Wilderness Therapy

A new study shows that being outdoors can contribute to reducing stress in teens. The psychological benefits of being around green spaces, in general, are receiving growing attention from scientists. Similarly, there is some evidence that exercising in natural environments, as opposed to indoors, improves mental well-being. As a parent you should encourage your teen…

While experimentation with substances is a common feature of identity exploration, it can become problematic when it interferes with daily functioning and relationships and can lead to later negative consequences and substance dependence. Teenagers who use drugs are more likely to get high out of curiosity or due to peer pressure and sensation seeking, but…

At Trails Carolina, we believe that lasting success and happiness comes from healing the entire individual, not just one specific “problem area”. To help instill healthy habits into a student’s everyday life, we have developed a week full of classes and experiential activities focusing on overall wellness. This program, known as “Trails to Wellness”, helps…

Seasonal affective disorder keeps individuals from enjoying life to the fullest. While researchers are unsure of what exactly causes SAD, some theories suggest it is light affecting the hormone called melatonin. Seasonal affective disorder impacts individuals differently- some experience more mild symptoms than others. Wilderness therapy lends itself to be an extremely effective measure to…

As chillier weather sets into the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, it is Trails Carolina’s utmost concern to keep students feeling comfortable and warm while participating in a wilderness therapy teen winter camp in the great outdoors. During cooler months, we instill a variety of practices and techniques that help keep students and staff…

At Trails, our Common Ground programming provides an opportunity for students  to reconnect with their families after being away. The reconnection happens through a series of planned activities and events that span over multiple days. Participating in Common Ground can be beneficial for the family dynamic as a whole. Therapists provide the proper support and…

Feeling comfortable in your own skin is extremely important to your overall mental health. At Trails Carolina, we want all students to feel free to be themselves. That’s why it’s so important for us to help students who identify as transgender or gender questioning to feel affirmed and supported in their exploration process. Letting students…

When you think of a wilderness environment, you might have images in your mind of a forest, untouched by man. “Leave no trace” is the idea of keeping the wilderness environment as intact and pure as possible. As a wilderness therapy program, we believe that leaving as little a mark as possible on the environment…

“I don’t want to go to school! You can’t make me!” Those are all too familiar words for most parents who have children who dislike school or don’t want to go for other reasons. For some, this issue can be solved by getting teens involved in extracurricular activities that they are passionate about. For some…

In our fast-paced, industrialized world, it can be easy to forget about the natural world around us. We evolved without smartphones, computers, cars, houses, roads–we did evolve within nature, though. Which is why it has such a powerful effect on us when we spend time in it; this is the basis of outdoor therapy. More…