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I was in there from 1990-1993. I was 13. I was the first person they put on Survival. They put me on a mountain with no pants on no socks and shoes.I had a t shirt and panties on. They gave me a tarp, a sleeping bag a folger's tin, started a fire for me and told me to keep i ...
About Sorenson’s Ranch School
Sorenson’s Ranch School, located in Koosharem, Utah is a private alcohol and drug rehab that offers treatment for a variety of substance abuse addictions including alcoholism, co-occurring mental health disorders, and opiate addiction. They offer residential care providing long term support for addiction recovery. Additional levels of care offered include relapse prevention and 12-step therapy.
Specialty rehab programs at Sorenson’s Ranch School include tailored care focusing on women's specific needs and experiences, gender-specific addiction treatment addressing unique challenges faced by men, and age-appropriate treatment for teens addressing adolescent-specific issues.
Sorenson’s Ranch School has received accreditations from The Joint Commission and SAMHSA.
Latest Reviews
I was sent to Sorenson Ranch in 2019 at age 16 and stayed for just over a year. What happened to me there continues to affect me every single day.I was woken up at 12:20 a.m. in my underwear by two adult men I had never seen before. I was immediately handcuffed, despite being completely compliant. The restraints were so tight I lost circulation in my wrists, leaving me with bruises for nearly two months and lingering pain. I was locked in a car, handcuffed, for hours as they drove me from Orange County to Las Vegas. And finally took the cuffs off. Then drove the rest of the way to Utah. I was sent there for smoking weed, skipping school a few times, and having a strained relationship with my mom. I had no violent history. But the way I was treated made me feel like a criminal. At Sorenson Ranch, I witnessed staff—many of them clearly untrained—physically, emotionally, and even sexually abuse residents ranging in age from 12 to 18. I watched children with autism get beaten multiple times. Speaking up or trying to intervene would have put me in serious danger.
Therapy at Sorenson was virtually non-existent. Some residents had sessions maybe once a month for 30–45 minutes. My mom was more involved, so I had weekly family therapy, but individual therapy was rare—sometimes just 10 minutes. It did nothing to heal the issues between my mom and I. Before Sorenson, I didn’t have anxiety, depression, or PTSD. I left with all three—and I still struggle to this day. This place didn't help me. It traumatized me.Not long after I left, Sorenson Ranch was shut down by the state for about a year due to staff abuse, lack of training, and the owner's felony record. That alone should be a red flag.Please do not send your child here. What happened to me and others was not rehabilitation—it was abuse. If you're looking for real help find another place
Sonja Gonzales
Reviewed on 08/17/2025
I was in there from 1990-1993. I was 13. I was the first person they put on Survival. They put me on a mountain with no pants on no socks and shoes.I had a t shirt and panties on. They gave me a tarp, a sleeping bag a folger's tin, started a fire for me and told me to keep it going. There was knee deep snow and I sat and slept in that tarp with the sleeping bag for 6 nights and 7 days. I was on survival three different times. While I was sitting on the fence with my friend, we saw the owner with a kid and his parents, his parents were gonna pay for this little boy to be around a bunch of gangsters, and I yelled from the fence that we were gonna beat him up. We said this to scare the hell out of him and his parents and it worked never saw him again. The owner started putting us fifty feet out from the fence after that. Big facts. This place is ran by demons!
This place put me through mental and physical abuse as well as uses the children to advance their settlements/farms field work ect, through unpaid labor in over 100 degree weather and take your shoe's. I spent 2 1/2 years here as a teen for smoking Marijuana. I saw horrible things and am shocked they are still open. They made me torture a girl named Gina in a round wight horse pen and said if I didn't id be in there with her, she was forced almost 3 days no food no water no sleep 1 orange jumpsuit no shoes and any time she tried to rest they threw rocks at her. Gena if you ever read this im so sorry they did this and im sorry they made me watch you go through this , I couldn't help, I have life long ptsd from this place and they got away with it.
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Other Forms of Payment
Medicaid is a state based program that helps lower-income individuals and families pay for healthcare. Medicaid covers addiction treatment so those enrolled can use their coverage to pay for rehab. When a program accepts Medicaid the client often pays very little or nothing out of their own pocket.
Private insurance refers to any kind of healthcare coverage that isn't from the state or federal government. This includes individual and family plans offered by an employer or purchased from the Insurance Marketplace. Every plan will have different requirements and out of pocket costs so be sure to get the full details before you start treatment.
Self-pay involves paying for treatment out of your own pocket. You can use savings or credit, get a personal loan, or receive help from family and friends to fund your treatment. If you don't have insurance or your insurance plan doesn't cover a specific program, self-pay can help ensure you still get the care you need.
Financial aid can take many forms. Centers may have grants or scholarships available to clients who meet eligibility requirements. Programs that receive SAMHSA grants may have financial aid available for those who need treatment as well. Grants and scholarships can help you pai for treatment without having to repay.
Military members, veterans, and eligible dependents have access to specific insurance programs that help them get the care they need. TRICARE and VA insurance can help you access low cost or no cost addiction and mental health treatment. Programs that accept military insurance often have targeted treatment focused on the unique challenges military members, veterans, and their families face.
Addiction Treatments
Levels of Care
Inpatient
Residential treatment programs are those that offer housing and meals in addition to substance abuse treatment. Rehab facilities that offer residential treatment allow patients to focus solely on recovery, in an environment totally separate from their lives. Some rehab centers specialize in short-term residential treatment (a few days to a week or two), while others solely provide treatment on a long-term basis (several weeks to months). Some offer both, and tailor treatment to the patient's individual requirements.
12-Step
12-step programs are addiction recovery models based on Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). A number of substance abuse programs (including some drug and alcohol rehab centers) use the 12 steps as a basis for treatment. Beginning steps involve admitting powerlessness over the addiction and creating a spiritual basis for recovery. Middle steps including making direct amends to those who've been hurt by the addiction, and the final step is to assist others in addiction recovery in the same way. 12-Step offshoots including Narcotics Anonymous (NA), Cocaine Anonymous (CA), Dual Recovery Anonymous (DRA), Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous (SLAA) and Gamblers Anonymous (GA).
Aftercare Support
Completing a drug or alcohol rehab program shouldn't spell the end of substance abuse treatment. Aftercare involves making a sustainable plan for recovery, including ongoing support. This can include sober living arrangements like halfway houses, career counseling, and setting a patient up with community programs like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) or Narcotics Anonymous (NA).
Treatments
The goal of treatment for alcoholism is abstinence. Those with poor social support, poor motivation, or psychiatric disorders tend to relapse within a few years of treatment. For these people, success is measured by longer periods of abstinence, reduced use of alcohol, better health, and improved social functioning. Recovery and Maintenance are usually based on 12 step programs and AA meetings.
When you enter a drug rehab in Utah, the process usually involves four stages: treatment initiation, early abstinence, maintaining abstinence, and advanced recovery. Treatment methods can rely on medications, counseling, or both, in either an outpatient or inpatient setting.
Many of those suffering from addiction also suffer from mental or emotional illnesses like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, or anxiety disorders. Rehab and other substance abuse facilities treating those with a dual diagnosis or co-occurring disorder administer psychiatric treatment to address the person's mental health issue in addition to drug and alcohol rehabilitation.
A combined mental health and substance abuse rehab has the staff and resources available to handle individuals with both mental health and substance abuse issues. It can be challenging to determine where a specific symptom stems from (a mental health issue or an issue related to substance abuse), so mental health and substance abuse professionals are helpful in detangling symptoms and keeping treatment on track.
Opioid rehabs specialize in supporting those recovering from opioid addiction. They treat those suffering from addiction to illegal opioids like heroin, as well as prescription drugs like oxycodone. These centers typically combine both physical as well as mental and emotional support to help stop addiction. Physical support often includes medical detox and subsequent medical support (including medication), and mental support includes in-depth therapy to address the underlying causes of addiction.
Programs
LGBTQ Program
Recovery is most successful when clients feel accepted and validated by their peers and treatment providers. Facilities that offer LGBTQ-inclusive programming are committed to creating a safe space where everyone can grow and recover without fear of judgment or discrimination. They will have dedicated policies in place to create a safe and supportive environment that fosters free expression.
Clinical Services
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a therapy modality that focuses on the relationship between one's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. It is used to establish and allow for healthy responses to thoughts and feelings (instead of unhealthy responses, like using drugs or alcohol). CBT has been proven effective for recovering addicts of all kinds, and is used to strengthen a patient's own self-awareness and ability to self-regulate. CBT allows individuals to monitor their own emotional state, become more adept at communicating with others, and manage stress without needing to engage in substance abuse.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is a modified form of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), a treatment designed to help people understand and ultimately affect the relationship between their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. DBT is often used for individuals who struggle with self-harm behaviors, such as self-mutilation (cutting) and suicidal thoughts, urges, or attempts. It has been proven clinically effective for those who struggle with out-of-control emotions and mental health illnesses like Borderline Personality Disorder.
Research clearly demonstrates that recovery is far more successful and sustainable when loved ones like family members participate in rehab and substance abuse treatment. Genetic factors may be at play when it comes to drug and alcohol addiction, as well as mental health issues. Family dynamics often play a critical role in addiction triggers, and if properly educated, family members can be a strong source of support when it comes to rehabilitation.
Group therapy is any therapeutic work that happens in a group (not one-on-one). There are a number of different group therapy modalities, including support groups, experiential therapy, psycho-education, and more. Group therapy involves treatment as well as processing interaction between group members.
In individual therapy, a patient meets one-on-one with a trained psychologist or counselor. Therapy is a pivotal part of effective substance abuse treatment, as it often covers root causes of addiction, including challenges faced by the patient in their social, family, and work/school life.
Life skills trainings involve all the skills a person must have in order to function successfully in the world. These include time management, career guidance, money management, and effective communication. Truly successful addiction recovery is based on the ability to not only live substance-free, but to thrive. Life skills teaches the practical necessities of functioning in society, which sets clients up for success in life, and therefore sobriety.
Motivational Interviewing (MI) is a clinical approach to helping people with substance abuse issues and other conditions shift behavior in positive ways. It is more goal-oriented than traditional psychotherapy, as MI counselors directly attempt to get clients to consider making behavioral change (rather than wait for them to come to conclusions themselves). Its primary purpose is to resolve ambivalence and help clients become able to make healthy choices freely.
Rational Behavior Therapy (RBT) is a form of cognitive behavioral therapy meant to be short-term and comprehensive. It was intended to help clients become more self-sufficent and move forward without the need for expensive, ongoing therapy. It includes an emotional self-help method called “rational self-counseling,” the purpose of which is to give clients all the skills needed to handle future emotional issues by themselves, or with significantly less professional help.
Trauma therapy addresses traumatic incidents from a client's past that are likely affecting their present-day experience. Trauma is often one of the primary triggers and potential causes of addiction, and can stem from child sexual abuse, domestic violence, having a parent with a mental illness, losing one or both parents at a young age, teenage or adult sexual assault, or any number of other factors. The purpose of trauma therapy is to allow a patient to process trauma and move through and past it, with the help of trained and compassionate mental health professionals.
Staff & Accreditations
Staff
Jill Sorenson
CEO
Stone Sorenson
COO
Layne Bagley
Program Director
Mindy Talbot
Facilities Director
Accreditations
The Joint Commission, formerly known as JCAHO, is a nonprofit organization that accredits rehab organizations and programs. Founded in 1951, the Joint Commision's mission is to improve the quality of patient care and demonstrating the quality of patient care.
Joint Commission Accreditation: Yes
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is a branch of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Established in 1992 by congress, SAMHSA's mission is to reduce the impact of substance abuse and mental illness on American's communities.
SAMHSA Listed: Yes
Contact Information
410 North 100 East
Koosharem, UT 84744
Get Help Now - 385-390-3465
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