Teen Wilderness Programs
Teen Wilderness Programs rely on outdoor adventure-based activities as a therapeutic option to help teenagers with emotional and/or behavioral problems.
Wilderness Programs combine mental health strategies with outdoor activities in a rugged environment.
Many therapeutic residential treatment centers include an outdoor wilderness program component to the therapeutic offering, referring to it as wilderness therapy or adventure therapy.
Benefits of Teen Wilderness Programs
Distraction Free Environment
Away from home, friends, relationships, and unplugging from technology allows your child to de-stress, focus on healing and learning in a healthy natural outdoors environment.
Outdoor Adventure Challenging Experiences
Adventure activites are used as therapeutic tools to reinforce cooperation, communication and self-reliance and responsibility to avoid natural consequences of being in a rugged surroundings.
Clinically Proven Healing Techniques
Therapeutic tools, group therapy, counseling, physical excersice, healthy eating, and positive stimuli cleanses the mind and body. Allowing your child to learn new skills and how to manage emotions.
Is a Wilderness Program Right for Your Child?
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History of Wilderness Therapy Programs
Teen Wilderness Therapy Effectiveness
Types of Wilderness Treatment Programs
Cost of a Wilderness Therapy Program for Teens
Teen Wilderness Therapy Program Effectiveness
Frequently Asked Questions
It is unlikely to find a reputable boot camp for youth near your home. Most youth boot camps are intense and short and located in the Southern or Western states. Boot camps are not considered to be a good treatment option for troubled teens.
Troubled teen boot camps are usually short term programs that are intense and focus on behavior using militant and aggressive tactics. Teens with emotional or psychological issues often suffer from PTSD after attending a boot camp for troubled teens. The term varies but the average program is less than 90 days, some are just a few weeks.
Youth boot camps cost ranges between $2000 and $10000. The majority of boot camps today are privately owned.
Most boot camps work with teenagers 12-18 years old. In recent years we have seen new offerings for pre-teens or tweens, 10-12-year-olds. We encourage you to look at residential treatment centers or wilderness programs as a better alternative to a teen boot camp.
Boot camps are short term programs with varying effectiveness. Studies have shown that the results are mostly short term, and that troubled teenagers who attended a boot camp offer regress after a few months at home.