Wilderness Therapy Programs For Middle School Students
Adolescence is a significant period of emotional development, where the therapeutic needs of middle schoolers are different from the needs of high schoolers. Teachers understand this and apply different techniques in the classrooms, so why shouldn’t wilderness programs? Currently, Trails is the only wilderness therapy program for middle school students with single-gender middle school programming year-round in the country. We implement a variety of unique
Limiting Screen Time for Teens with ADHD
More than half of teens ages 12-17 report trying to take steps to limit their personal screen time and 57% claim their parents have tried to limit their technology use in one way or another. Limiting screen time can be particularly challenging for teens with ADHD due to difficulties with self-monitoring and inattention. While they may struggle with paying attention in class, screens provide a
PTSD Can Lead to Aggression in Teens
PTSD is becoming increasingly common among teen populations, with studies showing that anywhere from 15-43% of children experience at least one trauma in their lives. Of these children, 3-15% of girls and 1-6% of boys develop PTSD. PTSD has been linked with aggressive and impulsive behavior that can have harmful impacts on all its victims, so it’s essential to learn what to look for and
My adopted child has attachment issues: How can I find treatment for them?
Adoption can be one of the most rewarding experiences of a parent’s life. After months or years of waiting for your family to feel complete, you finally get to bring home your child. And while adoption is incredibly rewarding, it can also come with it’s own set of challenges. One of the biggest challenges are attachment issues in adopted children. Children who were neglected or
The Purpose of Bow Drilling in Wilderness Therapy
There is evidence that humans have been using fire as a survival tool for as long as a million years, but it took several hundred thousand years for us to perfect the skill of building and controlling fires. Over time, we have learned to skip steps along the way and focus more on the size of the fire we can create than the power of
Long-Term Effects of School Refusal Beyond Educational Outcomes
We need to rethink how we conceptualize school refusal, particularly in younger children. We tend to think that it does not make a difference for an elementary school child to be pulled from class for an extra day of vacation or a doctor’s appointment followed by an afternoon of personal errands. However, by the time they reach middle or high school, skipping class with or
Outdoor Therapy Serves as Healthy Outlet for Teens with Behavior Problems
Outdoor therapy programs take a different approach than boot camps for teens with behavior problems by using nature as a guide to making healthier choices and empowering teens to gain insight into how their actions affect others. As many teens with behavior problems struggle with taking advice from authority figures and lack self-awareness necessary for many types of talk therapy, outdoor therapy is a popular
Attachment Style Predicts How Teens Cope with Anxiety
Anxiety looks different for everyone that experiences it. While it may be one of the most common and most talked about mental health struggles among teenagers, not everyone responds to anxiety treatment in the same way. Recognizing how attachment styles are influenced by anxiety and vice versa helps loved ones and professionals identify more effective ways of helping teens cope with their anxiety. As social
Equine Programming Serves as Alternative Experiential Therapy for Anxious Teens
Many young people don’t respond well to traditional forms of therapy. Group therapy can feel overwhelming for teens with social anxiety and talking to a therapist can feel intimidating if they don’t know them very well. Wilderness therapy programs utilize a variety of alternative experiential therapies, like equine programming, to help anxious teens identify and overcome their anxiety. Why Choose Equine Programming? Equine relational work is a
Improving Self Esteem for Teens on the Autism Spectrum
Low self-esteem is often an ongoing challenge for teens on the autism spectrum. While they are often self-aware of their own interests and struggles, they struggle to communicate these to others due to fear of judgment or not fitting in. Many teens on the spectrum have a tendency to be overly self-critical and have internalized messages that they have “social deficits” that cannot be “fixed,”