Wilderness Therapy Programs for Troubled Teens

With the rise of addiction, anger management, and other out-of-control behavioral issues in today's youth, there are more treatment programs for troubled teens than ever before in America. Among the vast and varying forms of therapeutic and behavioral treatment programs for troubled youth is wilderness therapy.

Wilderness therapy programs for troubled teens strive to rehabilitate the behavior, mental health, and family dynamic of troubled youth.

Other than operating entirely outdoors, wilderness programs are unique when it comes to the duration of treatment. Whereas most residential treatment facilities require teens to stay a minimum of 9 months to a full year, the majority of wilderness programs for troubled teens require campers to stay no longer than 3 to 5 months.

The Unfortunate Downside of Wilderness Therapy Programs for Troubled Teens

Unfortunately, the wilderness therapy industry has had quite a few blows in terms of controversy and inconsistency in quality.

According to independent researchers, due to lack of oversight, there is much to call into question about the validity of some of these programs.

For instance, research has shown there are facilities that operate under the guise of providing today’s most “cutting-edge” wilderness therapy, when in reality they are nothing more than clinically disproven and outdated boot camps - albeit, military-styled behavior modification with the distinction of operating entirely in the wilderness.

These findings are rather problematic considering that most of today’s leading behavioral experts claim boot camps for troubled youth are not only ineffective in changing the behavioral and mental health issues in adolescents, they are also likely to make matters worse.

The Elk Mountain Academy A Residential Treatment/Wilderness Therapy Program Parents Can Trust

One of the major issues regarding wilderness therapy programs is the high cost of treatment. This is due to the fact that most wilderness therapy programs operate as a "first step" program.

In other words, most wilderness therapy campers (80% according to recent statistical analysis) either go to a subsequent residential treatment facility upon completing wilderness treatment or are leaving another treatment facility to participate in wilderness therapy leaving parents to foot the bill on two separate (often states-apart in distance) treatment facilities.

Rather than having to locate and transport their teen to a separate facility (the cost of which would cost thousands of dollars in transport fees, alone) parents of troubled girls can simply send their daughter to a facility where they can complete a wilderness program before enrolling in our reputable residential treatment program.

Our multidisciplinary staff is dedicated to helping each resident embark on a new and more productive path in life. Our clinical staff, both on and off-campus, is made up of psychiatric specialists, primary care physicians, a dentist, an orthodontist, & licensed psychotherapists, as well as teachers, mentors, and residential care staff.

For more information regarding our treatment program, please call us today at (208) 266-1122.