4 Troubled Teens Blog

In an article on the website of The Guardian, writer Louise Tickle reported on growing support in Great Britain for the positive benefits of wilderness programs for struggling teens:

"Being in a true wilderness means having to work with things you can't change," says [Jo Roberts, chief executive of the Wilderness Foundation UK'.

If someone has anger management issues or a history of violence, it's often rooted, she says, in a deeply felt frustration with the world. But there's no point in being angry or frustrated with nature. You just have to get on and solve the problems it throws at you -- because if you don't, you can't shout, punch or even negotiate away the consequences.

Plenty of international research is emerging to show that there are health benefits to spending time in the natural environment, says Roberts. Taking this a step further, lots of people believe from long experience -- in Roberts's case, years working in South African townships -- that lifting disturbed youth out of destructive home environments in stressful urban settings and putting them in the great outdoors can be a catalyst for transformation.

Labels: wilderness_therapy

Posted By: Aspen/CRC 0 Comments

An entrepreneur is trying to raise $3 million to set up a wilderness program for troubled teenagers in the Snowy Mountains area of Australia.

In a Sept. 28 article in the Sydney Morning Herald, Rochelle Bennett said she was inspired by her son's experience at an American wilderness camp. Her 16-year-old son was in treatment for drug and alcohol abuse.

They put over 200 kids a year through their program, Bennett told the Herald. The thing that stuck in my mind was when the kids and the staff were out in the wilderness, they came back to a place where everything was totally organized. The infrastructure really stood out.

Bennett plans to call her program"The Hero's Journey for Treatment Wilderness, Australia." It will serve youth (ages 13 to 21) who have emotional and behavioral problems.

Labels: wilderness_therapy

Posted By: Aspen/CRC 0 Comments

Sometimes a troubled teen whos struggling to overcome problems with drugs, an eating disorder or anger issues just needs to get away from ordinary life. Thats the idea behind wilderness therapy programs  they give kids time away from their normal environment so they can focus on their immediate problems.

In a Sept. 11 article on the website of Colorado's Channel 9 News, writer Randy Barber praised the ability of wilderness therapy programs to help troubled teens:

[Wilderness therapy programs] assist struggling adolescents and young adults who are dealing with a variety of issues from self-esteem problems to depression, to promiscuity to addiction. The program separates the youth from their ordinary life, bringing them into the wilderness far from the influence of the friends, family and situations that may have created or contributed to the problem.

Labels: wilderness_therapy

Posted By: Aspen/CRC 2 Comments

"Talk therapy" may not help depressed teens, according to a new study from Cambridge University in Great Britain.

Dr. Ian Goodyer and his colleagues studied 208 children ages 11 to 17 years under treatment for depression. Some only took drugs. Others took drugs but also underwent weekly sessions with a psychologist. Those in the medication-only group actually improved more than those who received therapy as well.

Other studies have found that troubled teens respond better to "experiential therapy" instead of traditional "talk therapy." Experiential therapy may involve working with animals, sharing a wilderness experience with trained counselors, art and drama, etc.

Dr. Goodyer's study appears in the July 20, 2007 issue of BMJ (British Medical Journals).

Equine therapy or animal assisted therapy may be better alternatives for kids who don't respond to traditional therapy. Visit animal-assistedtherapy.com for more information.

Labels: wilderness_therapy, treatment_programs, therapy

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 0 Comments

Professor Anna Mueller at the University of Texas recently confirmed what many teachers and parents have long known or suspected: teens that are under emotional distress can't perform well at school. If one area of a teen's life is causing emotional stress, the other areas of his life will be affected as well. Most parents automatically think "summer school" when a teen is struggling academically, but a wilderness therapy camp can address the root of the problem  emotional distress  so that a teen is better equipped to handle the pressures of life, even after high school is over.

"Instead of learning weather from books, charts, and maps, these teens master weather systems by tracking changes in the wind, temperature, and air pressure... 'Seeing' geology instead of studying it comes as a revelation to most students. They learn to 'read a mountain' by understanding what the rocks and formations in each level mean in terms of the mountains history and composition."

A wilderness camp is a world free from distractions like cell phones, television, and the Internet, where a teen can learn valuable life skills.

Read more online.

Labels: wilderness_therapy, summer_programs, failing_in_school

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 0 Comments

Spending time in nature energizes people and elevates mood, according to a new study from the University of Rochester.

• Dr. Richard Ryan and his colleagues conducted five experiments with 537 college student.
• They took walks through indoor hallways or along a river path of the outdoors, and they looked at photographs of buildings or outdoor landscapes.
• The research team wanted to find out if just being in nature had an energizing effect on people, as opposed to being in social situations outdoors.

Dr. Ryan called the findings "particularly robust." Just being in nature 20 minutes a day boosted vitality levels and had an independent energizing effect above that of just being outdoors.

"We have a natural connection with living things," Dr. Ryan said. "Nature is something within which we flourish, so having it be part of our lives is critical, especially when we live and work in built environments."

The study has implications for drug and alcohol treatment performed in wilderness areas. Being in nature may have a therapeutic effect on troubled teenagers and adults.

This study appeared in the Journal of Environmental Psychology.
 

Labels: wilderness_therapy

Posted By: Jane St. Clair 1 Comment

For many struggling adolescents, troubled teens and other at-risk youth, enduring the frustrations and setbacks of daily life can feel like being lost in the wilderness.

This summer, spending some time in the actual wilderness will put many of these teens back on the path toward healthier, happier and more productive futures.

Effective wilderness programs are short-term opportunities to make long-term changes. Summer wilderness programs offer the added benefit of preparing struggling students to return to school in the fall with improved skills and renewed motivation.

Here are three of the therapeutic wilderness programs that are still accepting students for summer enrollment:

• SUWS Adolescent and Youth Programs (Shoshone, Idaho) -- Serving struggling young people since 1981.
• Outback Wilderness Programs (Lehi, Utah) -- Individualized treatment, accredited academics, and a strong family program
• Adirondack Leadership Expeditions (Saranac Lake, NY) -- Character development and therapeutic growth in the wilderness of upstate New York

In addition to these three renowned programs, the following link offers a much more extensive list of therapeutic wilderness programs throughout the United States.

 

 

 

 

 

Labels: wilderness_therapy, summer programs

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 1 Comment