Blog

TW: This blog contains content about self-harm and suicidal ideation. 

Samiyah was one of the first young adults supported by The Buckeye Ranch Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility (PRTF) program in Ohio after it began operation in November of 2023.  

At 17, she had been in and out of seven different residential placements before finding healing and stability through PRTF treatment at The Buckeye Ranch. She’s had challenges, but thankfully, she’s learned to find her voice. 

A Challenging Journey 

When Samiyah came to The Buckeye Ranch, she lacked stability and struggled with vocalizing and processing her trauma. At age 12, she was placed in her first residential care program after spending time at Akron Children’s Hospital to recover from challenges with self-harm. She also experienced encounters with the juvenile justice system that led to placements in Juvenile Detention Centers, after which she experienced placement in six different residential care programs throughout the state of Ohio in her teens.  

“It was overwhelming,” reflects Samiyah. “I was experiencing challenges with my mental health and was struggling with self-harm, which ultimately made it so my mom did not feel safe letting me return home. At the time, I didn’t know how to talk about my feelings, and I just felt so alone.” 

Finding Hope and Healing with PRTF 

At 16, she was placed in a Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility in Tennessee because there was not yet a program in Ohio that could support her.  

PRTF care provides a middle ground for those who need intensive mental health treatment at a lower level than a hospital setting because they are not yet ready to return home. It’s a higher-acuity program that supports youth with extensive mental health treatment so they can heal.  

This care was what Samiyah needed, but it was a challenge to not receive it close to home. Thankfully, The Buckeye Ranch launched the first PRTF program in the state of Ohio in 2023 in partnership with Nationwide Children’s Hospital to bridge that gap for PRTF treatment for kids in Ohio, and Samiyah was able to receive the care she needed to find hope, healing, and ultimately, her voice. 

The Buckeye Ranch Difference 

Samiyah was referred to The Buckeye Ranch’s Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility program in November 2023. Here, she began to understand how to talk about her mental health and build relationships to create stability in her life. 

“I was losing hope in my healing journey after being bounced around so much. I didn’t feel understood,” explains Samiyah. “It’s hard to keep an open mind after all of that, but I didn’t want to give up. So, I took a chance and believed that The Buckeye Ranch would help me.”

On The Buckeye Ranch’s Residential Treatment Services campus in Grove City, youth are provided with in-patient mental health care; individual, group, and family therapy; physical and nutritional healthcare; social-emotional coping skill support; and on-site education through South-Western City Schools. 

The Buckeye Ranch continues to invest in making residential treatment in Ohio more accessible, currently investing in an expansion on our Residential Treatment Services campus. The investment will increase our campus’ capacity to 96 Residential Treatment Services beds, offering 4 crisis stabilizations beds, 72 Residential Treatment Program rooms, and 20 Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility program rooms, allowing more youth, like Samiyah, who urgently need PRTF care,  access to it in their home state.  

Learning Lessons that Make a Life-Changing Impact 

“The Buckeye Ranch provided me with the structure I needed to heal,” shares Samiyah. “My PRTF clinician, Amanda, and Mental Health Technician saved my life. They modeled calmness for me, were brutally honest with me, and helped me learn how to trust again.”

While on campus, Samiyah also learned about how to pair her personal hobbies and interests with coping mechanisms.  

“In my treatment sessions, I learned more about myself,” shares Samiyah. “I’ve always been artistic and loved music, singing, writing, and making art. I learned how to channel these interests to cope with my emotions and process my trauma with help from my clinicians.”

She also learned self-love and self-acceptance while on campus. “There were times that I was really stressed and angry, and I lashed out,” shares Samiyah. “But the staff never blamed me or got mad, they helped me get stabilized. This helped me to learn to forgive myself, too.” 

Finally, she learned life lessons she carries with her today. “While playing a basketball game on campus at The Buckeye Ranch, one of the clinicians told me to take a shot because ‘chances make champions’,” shares Samiyah. “That really made me think about my healing journey. You never know if you’ll make the shot if you don’t take it, and I’m glad I took the chance in believing The Buckeye Ranch would support me.” 

 Chances Make Champions 

When it came time to leave The Buckeye Ranch’s Residential Treatment Services campus and successfully graduate from the PRTF program, Samiyah felt proud, but also anxious.  

“I was really overwhelmed the night before I left, I couldn’t sleep,” explains Samiyah. “I was nervous about losing stability and routine.” 

She felt she was finally at a place where she was experiencing hope and healing, and she didn’t trust the next placement would give her the same support. “But I remembered the lessons learned and that ‘chances make champions’. I know I can trust myself now, so that’s what I did. I’ve stabilized my mindset, and I know how to process my emotions better,” explains Samiyah. 

Building a Solid Foundation for Life 

The Buckeye Ranch also helped support Samiyah in getting connected to community resources covered by OhioRISE to ensure long-term success once she left campus. OhioRISE is a specialized managed care program within the Ohio Department of Medicaid for youth with complex behavioral health and multisystem needs. 

She’s also working on continuing to heal relationships with her family and continues to build her chosen support system. 

“I put my mom through a lot. Today, we’re working on rebuilding our relationship and are taking baby steps. I don’t blame her for that,” shares Samiyah. “I’m also working on building relationships with my dad and siblings. I’m the oldest sibling of four on my mom’s side, and it is important to me to be a support to my younger sister and brothers.”

Samiyah also has built strong relationships through her treatment journey, including her auntie, clinicians at The Buckeye Ranch, a nurse from Akron Children’s, and her best friend Kira that she met at The Buckeye Ranch. 

“I work really hard to build my support system,” Samiyah shares. “You’re always going to lose people, but it’s important to have people you can lean on through life.

A Bright Future Ahead 

Today Samiyah is doing well. She is currently finishing her high school diploma, receiving cosmetology training along the way, and is working to save money to pursue a future bachelor’s degree in child psychology in the future.  

She has aspirations to attend college and build a career that helps young people. “I want to help people. I want to help kids heal the way clinicians helped me.” 

And she looks forward to sharing more of her art with the world. She’s currently continuing to heal through learning to sing and play guitar, engaging in songwriting and poetry, and creating art. “It’s a way for me to process my experiences and share my story,” reflects Samiyah. “I feel so proud to have finally found my voice. I hope I’ll change the world with my words.” A recent poem of Samiyah’s is shared below. 

When it comes to advice Samiyah has for others about healing, she shares, “Walk in with an open mind and be yourself. And keep going, because you’re going to meet that one person who will make a difference,” she explains.  

And we know one day, now that Samiyah has found her voice, she will be the hope raiser and difference maker for so many youth. We can’t wait to see her impact blossom. 

To learn more about The Buckeye Ranch’s Residential Treatment Services campus expansion to support critical programs like our Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility program that changed Samiyah’s life, please email The Buckeye Ranch’s Development team at development@buckeyeranch.org or call 614-729-9673.   

‘Whispers of Doubt’ 

A Poem Written by Samiyah 

The echoes of doubt have faded. The laughter of those who said ‘you can’t’ has turned into a stunned silence. They watched me rise, a testament to resilience, while they cling to the shadows of their own limitations. Let them scramble for the scraps of what they thought was theirs; I’m building my own empire, brick by unwavering brick. 

Beware the one who lusts for power, blind to the serpents coiled at their feet. My vision extends beyond personal triumph. I yearn for a world where peace isn’t a fragile dream, but a vibrant reality. A world where humanity embraces its diversity, where success isn’t a lottery ticket, but a birthright. A world where smiles outnumber arguments, and where love flows like a river, binding us together as one global family. 

Let’s cultivate a professional respect, a collaborative spirit, recognizing that every soul on this planet carries a unique longing. Mine? Stability, success, and the unadulterated joy of living. I refuse to be molded into someone else’s ideal. To demand change from me is to ask a symphony to silence its most beautiful notes, to tell a river to stop flowing. Yet, they ask me to be quiet, to still my vibrant energy, a blatant hypocrisy that rings hollow. I will not dim my light to appease their insecurities. 

My hope for the future is a tapestry woven with acceptance, where every thread, every individual, is celebrated for their unique brilliance. Be unapologetically yourself. Embrace your quirks, your passions, your very essence. Don’t surrender to the whispers of doubt. Rise above the noise and claim your greatness. And as you ascend, extend a hand to those around you, empowering them to reach their own summits. Let’s build a world where everyone thrives, where the pursuit of greatness is a shared journey, not a solitary climb. Let’s create a future where we all, finally, can truly smile.