Reply to Therapeutic Wilderness Schools

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Reply to "Therapeutic Wilderness Schools - Any Insights?"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]There is a book coming out in the next year or so about a family's positive experience with WT.

The troubled teens subreddit clearly states that any positive comments about programs or experiences will be deleted.  By definition, you will only find negative comments on there.

WT is about $50K and not covered by insurance.  Many programs also require an educational consultant to be part of the process--that's another $10K for the parents.  Transport is $5K.  Outfitting for WT is another $3-4K.  No one spends $70K for 12 weeks of therapy unless you have exhausted every other option.  12 weeks is the average amount of time a child spends in WT.

These are kids who are refusing therapy or any other type of help.  Taking away life distractions forces them to focus on themselves.  It's uncomfortable.  It's always easier to blame someone else for the issues rather than look inward.

Agree, life at WT is not luxury; it is primitive.  If you don't put up your tent and it rains, you will get wet.  Your clothes will be wet until they dry and that maybe a day or two.  And your shoes may stay wet for more than 2 days. If you're wearing wet clothes and shoes, you will probably be cold.  It was your choice not to put up your tent and these are the consequences.

WT is not for kids where the primary issue is mental health.  But for a child that has turned to self medication as the primary method of coping with their issues, it can be very helpful to get out of their current environment.  A good EC would be able to help a family determine if WT or an RTC is the best place to start.[/quote]

I 100% agree with this poster.  No one should send their kid to any program without doing a lot of research, vetting, etc to make sure it's a quality program and a good fit for that kid.  Wilderness was a life changing re-set for my suicidal kid who had rejected other treatment.  It was an incredibly tough choice, but it worked (for our kid).  Kid would tell you "it was really hard, but it was also necessary."  That's a direct quote.[/quote]

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