Trails Carolina Blog

In the face of danger, your body automatically has a response: face it head on with everything you have or quickly escape from the threat. Simply, it’s called fight-or-flight. Though this instinct is extremely helpful in saving your life in the presence of actual danger, these feelings can also come up without a current, obvious…

One of the biggest struggles for a family with a troubled teen, beyond making the decision to send their teen to a wilderness therapy program, residential treatment center, or therapeutic boarding school, is the transition the entire family has to make once the program comes to an end. The experience of spending time in the…

Most teen therapy programs recognize the need for family involvement. In order to ensure future success for your teen, you must create a new environment, improve communication and build mutual respect. Trails Carolina goes deeper than most other teen therapy programs. Besides weekly calls and graduation weekends, which most residential programs have, Trails Carolina also…

So much is about perspective. At Trails, teens’ lives change. Whether it’s from a personal discovery on a multi-day trek, a moment when it clicks while working with a therapist, or taking care of a horse, our staff facilitates a both nurturing and challenging environment where teens learn tools that shape their lives and relationship…

Using a taboo tool with a sour reputation to launch a national campaign toward teens? Leave it to Dove. Dove uses Snapchat, an app many parents, schools and media outlets associate with teen sexting, to teach girls self-esteem.

A Wilderness Therapy Program’s Affect On Teen Perspective and Well-being When students arrive in wilderness therapy they begin a process of discovery about who they are and what they are capable of. Their bodies begin to align with the cycle of the sun leading to improved amounts and quality of sleep. They begin to eat…

If your teen has lost desire to hang out with friends, has difficulty concentrating or remembering, loses appetite, or can’t seem to go to sleep at night, you may write it off as normal teenage behavior. However, if these or other anti-social behaviors continue for any length of time, it may indicate a more serious issue. Teenagers with depression are often times categorized as “just going through changes” or being “overly hormonal,” but when the sadness and retraction do not go away within a few weeks, it is more likely your teenager is suffering from depression and may not know how to cope.

Communication is absolutely vital when you are part of a team and even more critical within your family. We are constantly told that communication leads to a healthy marriage, but that emphasis applies between children and the entire family too. The Best Wilderness Therapy Programs Bring Family Together Communication often shuts down with troubled teenagers,…