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The teen years often bring a restless yearning to explore, take risks, and have adventure. That's why there are outdoor programs that cater to those impulses.
Carrying their thirty-pound backpacks, a small group of teens and their instructors may trek ten miles a day in the rugged wilderness of a state like Oregon that is mostly untouched by civilization. By noon, they reach the top of a mountain, and they stop just long enough to take in the grandeur of a vista of sky, rock and wilderness. The vastness and challenge of nature puts their lives at home into perspective.
Their camp guides teach them how to light a fire the Native American way, how to make shelters rainproof and which plants are safe to eat. A month later, when they're home, they're a little taller and a little prouder of their new ability to take care of themselves in the great outdoors. They tell grand stories to anyone who will listen about their adventure of a lifetime.
The SageWalk Wilderness Program in Redmond, Oregon, has been offering all that for with one special component. When SageWalk began ten years ago, it was one of the first adventure programs for teens with substance abuse issues.
This year SageWalk started a brand-new program that lasts only thirty days. "SageWalk Recovery" can help a teen get an immediate "jumpstart" toward a substance-free life. Larry Solie, director of SageWalk, says the thirty-day treatment can bring results because it is so intense -- students are actually undergoing on a twenty-four hour basis.
Thirty Days toward Sobriety
The moment a teen arrives for SageWalk Recovery, he or she has a personal, licensed therapist with an advanced degree in counseling. The teen then undergoes the American Society of Addiction Medicine's assessment test, a physical examination, and extensive interviews and evaluations. Based on the results of these tests, the teen immediately begins one of three levels of substance abuse treatment and his wilderness adventure. Other programs routinely take two weeks to get to this point.
Teens hike and camp in small groups, usually fewer than six campers, with two field instructors. There is an emphasis on safety. Head instructors, certified as Wilderness First Responders and trained in first aid and medical emergency, have satellite cellphones and call into base camp twice a day. In the case of a real emergency, groups get immediate help from Air-Life (a medical helicopter evacuation plan).
As teens hike, camp and learn survival skills, they work very closely with a team of professionals on their substance abuse issues in what's known as "experiential therapy." The experience of the wilderness and constant interaction with professional counselors can be a very powerful treatment that produces results in a short time.
Teens have individual weekly sessions with their therapists, who go out with the group at least two days of every week. SageWalk uses a 12-Step approach, but teens can choose an alternative method if they prefer. Meanwhile, parents stay involved with their teen's progress via Internet as they learn new ways of interacting as a family group.
The quick, 30-day program is often a way for a teen to simply address their issues, according to Laurie Wilmot, a SageWalk clinician. "The Recovery Program allows us to provide specialized options for families whose initial need concentrates on substance abuse. This intervention better informs families of the appropriate next steps for their child."
Depending on the individual, appropriate steps might be long-term residential treatment, continuing in SageWalk, or inpatient treatment back at home. SageWalk is one of the few programs that offers post-graduation follow-up and aftercare programs for families. If teens use the long-term reunification program, SageWalk even offers a two-year re-admittance policy for any teen experiencing severe relapse.
SageWalk is one of the few wilderness programs that has full accreditation as a school as well as a chemical dependency program. SageWalk earned certification from the Northwest Association of Accredited Schools and by the State of Oregon as both an Outdoor Youth Program and Private School and a Licensed Drug and Alcohol Program administered by CADCII (Board of Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselors). It is also a member of the National Association of Schools and Programs and National Association of Therapeutic Wilderness Camps. Therapists hold at least Master's degrees and some have licenses as chemical abuse treatment counselors. The high levels of certification and staff training are unusual for a teen therapy program.
"Ten years ago, our vision for SageWalk was to enter the little known field of wilderness therapy," director Larry Solie said. As SageWalk celebrates its anniversary, it continues to lead the field by initiating new programs such as the "Thirty-Day Recovery."
As the staff says: "We're always copied, never equaled."
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