Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch

About Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch

Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch (YBGR) is a Montana behavioral health organization for children and teens that has been working with young people since 1957. Their residential campus is a 410-acre ranch in Billings, and their community-based services reach youth in nearly every county in the state. Their care is relationship-focused and trauma-informed, guided by faith-centered values, and built to address trauma, a wide range of mental health conditions, and substance use. Levels of care include outpatient and in-home services, school-based support, therapeutic group homes with 24-hour supervision, and a Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility (PRTF) for youth who can’t safely remain at home.

For substance use, their Chemical Dependency program works with young people who also have co-occurring mental health conditions, with an emphasis on family dynamics, healthy decision-making, and practical recovery skills, along with prevention services and telehealth access. Therapy draws on evidence-based models such as Attachment, Regulation, and Competency (ARC), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and EMDR, delivered in individual, group, and family formats. At the Ranch, youth also take part in recreational, occupational, equine, and animal-assisted therapy, attend year-round day treatment with certified teachers, and have access to chapel and spiritual mentorship. Distinctive offerings include a Native American Services program that incorporates traditional practices and the Wellbriety 12-step approach, specialized treatment for youth with sexual behavior problems at their Boulder campus, and active family involvement in treatment and discharge planning.