Practice & Success in Multiple Settings to resemble The Real World
Within the program, we transition from wilderness therapy to base camp and back again. This mix of environments and staff resembles the real world and is practical. We specifically designed our adventure therapy approach around transitions. Too often in other programs, students “get in a rhythm with a specific environment and with a specific individual. The experience is completely dependent on this one individual and can delay continued progress. At Trails we intentionally move a student into different situations to challenge their skills, assess, and continually build new ones. This leads to better outcomes.
The transition cycle includes wilderness expeditions working with our Wilderness Team lasting up to three weeks, then returning to base camp for a week to work with our Residential Team. The base camp team includes: our Equine Specialist, who helps students connect with their emotions and become more empowered by working with horses; our Academic Specialist, who will work with your child’s home school to continue their education and develop new skills to improve academic performance; and our Naturalist and Science Specialist, who provides a unique hands on approach to exposing and connecting the students to the natural world around us and the lessons it teaches us.
These experiences are critical for our students to practice, refine, improve, and ultimately gain confidence that they can succeed at home.
Transitions also includes “a plan for tomorrow”. Everything we do at Trails Carolina is meant to prepare students and their parents to leave Trails with the confidence they will be able to transition their wilderness experience into daily skills for a bright future. We work with the family to build a plan for tomorrow – success within the family structure, next steps for the student and the resources and information needed for the future.
“I’ve learned I care about my family. I also learned I should respect others and respect myself. I learned that that can change with a little bit of help.”
“I would say that Trails saved our daughter’s life. I saw changes in her at graduation that thrilled my heart.”
“I am full of admiration and gratitude for Trails and its staff.”
“I would highly recommend Trails to anyone who needs their services. It was an excellent program in every way.”
“I believe that Trails is a rite of passage. It’s stopping one stage in your life, and helps you to grow and prosper into a beautiful new grown up person.”
“Thank you! We are true believers in the power of the wilderness experience and can’t say enough about Trails!”
“Trails was the best thing I could have done, full of invaluable experiences. Thank you all! We will treasure our experience.”
“The process is about leaving as a new person who has found ways to stay away from problems. And by leaving here we will become a better and more mature human being.”
“Jake got so much from the program that he wants to move to North Carolina, study wilderness leadership and work on the staff at Trails.”
“Thank you, thank you, thank you. You took a boy who was a bundle of rage and guided him to see there were other ways to handle the world.”
“If your child is in need and you feel you don’t have the skills alone to help them, Trails can! And they will!!”
“We can’t thank everyone enough for the kindness, compassion and great skills each and every one of you gifted us with on this journey.”
“I can honestly say that we are a closer family because of what we learned at Trails. I loved it all!”
“Equine therapy was a powerful experience. My daughter said that it calmed her. The lovely base camp grounds with horses roaming around set a peaceful tone.”
“The therapists and guides were very well trained. I was pleasantly surprised at how compassionate the program and the field guides were. Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
“The overall change in my daughter was so impressive.”
“Thank you for all your efforts to make a difference in my daughter’s life going forward.”
“It impressed me how totally committed each and every therapist is to helping the families. Their compassion and understanding are remarkable.”
“I am in awe of the staff here at Trails Carolina. All the staff we met were congenial, cordial, knowledgeable, thoughtful and kind.
“Trails is a wilderness program of excellence, with individuals throughout the organization who will bend over backwards to help your teen understand the importance of trust, responsibility and accountability.”
Plan moving forward
After our thorough initial assessments and effective interventions have been completed, we help support your family and your child in making a practical and detailed plan moving forward in their transition. It is not enough for your child to say they are going to do things better—we want to make sure there is an actual plan and that you and your child have the tools to be successful with such a plan.
Our treatment team of therapists will support you with resources, templates and tools that will allow you as a family to continue to build on the changes that have been made while at Trails Carolina.
“Staff bend over backwards to help your teen understand the importance of trust, responsibility and accountability while teaching communication skills to both parents and teens.”
Caleb B., Father
