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Understanding How Wilderness Therapy Programs Change Teens
By: Meghan Vivo
The average wilderness therapy program lasts anywhere from six to nine weeks. Throughout this period of time, parents are writing letters to their teen, speaking with their child’s therapist, and getting weekly progress updates. But sometimes the messages parents receive can be confusing. Their child writes a letter complaining about her field instructor, describing the bad habits of other students, and begging to come home. The therapist says the teen is making progress. Parents begin to wonder if sending their child to a wilderness therapy program was a mistake.
But there has been no mistake. The key to deciphering these messages is understanding the stages of change that occur during therapy as well as the overarching benefits of wilderness therapy programs.
Understanding the Process of Change
Therapists have created a number of models to help us understand the process of change. One of these models, the Stages of Change Model, developed in the early 1980s by James Prochaska and Carlo DiClemente, has been applied to a wide range of behaviors, including weight loss, injury prevention, overcoming drug and alcohol addiction, and various forms of acting out in teens.
Also known as the Transtheoretical Model of Change, the Stages of Change Model shows that most people change gradually and at their own pace, moving through a series of five stages as follows:
• Precontemplation – The individual is uninterested, unaware, or unwilling to acknowledge that there is a problem behavior that needs to be changed.
• Contemplation – The individual acknowledges that there is a problem, but is not yet ready to commit to making a change.
• Preparation – The individual is getting ready to change.
• Action – The individual is ready to take determined action to make a change.
• Maintenance – The individual works to maintain the new behavior over time.
This model reflects the fact that change takes time, and that even when progress may not be visible to parents, teachers, or other outside observers, the process of change is actually well under way. Prochaska and DiClemente described the stages as a spiral, in which success may mean revisiting different stages multiple times over the course of many years.
Another way of understanding what a teen is experiencing in a wilderness therapy program is Joseph Campbell’s “hero’s journey,” as described in his book Hero with a Thousand Faces. The hero’s journey follows a series of stages, beginning with a “call to adventure,” proceeding with a series of trials or obstacles, and ending with a return home.
When the hero’s tasks have been completed, she returns home with an expanded vision of life, a matured understanding of herself, and lessons that will enrich her family and her community – but not before undergoing a series of rigorous challenges and making a few missteps along the way.
“I often see the greatest progress in students after someone has drawn a boundary with them or they have gone through some sort of struggle,” explains Lynn Anne Madory, a therapist at Aspen Achievement Academy, one of the oldest and most reputable wilderness programs in the nation. “Parents get nervous when their child has a tough week, but that’s when the growth happens. I get really uneasy if kids come here and go up and up and up because something is not authentic about their experience. This is truly the hero’s journey, and there are bound to be some bumps along the way.”
Managing Expectations
These models and others reflect the reality that change is gradual and can be a complicated process of growth and regression. As wilderness therapy has grown in popularity, the industry has become more competitive, with new programs promising results in shorter and shorter periods of time.
But research shows that lasting change requires longer periods of intensive, individualized therapy. For example, studies have demonstrated that wilderness therapy students gain wilderness competence in the first two weeks of a program; physical competence during the third and fourth weeks of wilderness therapy; and begin to benefit socially and relationally in the fifth week of the program. For students who are treatment-resistant, these timeframes can be more drawn out.
Wilderness therapy is one of the most effective ways to help struggling adolescents recognize a problem and commit to making a change. In most cases, wilderness therapy will help teens recognize the need for change and begin to take action toward improving their relationships and their attitude toward life. But every adolescent reaches these realizations in their own unique way and in their own time.
Understanding the process of change helps parents set reasonable expectations for their teen. “It’s easy for parents to get discouraged when their child promises he’ll never lie to them again, and then deceives them a few weeks later,” states Troy Faddis, the clinical director at Aspen Achievement Academy. “By understanding the process of change, parents will be able to anticipate and interpret the steps forward and backward that are likely to occur over the course of treatment.”
How Parents Can Contribute to the Process of Change
“You need not travel alone,” Joseph Campbell often said about meeting life’s challenges. Just as adolescents need support and encouragement from a network of family members and friends, parents of children in wilderness programs need guidance and support from staff members and other parents. A gift you can give your child during wilderness therapy is taking good care of yourself.
At Aspen Achievement Academy, families are supported, educated, and updated throughout their child’s wilderness experience. Parents receive weekly phone calls from their child’s therapist, a comprehensive “parent pack” with literature and audio CDs, and suggestions from the therapist about helpful reading and other tools.
The academy offers family Webinars, where parents call into a conference line to receive information about wilderness therapy, communication and relationships, adolescent development, substance abuse, and other pertinent topics. At the same time they are learning, parents can speak with other parents with children at Aspen, offering and receiving feedback and guidance throughout the program.
Parents also participate in a family weekend where they live and camp with their child in the field. “Aspen is not solely an individual-focused program,” explains Faddis. “Research shows us that the changes teens experience here have maximum staying power if the entire family is willing to do their part. That’s why family services are a hallmark of our program.”
The most important contribution parents can make while their child is at a wilderness therapy program is to understand their role in the family dynamic and work on improving their communication skills through reading, individual therapy, or support groups.
“There are no victims and no perpetrators in the family system,” says Erin Pratt, a therapist at Aspen Achievement Academy. “If the family wants to see change, everyone has to play their role. Even though the focus of wilderness therapy is on the individual child, the outcome data shows that effecting change in the broader family system is essential for long-term success.”
When Change Comes to Life
Aspen Achievement Academy has documented its long-standing commitment to improving the lives of troubled teens and their families through its extensive involvement in outcome and research studies and ongoing satisfaction surveys. According to these studies, more than 80 percent of adolescents treated at Aspen Achievement Academy have improved family relations, fewer legal problems, reduced abuse of drugs, and improved performance in school.
But these changes take time, patience, and hard work. Troy Faddis recalls the story of one student who suffered from severe depression. “This program showed her she needed to make a change and she ultimately excelled, but her progress was slow,” he explains. “She went on to long-term treatment and is now interviewing for colleges, but the transformation didn’t happen in a few short weeks. The process took a year of treatment, follow-up, and commitment on the part of the whole family.”
Of course, some students are more ready to change than others when they first enter wilderness therapy. One young man came to Aspen with substance abuse and defiance issues. He was a violin virtuoso growing up near New York City, who had given up his passion for music in favor of drugs and alcohol. He left Aspen having made significant progress, and went on to record albums with a band and recently signed a record deal.
What these stories make clear is that a person’s life story can’t be written half-way through. In many cases, the life-altering changes sparked by wilderness therapy need time to resonate with the adolescent and her family. Research shows change will happen – but it takes time, commitment, and follow-up.
Human beings are complex and unpredictable, and adolescents are even more so. Their minds and bodies are still growing, and they’re continually learning new things and deciding who they want to become. Genuine, lasting change to the human psyche is a gradual process – but it is one well worth the investment.
Source: Aspen Education Group
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