Wilderness Therapy Programs for Troubled Teens in Portland, OR
Within the last few decades, America (including Portland, OR) has seen the demographic of adolescents deemed, troubled, or out of control, reach epidemic numbers. While experts aren’t sure as to why our nation’s teens increasingly turn to negative behavioral patterns, modern-day issues such as easier access to drugs and the advent of the internet, social media and other screen-based distractions (to name a few) are most likely significant contributing factors.
But with the number of troubled teens rising each year, cities like Portland, OR so too is the number of residential treatment centers that advertise their services to parents seeking respite and therapeutic healing for their child.
And, while many of these treatment programs are well-intentioned and run by those who truly believe in their program’s treatment model and core curriculum, parents from Portland, OR and elsewhere are all too often duped into sending their teenage daughter to an expensive program that at best, is ineffective in treating their child’s behavioral and emotional issues, and, at worst, exacerbates said issues even further.
Among these detrimental programs are treatment facilities that pose as wilderness therapy programs for troubled teens when in reality, they are more akin to glorified outdoor boot camps.
With the wilderness industry's increasing popularity and recent mainstream exposure, parents sometimes unwittingly send their children to programs that omit the clinical aspects of wilderness therapy.
Though technically a wilderness program, these treatment facilities omit the very foundations that make wilderness therapy effective, and instead, utilize behavioral modification and punishments to enact change within their campers.
For example, instead of providing experiential group therapy, mindfulness-based therapy, and cognitive behavior therapy, like the most reputable, adventure-based programs, these facilities merely seek to exploit the natural environment as a means to 'break' their campers, before 'building' them back up again.
These tactics are not only deceitful and misrepresent genuine wilderness therapy camps, they often aggravate the very issues campers were sent there to correct, to begin with.
Considering the average wilderness program is $500 dollars per day with a $3,000 dollar enrollment fee (not including what it would cost to transport said teen through a transport company two or more times) choosing this route of treatment is quite expensive.
Legitimate and Cost-effective Wilderness Therapy Programs for teens from the Portland, OR area
For moms and dads from Portland, OR unwilling to pay double (or potentially triple) for a wilderness program for their teenage daughter, there are cost-effective and dynamic treatment options to consider - like that of Elk Mountain Academy.
Elk Mountain Academy is a Christ-centered wilderness therapy program and residential treatment center for troubled teenage girls.
Elk Mountain Academy offers affordable, expert treatment for life-controlling issues and disorders in girls from the Portland, OR area, including:
- attachment disorders
- attention deficit
- eating disorders
- anxiety, depression
- self-destructive or antisocial behavior behavior
- adoption-related issues
We lead troubled girls from Portland, OR to seek truth and to trust in the Holy Spirit, our Holy Comforter who was given to all believers in Christ. At EMA we coach and train our students to seek, trust, and rely on the Holy Spirit, who is their comforter.
For more information regarding our treatment program, please call us today at (208) 266-1122.
Mental Health Direction in Portland, OR for Troubled Teenagers
Families from Portland, OR, searching for support for their at-risk child, trust the direction that Elk Mountain Academy provides for teens who may be undergoing obstacles related to video game addiction (gaming), blended family (relationship), or low self-esteem. Here at Elk Mountain, our licensed counselors have a deep and wise understanding of the issues that at-risk adolescent girls from Portland, OR are battling every day. With dedication and expertise, our team delivers direction to our troubled teen students, so they may recognize and deal with their alcohol dependence or drug abuse/addiction (including marijuana) in a way that is both healthy and productive. We specialize in a variety of relevant residential treatment strategies (equine, life training, behavioral therapy), that is based on a solid trifecta of trust and respect. Through this approach, we inspire an internally motivated rehabilitation that lasts a lifetime.
It’s our absolute respect for every teen student (and family) that we work with that sets our therapeutic boarding school apart from the others. EMA’s counselors acknowledge and appreciate the common issues that teens from Portland, OR are faced with every day. With decades of collective experience in the residential treatment center industry, our counselors can quickly identify and help behavioral or process addiction (porn, gaming) trials, obstacles related to seasonal affective disorder, and the causes for anger.
Contact Elk Mountain today at (208) 266-1122 to speak with one of our expert admissions specialists. They are readily available to answer any questions about our enrollment fees, insurance affiliations, and proximity to Portland, OR. Make Elk Mountain and their therapeutic boarding school a life-changing and memorable experience for both your family and your at-risk child.
Additional Partnerships in Portland, OR
MENTAL HEALTH AMERICA (MHA): Mental Health America is one of the leaders in mental health support, rehabilitation, and advocacy. Founded in 1909, this community-based non-profit resource is faithful to assisting families from Portland, OR, and all Americans achieve wellness by living mentally healthier lives. Their services include prevention, early identification, and intervention for those troubled, and integrated care and treatment for struggling youth and young women in Portland, OR. They also advocate for improved methods of research, prevention, detection, diagnosis, and treatment of mental health and alcohol dependence conditions.