The Best Version of Yourself Is Possible When You’re SAFE
Keegan is a good kid—bright, caring and trying his best to navigate a world that had started to feel unsafe inside his own mind. By seventh grade, the challenges he faced were bigger than what his family and school could manage alone.
“Keegan doesn’t lie. He looks you straight in the eye and tells you the truth,” says his grandfather, Jerry Krambeck. “But he started having some behavioral issues and became pretty defi ant. When he changed schools and started middle school, his behavior got to a point where we knew we needed assistance. We knew we needed to do something different.”
Jerry and his wife of 43 years, Bernie, reached out to LSS of South Dakota for help and were connected with Canyon Hills Center, a residential treatment center for youth in Spearfish.
“We felt it was a miracle that there was a spot for him in our hometown,” says Jerry, who was mayor of Spearfish from 2000 to 2013. “We were worried something tragic could happen if we didn’t do something.”
Keegan spent more than 10 months living at Canyon Hills and completed eighth grade there.
LSS’s residential treatment programs—Canyon Hills Center in Spearfish and Summit Oaks Center in Sioux Falls—offer 24-hour therapeutic care for youth ages 10 to 17 in safe, nurturing group environments. Each child has a team to help them work through challenges and develop the skills they need to succeed at home and in their school and community.
“When a family reaches out for services, LSS’s goal is whatever their goal is. That changes with every family or individual who walks through the door because our goal is for them to be the best version of themselves, and we don’t get to define that. They get to defi ne what that looks like,” says Staci Jonson, Vice President of Program Operations at LSS. “Our residential services help young people manage their mental health and learn life skills so they can go back home to their families.”
LSS provides comprehensive residential care for youth facing a range of mental health challenges, including depression and anxiety; trauma and grief; school refusal; self-harm; withdrawal from social interactions; and more.
Our dedicated interdisciplinary team works closely with each youth and their family to create an individualized treatment plan. Licensed therapists provide both individual and group counseling, and on-site schooling ensures education continues during treatment. Medication management also is available as part of the care plan.
“The structure of their system was what I think helped Keegan the most,” says Jerry. “He had to be accountable for his decisions, and they got him back up to speed in school. You can’t change someone else. Everyone needs to make decisions for themselves, but the structure there was what Keegan needed.”
Keegan, now 15 and in ninth grade, is back home with his grandparents and beloved dogs but still talks about the food at Canyon Hills.
“The dill pickle pizza was one of his favorites. He won’t eat the food at the school, but they fed him well at Canyon Hills. I know they also tasked him with chores there, and that was good. Now he washes his own clothes and keeps his room fairly clean.”
While school is still a challenge, Keegan is doing much better with his assignments. A mentor relationship also has begun to help Keegan with school work, and he’s excelling in math.
“Life hasn’t been a bed of roses, but it’s way, way better than it was,” Jerry adds. “The stars lined up when Canyon Hills came available to us. The stars truly aligned for us.”
Canyon Hills Center and Summit Oaks Center are licensed by the South Dakota Department of Social Services and accredited by the Council on Accreditation. If you are a parent and not sure if your child needs services, please call our statewide intake team at 605-221-2421.
