More Information About Wilderness Programs, Therapy, and Troubled Teens

At SUWS of the Carolinas, Parenting Workshops Enhance Family Support Services

By Hugh C. McBride

Therapeutic wilderness programs offer parents of all students the opportunity to learn how best to support and guide children who are receiving treatment for low self-esteem, family contact, alcohol/drug abuse, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, depression, and a range of related conditions.

One of the nation’s premier therapeutic wilderness programs for misdirected and at-risk adolescents has launched an ongoing series of innovative two-day workshops to prepare parents to offer enhanced levels of support and guidance to children who have been struggling with a wide range of developmental, behavioral, and substance abuse disorders.

SUWS of the Carolinas, which has been providing therapeutic services to adolescents and teens in a wilderness environment since 1981, created the workshops in response to parent requests for additional education to help them build upon the progress that their children made while enrolled in the program.

The classes are offered two to three times each month, and are conducted in and around a lodge on the program’s campus in Old Fort, North Carolina. Parents are encouraged to attend near the mid-point of their child’s SUWS experience.

Building Stronger Families

Structured around three core principles - experience, education, and support - the two-day workshops provide parents with insights into the challenges and opportunities that their children are encountering in the wilderness, while helping them to develop more effective interpersonal communication and relationship-strengthening skills.

“Parents who complete our workshops gain a greater understanding of the ways they can work together to support their child,” said SUWS Clinical Director Jesse Quam. “They also develop an increased awareness of the types of improvements that their entire family can make. The workshops help parents get a little further along in terms of being better prepared to support their children and help their families”

SUWS Family Program Manager Dr. Brooke Judkins, who leads the parent workshops, said that in addition to providing parents with essential information, the two-day seminars also give them the guidance and support that they need to feel confident about their ability to apply what they’ve learned in a manner that will best benefit their families.

“It’s crucial that parents have the time to practice the skills that they learn while they’re still in regular contact with SUWS therapists,” Dr. Judkins said, referring to the weekly therapeutic phone consultations that all parents participate in while their children are enrolled at SUWS of the Carolinas.

“If parents get that practice and receive the guidance they need from the therapists, they’re more likely to continue using these skills, which will benefit the entire family both during and after wilderness treatment,” Dr. Judkins said.

Creating More Effective Communicators

Parents who participate in a SUWS workshop will acquire a considerable amount of information, the vast majority of which is designed to help them understand and communicate more effectively with their family members. This education mirrors the instruction that their children are receiving from their field instructors and therapists, and is offered with the intention that it be put into practice almost immediately.

“We work on foundational communication skills that parents can start utilizing right away in the letters they write to their kids in the wilderness,” Dr. Judkins said. “We want to get the parents on the same page with their children to make sure that they’re all making similar changes in how they interact with each other, and developing a common language that they can use when they communicate with each other.”

The parents will also have the opportunity to analyze their family histories and analyze their personal parenting techniques, efforts that Dr. Judkins said are designed to help them recognize strengths that can be developed further, and identify areas that will need additional attention as the family members work toward developing healthier interactions and pursuing more satisfying and beneficial relationships.

“The parents who participate in our workshops are doing a great thing for themselves, their children, and their families, and we’re here to ensure that they have all the support that we can provide,” she said.

Ending the Isolation

For many parents, the skills they acquire and the confidence they develop during the parent workshops are superseded by the connections that they establish with others who are dealing with similar challenges.

“Many parents feel isolated because of the struggles they’ve been having, and then they come to our workshops and make meaningful connections with people who are going through the same thing that they are.” Dr. Judkins said. “Suddenly, they’re not alone anymore. They have people they can turn to for support, to share resources, and to talk with about things that are important to them.”

“The power of the workshops is the community that gets created,” Mr. Quam concurred. “Our parents are more connected because of our workshops, and they’ve become part of a community that extends beyond the time that their kids are with us.”

SUWS personnel aren’t the only ones to express and appreciation for the isolation-ending aspect of the workshops.
As one parent wrote after completing a recent workshop, “Although I know that I’m not alone in my struggles, it is good to have it confirmed.”     

About SUWS of the Carolinas

SUWS of the Carolinas is a therapeutic wilderness program that is designed to treat students aged 10 to 17 who are experiencing difficulties related to low self-esteem, family contact, alcohol/drug abuse, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, depression, and a range of related conditions.

SUWS features a unique and highly effective clinical approach that helps students identify their limiting emotional beliefs and destructive behavioral habits. This newfound awareness allows them to overcome previous feelings of personal entitlement and develop the personal responsibility and healthy relationship skills that will allow them to become productive members of their families, schools, and communities.

The program uses the outdoors as an alternative to conventional treatment environments, while engaging students using traditional therapeutic methods. The wilderness setting removes modern distractions, simplifies choices and teaches valuable lessons. As a result, students begin to accept responsibility for personal decisions, address individual and family issues, and become invested in their character development.

 

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