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Reply to "Therapeutic Wilderness Schools - Any Insights?"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Without commenting on the therapeutic side of things, a major concern I have is on the physical medical side of things, which WT and RTC are not equipped to deal with.

Many kids on WT develop things like giarda, pinworms, and untreated UTIs because of the conditions and how they are dealt with.  Physical ailments generally are treated as attention seeking behavior. The same in RTC, causing delays in needed medical attention, which are worse in WT because of remoteness.

Do not send your child to WT or RTC unless you are 100% sure they are in tiptop medical and physical condition.  Even then, caveat emptor.[/quote]

I have quite a bit of experience with RTC and we did not find this to be true at all. My DC had daily interactions with a nurse and almost daily with a physician. Every physical issue was managed professionally and proactively. You can't paint all programs with such a broad brush which is exactly why this discussion *could* be helpful to parents in need.[/quote]

DP. Thanks for this insight. It would be great if this thread could include tips for parents to look for - like daily contact with a nurse. [/quote]

The biggest tip is to work with an educational consultant to find a reputable program.

As far as the "many kids on WT develop giarda (sp), etc...",  that is just flat out wrong. You are choosing to believe the hype in the media rather than the facts. You are choosing to believe teenagers who are in mental crisis over therapists with PhD and master's degrees. You are falling victim to baseless claims.

Once again, tell us how and why we should believe your claims over our experiences and research with our children....You have never walked the road. You have never been in the situation where you knew if your child remained home, they and you would perish.

As far as the other parents who walk this road with me....know you are not alone. Whether it is wilderness or long term residential programs, being in this existence is still so surreal to me. I wish I had a simple answer. [/quote]

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