Choosing a Wilderness Program - Often a Difficult Decision for Teens and Parents

Choosing a Wilderness Program - Often a Difficult Decision for Teens and Parents

Taking the big step of enrolling a child into a wilderness program is uncomfortable for both parents and teens alike, according to Paul Deal, Wilderness Field Supervisor at Adirondack Leadership Expeditions, a wilderness program in New York.

“The process of change creates fear and confusion because it makes us feel out of control,” Mr. Deal explained.  “But parents have to ask themselves, how much fear and confusion are they enduring right now?  How much more do they have do endure before they take action?”

Most parents are terrified of enrolling their teen into a wilderness program.  They do not like the idea of separating from their child, even for a month or so.  They particularly worry about safety issues.  The administrators at ALE can point to intricate safety measures already in place. They can show parents scientific studies that prove their child is safer in the ALE wilderness program than he would be on an ordinary backpacking trip.  If a child is involved in high-risk behaviors such as drunk driving or running away from home, she is definitely safer in a wilderness program. Nevertheless, parents worry.

Often parents have to feel real desperation before they enroll their children.

“Desperation may precipitate the desire for change,” Mr. Deal said, “but the reasons parents seek change are positive.

“Parents often begin by looking for support outside the home – at a local therapist’s office, the school system and so forth.  It feels like panic at times, but it is a healthy searching to re-establish control in your life and the life of your family.”

Mr. Deal said that “parents should consider the possibility that the vast array of mind-boggling, blood pressure-raising behaviors their sons or daughters have been engaging in are attempts to find control in their lives too.”

Spending a few weeks in the beautiful Adirondack Mountains near Saranac Lake, New York, allows a teen to think about who he really wants to become and how he can get on track to becoming that person.  The peace and beauty of the wilderness provides teens with the chance to identify their core values and develop self-esteem as they learn not only how to cope with living outdoors, but also how to get along with people in healthy, cooperative relationships. 

Teens achieve this by working through the ALE program’s four levels or “The 4-A’s.”  Level 1 is Assessment or understanding and accepting why you are in ALE; Level 2 is Accountability or learning how to become responsible for what you do; Level 3 is Awareness or developing better communication and social skills; and finally Level 4 is Action, or using what you have learned and assuming a leadership role in the program.

Out in the wilderness with constant feedback from their counselors, students learn new, more positive behaviors.  Mr. Deal explained that teens “redeem their sense of self and identity by differentiating who they are from what they do.  ALE helps students recognize that their behaviors are a destructive and misguided means to a common end.  They realize that they can replace destructive behaviors with new ones that will move them closer to control and comfort.”

“The wilderness is effective because it allows for distractions to be pared away.  It provides an excellent experiential classroom.  Kids learn about themselves out in the woods, and can change the story of their lives through metaphor,” Mr. Deal said.

Mr. Deal and other ALE therapists work closely with parents throughout the time their child is in the program and during aftercare.  Parents receive in-depth updates on their child’s progress and can take online classes, if they want.  Mr. Deal and others also work with each family system as a unit. They help parents with the transitional period after a child leaves ALE. 

“Teens get lost in a world of pain, destructive behaviors and dysfunction,” Mr. Deal said. “They sometimes hurt the people they love most.  If teens and parents take the step of a wilderness program, we can build treatment around the individual student’s needs. Wilderness can become a self-esteem fostering experience for every student who enrolls.”

To find out if Adirondack Leadership Expeditions or another wilderness program is right for your child, please call: Toll Free 866-860-3065

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