Troubled Teen Wilderness Programs specialize in helping troubled teens and defiant teens with behavioral and emotional problems. Wilderness Programs blend the best of the "ancient cultural systems" with the most effective and proven therapeutic processes. Your troubled teen will experience the highest standards of safety and therapy in the context of one of the most powerful settings for real change - the wilderness.

Wilderness therapy programs sometimes referred to as Outdoor Education, have proven themselves to be exceptional catalysts for change in troubled children and teenagers. Because of our reputation for quality, safety and longevity, many of wilderness programs have been highlighted in TV documentaries and written about in the national media.

This unique experience can be described as a "rite of passage," a transformational process that is difficult to find in our fast-paced, modern society. Our therapists and counselors guide teens toward self-reliance and self-respect. The impact of these programs on troubled teens with such behavioral problems as low self-esteem, poor school performance, defiance of authority, depression, and drug or alcohol abuse has been well documented. Parents can feel confident that their children will get the treatment and care they need at Outdoor Therapy Wilderness Programs.

Wilderness programs have assisted young people to identify and work through internal conflicts and emotional obstacles that have kept them from responding to parental efforts, schools, and treatment. These are children who are inherently good and have the ability to be successful, but because of unhealthy misperceptions about themselves, they have limited access to their own abilities and strengths.

Wilderness programs provide families with a safe and immediate intervention by utilizing its search and rescue metaphor, individualized treatment plans, and flexible length of stay. The wilderness environment and experiential learning help students recognize and build upon their own sense of self-worth as they learn the value of helping others.

This program excel at addressing the underlying cause of negative, unhealthy behaviors and working through impasses brought about by internal struggles, rather than confronting outward behaviors only.