Matthew Mitchell is the owner of ForTroubledTeens.com. He has worked in both wilderness camps as a head instructor, in residential treatment centers and currently works with youth in his local area of Provo Utah. He enjoys spending time with his wife and three wonderful daughters. This post is by Matthew with tips for parents considering Wilderness Therapy or Wilderness Camp.
Sending your teen away for treatment can be one of the hardest decisions a parent can make. When your teen is out of control the stress and worry can be unbearable. After reviewing all your options you may have settled on wilderness camp. Many times wilderness camps are required first before entry to other programs like residential treatment centers. Other times camps are used by juvenile justice systems. There are many reasons to send a teen to wilderness camp. Before you enroll them into a camp you may want to ask yourself these questions.
- Question 1 – What kind of camp will help my child most? While many camps are similar in some areas there are big differences as well. Some camps are very minimalistic and provide only the bare essentials. It is common in these camps to be provided with beans, lentils, and oats for food, a tarp for shelter, and a sleeping bag. On the other hand, some camps provide much more to make life easier. In the easier camps teens eat regular food and start with a backpack and other camping items. Both camps will help your teen but you’ll need to think about which camp will work best. In my opinion the easier of the two types of camps will make the transition easier and still achieve the same results.
- Question 2 – What are the age differences in each camping group? It is common to have teens from 13-18 camping together. In my experience it is optimal to have your teen be with other students their same age. Younger students struggled when there are older, more mature teens in the group. When groups were divided up by age there was less tension in the group.
- Question 3 – Is wilderness therapy recommended for my child’s behavioral problems? Wilderness therapy is challenging for new students for the first few weeks. As a counselor it was hard on me too. The wilderness requires mental and physical tenacity. Students that suffer from severe depression, suicidal tendencies, or eating disorders should consider other options before wilderness therapy. There are some easier camps that may accept these students but be careful not to make these behavioral problems worse.
- Question 4 – Are there any precautions we should take before sending our teen to wilderness camp? Yes. If your teen has been taking heavy drugs don’t send them straight to wilderness camp. You should allow them a week or two to detox under medical supervision before sending them to camp. Throughout the years many deaths have been caused because of this very reason. A rugged wilderness setting coupled with the exertion of detoxing can be lethal. Even if a wilderness camp suggests it’s possible to detox at the camp try to get a second opinion. Another item of concern may be your child’s weight. Hiking with a full backpack can be extremely challenging. Be sure to consult qualified professionals on what they think a safe rate of hiking is for your child. Once you have a safe rate try to have the camp commit to the rate for the first few weeks. After those weeks your teen should have lost some weight and should be keeping up with the group without serious health risks.
- Question 5 – Does my teen need camping experience to enjoy wilderness camp? The first few weeks your teen will hate wilderness camp. Regardless of camping experience camping everyday for a few months is hard. Wilderness camping is a completely different experience. The good news is that almost everyone at wilderness really enjoy it by the time they leave. The amount of personal growth that occurs in such a short amount of time is amazing.
In conclusion, sending your teen to wilderness camp can be a difficult decision. If your motivation for the decision is love for your child you should never second guess yourself. You will be glad you did everything you could when it mattered the most.
I would like to add one more suggestion as the editor of this blog, get information about the therapist. At many wilderness programs this will be your primary contact person.
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Hi Scooter and thanks for your comment. That is true you are always your child’s parent, guardian and best advocate. But sometimes when a persons and that includes your child’s issues become so complicated the best medicine is to relinquish that responsibility to someone with more experience. If your child came down with an illness, maybe cancer, you would not think twice about sending them to the hospital to be cared for by qualified doctors. Sending your child away for treatment is very much the same. It is not easy on the parent and there can be guilt that goes along with it.
understand if you are contemplating sending your child away to one of these camps remember this…. your child is a child, you are responsible for their safety and welfare… you are sending them away because you have relinquished your parental ability to influence your child’s life. With that said you are willfully paying an outside entity to replace your child’s parental influence that you were given from their birth and replace it with a virtual stranger you assume will do better. The liability and outcome lies with you!!!!!
“Sending your teen away for treatment can be one of the hardest decisions a parent can make.”
This is true, a tough decision that could separate a parent for his/her child and be in an adolescent residential treatment. But it could change his life and the path of new beginning.
I agree with Anita, Shouting at the Sky is an excellent book, so is What Now. When choosing a program it is about the match and it can be difficult to determine which progran is the best fit. Ask lots of questions, talk to therapists, and use a consultant to assist–they can make the process go much smoother.
To get a good idea of what wilderness therapy for teens can be like, you may want to read Gary Ferguson’s “Shouting at the Sky, Troubled Teens and the Promise of the Wild”. It will answer a lot of questions.
It’s definitely hard for parents to make a decision on sending their teen to a wilderness therapy program. But parents should be aware that staff at these centers are well trained, behaved & skillful and they are there to monitor each and every activity of your teen. And through these sorts of programs trouble teens get very positive behavior modification.
I agree that it is very hard sending your teen in a wilderness camp or a boarding school. But sometimes that is the only option so that they can be better.
Thanks for visiting from Laura. I welcome your comments. Laura is wonderful I saw her read a few weeks ago.
Visiting from Laura……..alternatively you can have an older sib [ or trusted caregiver] volunteer as a camp counselor, someone who knows the child well to tag along to help make their first experience a positive one. [although that's for my typical child not my atypical children]
Best wishes