There are some amazing wilderness therapy programs out there for troubled teens. While it can be difficult for a parent to decide to send their child to one of these locations, it may be what is in their own best interest. Getting a youth on the right path early on can prevent them from having problems as an adult. It can be a great way to get them to make better choices that will affect them for the rest of their lives.
But perhaps of greatest importance is that when your son or daughter is dealing with depression, drug problems or other serious issues in life, you will turn to any program that can help turn that young person around. Troubled teen wilderness therapy programs have that kind of success record that give parents a resource to turn to when all else seem to fail at helping out a child they love that is going down the wrong path.
Many Problems – Many Programs”
Finding the right program for your troubled teen is very important. Some troubled teen wilderness therapy programs focus on self esteem issues. There are other programs that know how to help a teenager deal with the loss of a loved one where depression could be a concern and others focus on behavior issues.
The number of teenagers that have become involved with drugs or alcohol use in our society is very high. There are specific programs that can help in those areas as well. There was a day when wilderness therapy programs were “one size fits all” and the teenagers were taken to the wilderness with little preparation or consultation so that the camp counselors would know how to focus their therapy.
Modern troubled teen wilderness therapy programs carefully prepare for the arrival of a troubled youth so that the time the young person spends in the wilderness results in the desired improvement in their attitude, their outlook on life and on their ability to cope with the world when the program is done.
Its About More Than Going Camping
Many of these types of wilderness therapy programs for young men and women help them to get to the core of their problems. They become empowered by being able to see different choices. There is plenty of one on one as well as group activities for them to be involved with. The fact that they can form alliances with their peers that have similar issues is an important value of a troubled teen wilderness therapy program. As youth with similar problems bond over the challenges of the wilderness adventure that they are in, they learn about friendship, responsibility and they find ways to deal with their inner struggles in new ways that could not have been discovered otherwise.
Some of these programs last for a few days. Others are longer term and can last for several weeks or months. There are even summer programs for those that need intensive therapy. When the programs are longer term they will often include educational components so that the teens can be on track academically as well.
No Surprises Allowed
Preparation to send a young person to a troubled teen wilderness therapy program is about more than buying a new sleeping bag and Coleman lantern. The best programs of this genre encourage parents to engage the young person early in researching the best program for the youth and in asking questions before they even arrive at camp. By partnering with the youth who come to a troubled teen wilderness therapy program, the time spent in the great outdoors becomes a shared adventure with counselors rather than an adversarial environment. That is the best setting for seeing real results.
Preparing the youth also gives him or her time to work through what is perhaps the most powerful process that happens during your son or daughter’s time in the wilderness. It empowers the troubled you to prepare for a time of self reflection. There is nothing like an evening under the stars or a long hike that runs by a scenic lake to create the perfect setting for a young person to look within and ask the hard questions that will start the healing process in motion.
It is important to carefully explore the curriculum that will be followed for such a program. You want to be sure your teenager is going to get the very best help possible. In some instances the attendance of such a program could be court ordered. You will find there are many great facilities out there that your child can go to. There could be several close to your residential location.
The fees for troubled teen wilderness therapy programs also vary. Find out of your insurance will help to cover the fees. It is possible based on some of the different needs such as behavior or substance abuse. There may be community grants or assistance programs that can help you as well. Most of these programs are more concerned with helping the kids than the money. Therefore they are usually willing to work out some type of payment arrangements.
This type of wilderness therapy can also help a teenager to see things differently. Most of them don’t go out of their way intentionally to make the rest of the family miserable. However, things have gotten out of control. The dynamics of the entire family can be affected by the behaviors of one member. It isn’t always possible to make the necessary changes on your own. These wilderness therapy programs offer excellent staff and great curriculums that are worth trying.
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