tell you that it is going to take your child a few months to realize that, and (they) will think that this place is a punishment when really it’s a great opportunity. . .Sending your child to Ironwood is probably one of the hardest decisions that you will make, but I can assure you that no matter how big or small your child’s problems are, Ironwood will help them tremendously.

Being a resident at Ironwood has taught me some invaluable lessons about life, but after graduating your journey and the obstacles that come with it are far from over. Although Ironwood has taught me alot about myself it seemed that after almost a year of being back in the real world it was time for me to get a refresher course. This is what coming back to mentor was for me, a reminder of all that I had learned at Ironwood and all that I had gone through during the five and a half months I was there. Most residents think that the hardest time for them is there actual stay at Ironwood, but once you graduate you soon realize that you just went from the frying pan into the fire, and for me it was nice to jump back in the frying pan for a week.

I have really enjoyed my stay here as a mentor and the joy and happiness that I get from interacting with the other residents and sharing my experiences as a graduate in hopes that it will help them get through the program is just another reason why I enjoyed my stay here and will be coming back to mentor again.

On January 27th of 2010 I arrived at Ironwood to begin the biggest, most difficult, and most memorable journey of my life. On August 9th of 2010 I graduated, more than ready to go home and start a new chapter of my life. I can easily say that during that six month time period I made a LOT of changes in my life. One of those changes was my decision to come back and mentor. When I first got to Ironwood my plan was to get through the program, graduate, get on with my life and never even look back. Obviously this mindset has changed. Specifically towards the end of the program my attachment to the people and the place was ever-growing. Three and half weeks after graduating I found myself back to mentor. This decision, I feel, was a great decision.  I have had such a wonderful time mentoring! I got the chance to give back what I have learned to other residents, connect with newer residents and staff, and reconnect with older residents and staff who have greatly contributed to my experience here.  I got to go apple picking and zip lining with the farmhouse;  I got to help the Frye girls build a new fire pit; I got to lead the Rosh Hashanah service with a few others… and so much more As usual, I had quite a few great memorable experiences to take back home with me! However what I think helped me the most was the reinforcements as to why I am making the smart and right choices that I have been making post-Ironwood. I got a lot out of this opportunity, and I can assure you that I will be coming back to mentor in the future This experience as a mentor is one I won’t ever forget!

Coming back to mentor has been one of the best decisions I have ever made. It’s been incredible being back, and even though I’m in a different position than I was in as a resident, it feels much more normal than I thought it would.

I graduated on February 27th of this year, so it’s been a little over four months that I’ve been home. I decided to come back because I love feeling like I’m helping people, and to be honest, I just missed it =) The residents, the staff, the animals, everything. The whole environment is so calm and supportive, and I knew I needed a break from hectic life at home. When I arrived, it felt weird for maybe an hour, but then I felt right at home again. I had some amazing talks with the staff and the residents, and held some groups. The first time someone asked me “Amanda, may I sit?” instead of asking a staff member,  I was like “uhhh…..yes?” But I quickly adapted and the leadership position ended up being super beneficial. I’m leaving today with even more confidence than before, and I’m definitely coming back again =)

What I Did During Spring Break

I spent 8 months at Ironwood last year and I can honestly say that it worked for me. I went home a much more confident, forward-thinking and focused person. I found that acting on my plans immediately was good, things like registering for community college and filling out applications for jobs and internships. I also kept a routine. . .this has helped keep me focused for the 4 months that I have been home. It is now my spring break from school, and I am back at Ironwood mentoring for a week. I would encourage any Ironwood graduate to come back and mentor.

My week back at Ironwood (as a mentor) was really great. It was a lot of fun, and I wish I could stay longer. I spent my time in between Frye and the Farm House. I got here the night before Parent Weekend and everybody was really excited. When the morning hit, it was a rush to get things done on time. . . I had not met many of the students because they came after I graduated, so meeting them and their parents was a good experience. I did many things over the weekend, including participating in the various groups, hanging out with the “oranges” and going off campus with the students whose parents couldn’t make it.

I was able to share my experiences about life at home with the different families in the group sessions. Many of these families have students that are getting close to going on a home visit or graduating, so my insight was well received. I was able to give some comforting messages to the “oranges” who had just recently been admitted. The time off campus with students whose parents didn’t come was really fun. We went out to eat and bonded. After the weekend ended, it was another week at Ironwood. I was able to get the schoolwork I wanted to get done, done. I was also able to  help out at the Farm House with chores (setting a good example) and mentor at Frye every day. I also got to meet with my therapist, Don. It was honestly hard to say goodbye to everyone at the end. I definitely want to come back some time and mentor again. I couldn’t have spent my spring break in a better way.

Andrew M.

A few months after leaving Ironwood, I decided that I wanted to distance myself from this program. This led me to the same lifestyle that I had before coming here. Ian was scheduled to mentor, and he eventually convinced me to join him. Reconnecting with the staff  has allowed me to start determining how I can pull myself out of the hole that I have dug. Mentoring was the time that I needed to refresh myself with everything that I have learned. Now it is up to me to apply these things to my life at home.

I was able to use my negative experiences to help the residents at Frye.  In addictions group, I shared my downfall with the residents. I hope that they think a lot about what I shared with them, so that they can recognize what will trigger a relapse back home.

At the Farmhouse I was able to make friendships as I mentored the residents. While giving advice and helping with chores, I think I left a good impact on the Farmhouse.

I think that my mentoring experience was beneficial to all of the residents, and it will help me control my various issues, confrontation, and my relationship with my family. I plan on keeping open communication with staff to maintain relationships and ask for help when I need it. I am also happy that I was able to add to my great memories at Ironwood.

After spending 13 months at Ironwood, I truly never thought I would come back to mentor. Reasons to my return to Ironwood are not only because I wanted to help other residents, but I wanted to help myself as well. I needed a wake up call, And this was it.

During my visit back here, I told stories of my original stay here to the residents. I helped residents at Frye and the Farmhouse by motivating them to achieve expectations higher than the staffs. I tried my best to make everyone feel better about where they were in the program.

I’m looking forward to coming back to mentor again to see all the changes Ironwood has made and to see the changes in the residents as well.

~Ian A.