Chief Program Officer

Since 2007, Ms. Maikoetter has been a leader at Cal Farley’s Boys Ranch in Texas, helping to transform the organization from a behavioral modification program into a healing trauma-informed community.

helping At-Risk children

changing children’s trajectories through a healing community

Michelle Maikoetter’s lifelong interest in helping others led her to become one of the foremost trauma-informed professional childcare specialists in the United States.

Through training with Dr. Bruce Perry in his Neurosequential Model, Ms. Maikoetter became a certified clinician, trainer and mentor. She was among the first Child Trauma Academy Fellows selected by Dr. Perry in 2012 and led Boys Ranch to becoming a Phase II certified facility.

Ms. Maikoetter is also a practitioner and mentor of the Trust Based Relational Intervention (TBRI) model, receiving her training directly from founders Drs. Karyn Purvis and David Cross.

Photo credit: Anna, 18, 2021
Boys Ranch High School Graduate

As chief program officer at Boys Ranch, one of the largest nonprofit residential childcare facilities in the United States, Ms. Maikoetter is responsible for training, crisis intervention, counseling, day-to-day operations and developing the operational guide for professional caregivers in residential settings. Her current interest is in developing a holistic approach using neuroscience, relational health, experiences and learning as a way to positively change each child’s trajectory.

Clinicians and facilities around the country and the world have sought out Cal Farley’s Boys Ranch under Ms. Maikoetter’s leadership, for consultation and support.

Building hope for children & their families

Get to know some of the philosophies and approaches we use at Cal Farley’s Boys Ranch to help the boys in girls who come to us for help.
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Healthy relationships, key to success

Our relationships with others, whatever form they may take, can have a far-reaching impact. Like the missing pieces to a puzzle, the right relationships can bring things into focus and reveal meaning we never realized was there.
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The effects of poverty

When you’re worried about where you’ll sleep or your next meal, it’s hard to worry about anything else. For children who come from poverty, one of the most powerful things we provide is the safety and security meeting those basic needs.

Sibling relationships: A path to safety

Before Boys Ranch, the challenges a child faced often affect the whole family. An important part of our care focuses on sibling relationships as a part of daily life — and a path to helping a child learn to trust again.

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Removing labels: A strength-based approach

At Boys Ranch, we don’t see the youth as problems in need of a solution. Instead, we see their strengths.

Helping change a Child's Life

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Program Insights

Understanding ‘survival’ thinking

Think back to a moment in your life when you were terrified. Perhaps someone startled you, and the momentary scare wasn’t real. Or, on the …

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Kenny: No longer alone
His heart rate up, Kenneth’s feet ...
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Equine-assisted programming
Cal Farley’s equine programs are perhaps ...
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Understanding ‘survival’ thinking
Think back to a moment in your life when you were terrified. Perhaps someone startled you, and the ...
Read More
Kenny: No longer alone
His heart rate up, Kenneth’s feet pummel the track beneath him. Thump. Thump. Thump. Rounding the curve, he ...
Read More
Equine-assisted programming
Cal Farley’s equine programs are perhaps the most recognizable of the many tools our caring professionals use to ...
Read More

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