I've been to penrith a couple of times throughout my life and I'll be honest I wasn't the best of students but once you leave the program you tend to realize what the staff has said were true and you grow from there... you have to want to change to make the program work for you... if you're going down a dark path I would highly recommend this program... again, the program will only work if you want help and want to change. read more

This home changed my life! I grew up in foster care, and this was the last stop for me! I learned everything good in my life here. There is no better choice if your adolescent or young adult is suffering from afflictions like mental illness, substance abuse, behavioral issues and a slew of other things... read more

My daughter attended Penrith Farms for 16 months. While there, she benefited from the group therapies, the individual therapy and the fact that every situation, be it in the house she shared with others young women or her work on the farm was used as a learning tool. She went in an impulsive young woman who acted out in a myriad of ways and came out of there being more "whole" and introspective. Being on the farm with all the llamas, dogs and horses calmed my daughter's anxieties and the good, hard work of gardening, toting bales of hay and grooming horses was good for her soul. read more

Our son has only been at Penrith Farms since January and we have already seen an amazingly positive change in his behavior, skills, and self-image. He has attended numerous private schools, camps, and counseling programs with some success, however none have produced the positive social/behavioral results that he has achieved at Penrith. He went to Penrith after having been asked to leave two post-secondary schools due to social/emotional challenges. Although my husband and I believe that these schools had a genuine desire to help our son, the school environments and programs were geared more towards younger people with learning issues than young adults who also had significant social challenges. Our son has a dear and tender heart, but has always been subject to the ridicule of others due to his lack of social skills and his rather impulsive personality. As a result, he became exceedingly frustrated and would turn to negative attention seeking behaviors. My husband and I searched diligently for a place which we believed could help our son. After visiting various programs throughout the United States, when we visited Penrith we knew we had found a gem and a place which would become the answer to our prayers. Our instincts about Penrith were more than correct and the program has far exceeded our expectations, especially in light of our son's various and complex challenges and need to acquire appropriate social skills. The owners of Penrith, Jim and Sherry Brewster, along with their entire staff, have treated our son not just as another "client," but rather more as a member of their own family. The dedication and genuine desire to help our son has touched our hearts deeply and we shall forever be grateful for the success our son has already achieved in such a short time. The wonderful administration and staff at Penrith recognize and applaud the positive attributes of each individual while, at the same time, work with ardent determination to correct their deficiencies. Emotional issues/challenges are addressed with understanding and immediacy by the particularly well-trained and experienced staff. Our son is no longer subjected to the ridicule of others because the young adults who have the fortunate opportunity to attend Penrith learn how to respect and accept others as they work and socialize together in the breathtakingly beautiful grounds of the farm. Having been raised in the Chicago metropolitan area, the change to the splendor and peacefulness of the Pacific Northwest has also had a positive effect on our son's processing issues. Even his speech, which was formerly hurried, cluttered and sometimes not easily understandable has improved drastically. Our son is calm, has found a purpose, understands the value of taking responsibility for his work and social behaviors, and is truly happier than we have seen him in quite a long time. The happiness we see in his eyes when we visit him and which we hear in his voice when we speak to him over the telephone gives us indescribable joy and peacefulness. We no longer see or hear a frustrated young man. We once again recognize the sweetness we saw in our son as a young boy. He no longer needs the barrage of prescribed medications he has been given through the years. With the expertise of the psychiatrist associated with Penrith, his medications have been carefully, properly, and significantly reduced and our son's positive response to being taken off of certain medications is obvious. Thank you Jim and Sherry and all of the staff at Penrith for giving us back our beloved son and for giving of yourselves so unselfishly to help those who need you. You treat everyone with dignity, respect, tolerance and understanding, and do not turn away from those young adults with painful struggles who may have been rejected by others. You see goodness in each individual and you dwell on that goodness in helping each young person reach his or her real potential. We have been richly blessed to have our son at Penrith and hope that parents who may be losing hope that their child can be helped will see this message and truly believe that it was written by a parent who understands the despair of dealing with a struggling young adult. No longer do we feel any despair. Those feelings have been replaced by feelings of true happiness, peacefulness, and deepest gratitude. read more

Our family struggled for years with a teenaged son who was depressed, defiant, generally enraged at all authority figures, and seemingly immune to consequences of his behavior. His family, teachers, therapists and tutors did their best to reach the good and frightened person that we all knew was in there. Had his anti-social behaviors continued, he was headed for a very dark life. It was not until he spent time at Penrith that his self confidence began to awaken and his life began to take a positive direction. Penrith avoids a 'one size fits all' solution to the complex problems that result in young people becoming lost. They are not a facility that provides 'beds' for their residents (a bed was the last thing my son needed!!). They watch unfazed through the smokescreen of bad behaviors to see who the young person really is and what is most likely to ignite the spark that will connect him/her to the desire for a better life. They provide meaningful work and community for their residents, and allow for the needs of the individual in tailoring their programs. If a student breaks the rules, they don't send him/her home - they work with the situation. My gratitude to the Penrith staff is deep. My son's stay there was a turning point in his life and in the life of our family. read more

I had the privilege of attending Penrith Farms from early 2006 to mid 2007. Previously, I had attended other therapy groups and programs and Penrith Farms was the most comprehensive and honest approach to individual therapy that I have encountered. The combination of one on one therapy and counseling with group therapy provides a well rounded approach to an clients issues. Living with others who are similarly struggling with their own issues allow the clients to immediately put into practice the skills they are learning in a real and practical sense. Jim Brewster has an exceptional ability to understand people who are struggling and approach them in a way that would be most helpful to that person. I am forever grateful for the compassion and support that was offered to me at Penrith Farms (even if it did take me a few months to start appreciating it haha) I cannot recommend Penrith Farms highly enough. It has been years since I left Penrith and I still use the skills and techniques I learned there. read more