A young toddler stumbles his way toward the playground, hand in hand with his mother. His tiny hand clasps hers, holding on tightly for safety, security, and stability. Little does the boy know, his mum is holding on to those same hopes for her family.
The pair is one of seven families spending time at Echo Lake therapeutic camp as part of the Ranch Ehrlo Family Treatment Program.
The Family Treatment Program is designed to improve family functioning and wellbeing to prevent the placement of children out of their home, or to assist families in reunification after having a child in care.
The time spent together for these families is more than what meets the eye. It isn’t a simple trip to the park, evening campfire, or day at the lake. The young boy holding his mother’s hand is a sign of hope; the daughter sharing her feelings with her dad is a sign of trust; and the mum watching her child learn to swim is a sense of pride.
“I’m learning a lot about my kids,” Carrie, a mother of four and Family Treatment Program participant, said from the Echo Lake camp. “My relationship with them has gotten a lot better. We’re closer now.”
Parents and children come together to work with trained treatment staff to create happier, healthier family units. Intensive services and education are provided to the parents to assist them in obtaining the knowledge, skills, and abilities 
necessary to successfully have children in their care.
Program manager Sharon Achtemichuk said the Family Treatment Program and therapeutic camp gives parents the opportunity to gain a broader understanding of their children.
“We work on connecting the children (and parents) and creating that bond again,” she said from the camp. “When we teach the whole family unit they encourage each other; they learn together, they heal together.”
“It’s not just about the trauma the kid has experienced, it’s about the trauma the whole family has experienced,” she continued. “Helping them heal together makes them stronger and helps them be able to go on to whatever is next.”
The primary goal of camp is to have fun, said Sharon, through daily interaction skills are enhanced and relationships are rebuilt.
“I think one dad said it best when I asked him what the best part of camp was. He said ‘I learned a lot about my kids. I learned things that they liked; I learned things that they were afraid of; I learned things that they were good at; and I learned things that I need to work on them with.”
The Family Treatment Program teaches effective parenting methods, mood management, and life skills such as communication, and budgeting. The program also provides parents with counselling in child development and teaches them how to access community resources.
The Family Treatment Program is complete with full residential services including housing, food, and recreation. Families are referred by agencies across Canada, and may remain in the program for weeks or months at a time, depending on individual family need.
