Dore Frances with Horizon Family Solution Interviews Dr. Vaughn Heath, Founder of The Arise Society

DF: I enjoyed my time visiting The Arise Society in September 2019. It is unfortunate that due to COVID I could not be out there this year. I hope to see you all again in 2021.

VH: Thanks, Doré. We look forward to your next visit.

DF: Lets’ start off with a bit of information about you Vaughn. I know you were raised in Canada. Would you share a bit more about your background, education, and experience?

VH: Yes, I was raised in Alberta, Canada and that is where I completed my undergraduate studies in psychology.

My Master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy and my completion of my Ph.D. in Marriage and Family Therapy were at Brigham Young University.

My strongest therapeutic interests followed the ideas of Carl Jung around shadow work, active imagination, and dream work. I taught statistics and published peer-reviewed articles while completing my doctorate degree.

I began specializing by working with women who were survivors of trauma and then worked with perpetrators of trauma.

I then worked with /depression-and-anxiety-rates-growing-among-females/ in a residential treatment center in southern Utah.

In 1998, with my associates, I co-founded the Second Nature Wilderness Programs, which changed the industry of outdoor adolescent treatment. While owning and managing these programs, I continued to work with adolescent females around issues of trauma, ADHD, depression, anxiety, as well as self-image and eating issues.

DF: That is a great overview Vaughn. Wilderness programs have definitely changed a lot since the founding of Second Nature. That is a wonderful legacy to be a part of no doubt. When did The Arise Society begin and how many people do you have on staff currently?

VH: We started in 2015, five years ago now, and have 16 staff working with us.

DF: You choose a great location in Orem, is that correct?

VH: Yes, we are located in Orem, in the center of Utah.

Utah is a beautiful state that offers a safe environment with an abundance of outdoor activities throughout every season, such as hiking, skiing, snowboarding, kayaking, mountain biking, fishing, and climbing.

DF: How did The Arise Society come to be?

VH: Well, it has been an adventure and quite a journey to get here.

In 1998, I co-founded Second Nature Wilderness Programs as I said. While owning and managing these wilderness programs, I worked with adolescents around issues of trauma, ADHD, depression, anxiety, self-image, and eating disorders. I was concerned by students’ frequent difficulties with adjusting to real life after leaving residential and wilderness settings. It was then that I founded The Arise Society, where the focus of treatment would shift from behavioral issues to real-world challenges, namely, college success.

DF: When I visited last year, you shared with me the academic and therapeutic support you offer. Would you expand on that for our readers?

VH: We know that mental health isn’t simply a biological imbalance. It’s also an environmental and psychological one, too.

That’s where the Arise Society comes in. We provide personalized academic, therapeutic, and social support in a real-world setting, which gives our students the skills to reach their fullest potential. They attend college and benefit from group and individual therapy, 24/7 availability of mentor support, activities, and social events. Before Arise, many of our students’ problems emerged from academic struggles. Academic performance is our best indicator of how well a young adult is coping with real-world circumstances. We work with students to set realistic goals, develop sustainable study habits, and establish academic accountability. However, the focus is not only on coursework – it’s also finding out what is getting in the way of being successful academically. When students have confidence in academics, it translates into other parts of their life: relationships are better, sleep is better, and they do better in other aspects of life.

One-on-one mentoring, community-wide events, and smaller, student-organized activities encourage meaningful social connections. Some of our best moments are when we play – and simply have FUN.

By living in a college environment at The Arise Society, students develop real-world relationships, share experiences, and learn. Combining this with individualized support, students thrive while moving past behaviors and patterns that have held them back from success.

DF: Who are the young adults that you serve at The Arise Society? What are the challenges that they show up with? 

VH: Oh yes, let me share who we best serve and support:

The (college) students’ most common issues we address at Arise are:

•     Anxiety
•     Depression
•     Screen and gaming issues
•     Trauma
•     Gender dysphoria
•     ADHD, ADD, NVLD
•     Mild to moderate social deficits
•     Personality disorder issues
•     High functioning autism

DF: For someone who is searching out all you have to offer, what advice do you have for them as they consider The Arise Society?

VH: Reach out to us and contact us through our website or call us today.

We can arrange an in-person or virtual tour with our staff, therapists, and mentors to discuss your situation. We know that each individual is unique and together we can discuss if we are a good fit for you, your family, and your goals.

DF: In looking at the future, what do you see for businesses like The Arise Society and how you can continue to support college students? 

VH: Significant psychological issues and mental health help is an ever-growing concern among parents, colleges, and professors. Many college students are struggling.

They have anxiety, depression, and even gaming issues – and are dropping out at alarming rates.

One-third of college students will drop out entirely, and more than 50% will take more than 6 years to finish their degree.

These numbers are staggering, especially considering 28% of students drop out before entering their sophomore year.

Most colleges today are finding themselves short of resources to address these pressing issues.

Currently, the rapidly increasing number of college students seeking mental health treatment on campuses is growing faster than the supply of counseling services, yet very few colleges have enough funding for these services.

College mental health is stepping into the limelight as a growing epidemic. We are dedicated to helping students overcome their mental health challenges.

Our one-of-a-kind program provides individualized therapeutic, academic, and social help so they can get back on track.

We are here to do what larger universities simply don’t have the resources to do – to offer personalized treatment for each student who comes through our door.

DF: I know you like to expand all you offer as much as possible Vaughn. What are some of the unique services that The Arise Society offers?

VH: Let me share that we offer meaningful and relevant therapeutic insight, with practical application. We do this through our free-choice, relationship-based model that fosters trust and honesty with our students. Our integrated, community approach allows us to fully assess and understand our students’ life skills development, strengths, and struggles. Students often see what is relevant to them, only when it is an issue, at the moment.

“Being in the student’s space” as we call it, gives us the opportunity to foresee and share those moments with our students, helping them to develop greater self-awareness around their own patterns, and cope when problems arise.

Living in a college community, students take the next step toward independence by developing relationships, sharing experiences, and learning important life skills. Our individualized support helps students bring the real-life application to their therapy – and thrive academically while moving forward from behaviors and patterns that have held them back in the past.

Our unique, independent housing arrangement affords Arise students the privacy, freedom, and responsibility of living in their own two-bedroom apartment, shared with one roommate.

DF: What is one very important thing that you want to share about The Arise Society? 

VH: I will tell you – no one else does what we do, the way we do it!

Independent living in our academically-oriented, supportive community provides students at Arise with real-life opportunities and challenges, without the stigma of being a “treatment person.”

When students are looking at programs and then look at The Arise Society, they are relieved that it sounds like “regular living.”

Students have told us they chose us specifically for several reasons:

“I love Arise for the community…It’s very welcoming and even somebody like me who used to isolate myself and never hang out with people, now I like spending time with others.”

“The guidance and freedom – I wanted a place where I knew that people would help me and guide me to be better, but I didn’t feel like they were taking away all of my freedoms because personally, I’ve been through those kinds of programs.”

“There are a lot of times I forget that I’m in a therapy program – because I’m around people that I really enjoy the company of. And then several weeks passed and I realize – oh wow, I’ve worked through so many of my problems and this whole time I feel like I’ve just been having fun.”

“The most fun part about Arise is the activity side. We do all of these activities, some of them are more out there and some of them you just stay in – but things like it can be as insignificant as watching movies together or going to the trampoline park, throwing axes, paintball, or snowboarding. It’s something that you feel connected with – in a way that an introvert like me has not felt this connected with on an in-person basis before.”

“It’s nice to be treated like I have rights, which is a different experience that I’ve had at other places. It actually felt like I had independence and respect, which was different than what I had seen in most other places. Yeah, I feel like I’m an adult who has rights.”

DF: Is there a Mission Statement for The Arise Society?

VH: Yes – our mission is to utilize our unique, relationship based-approach to provide the highest level of personalized care for our students and their families.

The Arise Society was established to help young adults to transition into independent, college life by engaging them in a vibrant community where they receive individualized therapeutic, academic, and social support.

We guide our students toward academic success and the development of meaningful, interpersonal relationships, helping them regain a sense of personal pride and self-efficacy that persists into adulthood.

DF: You have shared quite a bit of useful information, Vaughn. What would be the one thing you would like to share as we wrap up here today?

VH: We are looking forward to when people can come for a visit again. For many parents and guardians, finding a balance between providing support for their young adult and letting go can be challenging. At The Arise Society, we provide parent/guardian support in conjunction with the young adult’s individual treatment, group therapy, and family therapy sessions. Something that sets us apart from other programs is our unparalleled communication and level of clinical support available to our families and sponsors.

We are on call 24/7 via text, phone, or email.

Our dedicated Parent/Guardian Coordinator works closely with the clinical team, the program directors, the academic director, and the mentors to be able to provide the most comprehensive up-to-date information to our families.

DF: Thank you Vaughn for the interview. I always enjoy our conversations. I too look forward to visiting again.

VH: Thank you for the opportunity to share The Arise Society, Doré!

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