Therapeutic Wilderness Schools - Any Insights?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Speaking from experience, beware the Educational Consultants. Even the most highly regarded ones deny the issues. We spoke to many of them - before we sent our daughter and after the came home with severe PTSD and other issues. We went to Trails - and our daughter still has nightmares about it.

I’m sorry to hear about your family’s experience. Would be willing to share the name of the EC you used? If your not comfortable doing that, would you share if the EC was local to the DMV region?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can we PLEASE stop blaming and shaming the families who make an informed choice to send their child into residential treatment? Count yourselves lucky indeed if you haven't had to take your teen to the hospital for multiple psychiatric stays, only to have them face a chaotic and dangerous environment while there and to be discharged days later with no follow-up.

Lots of armchair psychiatrists here. It would be helpful for you all to let us know about the wonderful low-cost programs you seem to think are out there.

Yep. Times a thousand. You get discharged into the vast void of no intermediate care.

People who haven’t had to do it have no clue. The idea that there is always time to research and that people think we have options shows just how clueless people are.

[Anonymous]

I am a parent who has been in a position where one of these programs seemed to be the only solution. The one thing that held me back was that my child would not have gone willingly. I would have had to hire one of those companies that "kidnap" your child in the middle of the night and take them there, and I just could not pull that trigger.

In the end I am glad I did not. As it turned out, my child suffered from an undiagnosed medical illness, in addition to a few that were diagnosed, which we eventually learned were related to the undiagnosed illness.

ALL of these places are totally unequipped to deal with medical issues and treat them as manifestations of psychological illness as do many medical doctors, including the one we were relying on. There is too much readiness to attribute physical symptoms to psychological illness and too little consideration of how actual medical illness can stress an individual into having psychological issues.

Some of these places will not even allow a child with allergies to take their Claritin, and I know of an instance where a child was not allowed to take their epilepsy medication.

My advice is for anyone considering any of these programs is that if you have the slightest feeling that your child may have a medical issue, check it out very thoroughly first, even if the primary doctor is dismissive, before putting your child in an environment where NO medical help at all is available beyond perhaps basic treatment of injuries.

If your child has a mild problem like seasonal allergies, get it put in writing that your child will be given their medication. If your child has a more medically significant problem like epilepsy, please consider another solution, which could include further medical work up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can we PLEASE stop blaming and shaming the families who make an informed choice to send their child into residential treatment? Count yourselves lucky indeed if you haven't had to take your teen to the hospital for multiple psychiatric stays, only to have them face a chaotic and dangerous environment while there and to be discharged days later with no follow-up.

Lots of armchair psychiatrists here. It would be helpful for you all to let us know about the wonderful low-cost programs you seem to think are out there.

Yep. Times a thousand. You get discharged into the vast void of no intermediate care.

serious question - did you read the description of TRAILS? It is not designed at all for a child who was just discharged from the hospital.

I personally know families whose kids have gone to TRAILS and had positive experiences. And you don't sound familiar with the merry-go-round of inpatient and residential stays that some families endure trying to get help for their kids.

I am very familiar with wilderness therapy being used in place of more appropriate therapy and supports at home due to family dysfunction. Trails is not therepeutic - it is abusive to send a child from a hospital to a bootcamp.

[Anonymous]

15:42, could you post some links to what therapy families could access at home to help their children? In particular, a child who refuses to participate in therapy. Or leave the house. All the programs we have found such as PHPs and IOPs required the child to be a willing participant.

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:15:42, could you post some links to what therapy families could access at home to help their children? In particular, a child who refuses to participate in therapy. Or leave the house. All the programs we have found such as PHPs and IOPs required the child to be a willing participant.

Thanks!

I don’t know but sending them to an abusive bootcamp staffed by people with 3-5 days training isn’t the answer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:15:42, could you post some links to what therapy families could access at home to help their children? In particular, a child who refuses to participate in therapy. Or leave the house. All the programs we have found such as PHPs and IOPs required the child to be a willing participant.

Thanks!

I don’t know but sending them to an abusive bootcamp staffed by people with 3-5 days training isn’t the answer.

Sorry, you said there was more appropriate therapy and family supports available locally. I assumed you had specific suggestions as to what those might be.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:15:42, could you post some links to what therapy families could access at home to help their children? In particular, a child who refuses to participate in therapy. Or leave the house. All the programs we have found such as PHPs and IOPs required the child to be a willing participant.

Thanks!

I don’t know but sending them to an abusive bootcamp staffed by people with 3-5 days training isn’t the answer.

Sorry, you said there was more appropriate therapy and family supports available locally. I assumed you had specific suggestions as to what those might be.

I’m not sure why an abusive, non-therepeutic setting is the only other option? You’re not making any sense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:15:42, could you post some links to what therapy families could access at home to help their children? In particular, a child who refuses to participate in therapy. Or leave the house. All the programs we have found such as PHPs and IOPs required the child to be a willing participant.

Thanks!

I don’t know but sending them to an abusive bootcamp staffed by people with 3-5 days training isn’t the answer.

Sorry, you said there was more appropriate therapy and family supports available locally. I assumed you had specific suggestions as to what those might be.

I’m not sure why an abusive, non-therepeutic setting is the only other option? You’re not making any sense.

Please share with us any other option.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:15:42, could you post some links to what therapy families could access at home to help their children? In particular, a child who refuses to participate in therapy. Or leave the house. All the programs we have found such as PHPs and IOPs required the child to be a willing participant.

Thanks!

I don’t know but sending them to an abusive bootcamp staffed by people with 3-5 days training isn’t the answer.

Sorry, you said there was more appropriate therapy and family supports available locally. I assumed you had specific suggestions as to what those might be.

I’m not sure why an abusive, non-therepeutic setting is the only other option? You’re not making any sense.

Please share with us any other option.

[Anonymous]

Residential treatment centers exist for a reason, people. Adventist and Sheppard Pratt immediately come to mind for Maryland. There have been multiple reports of sexual abuse at these wilderness programs. How much crack does a parent have to be smoking to send their child struggling with mental and behavioral problems somewhere without psychologists and psychiatrists on staff? I wonder if some of these people truly want to help their child or punish them for ruining their perfect family image.

[Anonymous]

Oh look, two options without involving child abuse!

[Anonymous]

Wilderness centers are just as scientifically based for emotional disturbance as conversion therapy is for an lgbt child.

[Anonymous]

Is anyone familiar with Aspiro in Utah? It is adventure therapy…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Blue Ridge School in Virginia may be what you are looking for:

https://www.blueridgeschool.com/mid-year-enrollment/

the child needs therapy and family support - not sure why a boarding school would be the answer?

+1