Image Credits: Jim Urquhart/The Salt Lake Tribune
Wilderness Therapy Programs have been under much scrutiny the past year. Those that are considered “Boot Camps” have received some of the worse press and rightly so. There have been reports of a five deaths between 1990-2002 and one death in Colorado in 2007.
The Salt Lake Tribune featured a great article on how the programs are changing as Controversy spurs gentler approach in Utah wilderness-therapy camps – Salt Lake Tribune. In the article is information on how the Wilderness Therapy Programs and changing:
But Utah’s 10 current programs say they have abandoned “boot camp” regimens tied to the abuses for a gentler, more targeted approach. They no longer welcome kids with violent criminal histories or severe mental illness. And they face some of the nation’s toughest state rules, which include targets for backpack weights, hiking temperatures and calorie counts in menus.
Also included are:
- Locations of wilderness therapy camps across Utah Wilderness Interactive Map. Includes Information about ownership, connections to other programs, location, capacity, average length of stay, cost per day, plus public records, contact information plus more.
- See and hear what teens have to say about their experience in a Wilderness Therapy Program
About two-thirds of the teens in Utah programs have substance abuse issues and most kids go on to some kind of aftercare, typically a therapeutic boarding school. This is a cycle that concerns critics. From my experience the teens behaviors must be very extreme to enroll in one of these programs and it takes time to change negative behaviors that have been building for a number of years.
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