I had the pleasure of attending a workshop hosted by Sierra Tucson in which the Executive Director (McKay Deveraux, CSW) and Clinical Director (Jason Calder, LMFT, LCPC) from Outback Therapeutic Expeditions provided education regarding their wilderness program.
Outback works with teens (13-17) who are struggling with “family conflict, negative peer groups, Internet and video game addiction, academic underachievement, low self-esteem, drug and alcohol abuse, and other emotional and behavioral issues”. They strive to provide a “warm, encouraging and non-confrontational approach while challenging students to harness their own inner strengths to launch into young-adulthood with confidence and success.”
What makes Outback unique is how they incorporate experiential therapies into the program as a way to gain insight into the teens emotional and behavioral patterns. Although they value talk therapy, they also recognize that behaviors often speak louder than words. Further, they offer a Parent Program in efforts to provide support to the family system and increase the teens ability to sustain long term change.
If you would like more information about Outback or Sierra Tucson, feel free to explore their websites:
