Netflix’s new documentary, Hell Camp: Teen Nightmare, exposes the maltreatment at an unregulated “teen therapy camp” in the 1980s. But the program shown in the film has almost nothing in common with today’s accredited, outcomes-based wilderness programs. Moreover, teen wilderness therapy is a very different experience from residential treatment that incorporates outdoor components and safe challenges.
So how can parents tell when a program is truly effective and safe for young people? Let’s look at the history of teen wilderness therapy; the signifiers of safe, quality programming; and the differences between various types of teen treatment.
Key Takeaways
- Teen wilderness therapy programs use the therapeutic elements of being in an outdoor setting to help adolescents heal from mental health and behavioral issues.
- Research shows that being outdoors in nature offers many mental health benefits.
- However, some wilderness therapy programs are unaccredited, and teens have reported traumatizing experiences in some programs.
- Accredited residential treatment and wilderness programs offer safe outdoor activities guided by highly trained and experienced staff.
What Is Teen Wilderness Therapy?
Teen wilderness therapy programs are a type of therapeutic offering that typically takes place in a rustic outdoor environment. These programs are designed to address adolescent mental health issues, including behavioral disorders, self-harm, suicidal ideation, aggression, and other serious challenges. Currently, there are teen wilderness therapy programs across the United States, ranging from the deserts of Utah to the woods of North Carolina.
Teen wilderness therapy programs were designed to help struggling teens make meaningful and lasting connections with their environment, their peers, and themselves. The central concept of wilderness therapy is that being in a rustic outdoor setting can lead to a healthy shift in teens’ perspective and a boost in self-confidence.
Moreover, the idea is that teens are more easily able to connect with the natural world and with themselves when they’re removed from their regular routine and any daily triggers they may face. When toxic friendships and other factors that help drive their negative behaviors are no longer present, teens are left to face the natural consequences of their actions.
History of Teen Wilderness Treatment Programs
Outdoor programs have been around for a long time. The first known program—Outward Bound—was founded in the 1940s to train British sailors. Brigham Young University, a school affiliated with the Mormon church, began teaching outdoor survival courses to “troubled teens” in 1966. Facing expulsion or suspension from the university, they had two options: pass the course, or get kicked out.
In the late 1970s and 1980s, similar programs gained popularity in the western United States, with many in the state of Utah, where Brigham Young University is located. However, without accreditation requirements, these programs had no oversight, and some maltreated the teens in their care.
The Hell Camp Documentary
The Challenger Foundation, the “teen therapy camp” featured in Hell Camp, was started in 1988 by Steve Cartisano. With parents’ consent, staff would take teens from their homes in the dead of night and take them to a wilderness camp in Southern Utah. At the Challenger camp, they endured at least 63 days in the desert on a 500-mile hike.
Teens were forced to sleep on the ground, carry heavy backpacks or pull handcarts, and skin and cook animals for food. Staff yelled at them continually, they had no privacy or bathrooms, and they were punished if they complained—sometimes by being tied up by their hands and feet.
The Netflix documentary interviewed former participants in the camp. While some who underwent this experience say they were helped, many others were traumatized. As a result, Cartisano and the Challenger Foundation eventually faced abuse allegations from families.
Wilderness Therapy Today
Today, there are many wilderness programs across the United States. And many of these programs are safe, regulated, and accredited. Wilderness therapy companies provide treatment for many mental health problems in struggling teens. These issues range from substance use to suicidal ideation.
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What Do Wilderness Therapy Programs Treat?
Many wilderness therapy programs advertise that they treat “at-risk” youth, meaning adolescents who are at risk of getting in trouble with the law or experiencing a mental health crisis.
Here are some conditions wilderness therapy programs treat:
- Self-harm
- Aggression, anger, and violence
- Criminal actions
- Defiance
- School challenges, including expulsion and suspension
- Substance abuse
- Suicidal ideation or suicide attempts
- ADHD
- Eating disorders
- Gaming disorder or social media addiction
How Long Does Wilderness Therapy Last?
A typical wilderness therapy program varies in length from 30 days to multiple months. Participants are expected to camp, backpack, hike, and learn wilderness survival skills. Other activities are occasionally involved as well, including fishing, rock climbing, or skiing.
Teens are often in small groups of around five to 10 peers for the duration of the program. Staff supervisors, who help run the programs and spend the days with the kids, are also present. Participants may also receive individual and/or group therapy with licensed clinicians.
Research on Wilderness Therapy and the Mental Health Benefits of Nature
Being in nature and among green spaces helps teens feel grounded, calm, and more attuned to themselves and to their surroundings. Wilderness therapy programs cite the benefits of nature as one of the key parts of the therapeutic process.
Research shows that nature supports teen mental health by:
- Reducing anxiety and depression
- Stopping negative self-talk and rumination
- Lowering the stress chemical cortisol
- Inspiring awe, gratitude, and mindfulness
- Improving memory and cognition
- Boosting resilience and self-confidence
- Reducing the negative effects of using technology and screens
Are Wilderness Programs Accredited?
Third-party accreditation makes it clear to the public that a treatment program’s safety and quality of care has been vetted. The Outdoor Behavioral Healthcare Research Center is a third-party organization created to monitor wilderness therapy programs, lists 17 accredited programs in the country. States haven’t always done a good job regulating these programs and helping the children who are sometimes severely impacted by them.
Without accreditation or oversight, it can be hard to tell which programs are safe and effective. Organizations like Breaking Code Silence are working to protect young people from wilderness programs that are not safe or accredited, and help them find high-quality wilderness programs.
Potential Dangers of Wilderness Therapy for ‘Troubled Teens’
Not all wilderness programs are dangerous. But some of these programs are not safe for teens. The potential dangers of unaccredited and unregulated wilderness therapy programs include trauma, abuse, injury, and death. Over the years, past wilderness therapy participants have spoken out about bullying, abuse, and assault in such programs. Some teens have even died due to inexperienced or untrained staff and negligent leadership.
When they get to the camps, teens are often completely out of their element. Many have never spent much time outside before. But suddenly they’re hiking every day, carrying backpacks, and not allowed basic hygiene practices, including showering.
For some young people, this type of experience can ultimately be transformative and healing. For others, however, it can be traumatizing—making their existing mental health issues even worse. Moreover, teens who were taken to wilderness therapy against their will may no longer trust their parents, leaving them feeling alone and unsupported. Family therapy may be needed to repair this rupture in their relationship.
While there are multitudes of health benefits of being in nature, it’s important that these benefits are incorporated safely into teen treatment. Programs must put teens’ health and safety first and avoid pushing them too far beyond their comfort zone. In addition, adolescents should be supported by trained staff and have ongoing access to experienced clinicians.
Residential Treatment with Outdoor Components
Many residential treatment programs offer safe challenges in nature, with the support of peers and experienced wilderness guides, as one component of treatment. For example, Adventure Therapy at Newport Academy retains useful elements of wilderness therapy like being outdoors, working together, and learning new skills. Teens face and overcome exciting challenges, within a safe environment with trained staff supervising the experience.
Our outdoor modalities include group activities in nature, like hiking and ropes courses in the beautiful New England countryside, surfing in California, and kayaking in the lakes of Minnesota (depending on location). At Newport Academy, clients are always guided by practitioners with years of training and experience. The relationships formed with clinicians and peers in a fun outdoor setting give teens the opportunity to experience the benefits of time in nature while staying safe and supported.
Whole-Person Teen Treatment at Newport Academy
In Newport Academy’s residential teen treatment, outdoor experiential therapy is just one part of a multifaceted therapeutic program that also includes psychiatric care and medication management, clinical therapy, and art and music therapy. Our integrated approach to teen treatment includes the whole family and addresses every aspect of an adolescent’s needs—physical, emotional, relational, social, and spiritual.
Every treatment plan is individualized for the adolescent’s and family’s needs, history, and goals. Teens live in comfortable, home-like environments in beautiful settings, and staff are compassionate and caring.
Treatment at Newport Academy helps teens and families process past trauma, repair relationships, and gain tools to manage difficult emotions. Young people learn new skills and build healthy coping tools. Our modalities include CBT, DBT, and family therapy in order to provide the best possible care.
What Treatment at Newport Includes
Teens in Newport Academy residential and outpatient treatment programs receive:
- Experiential therapies such as art, music, and yoga, in addition to outdoor recreation
- Psychiatric care and medication management
- Individual, group, and family therapy
- Healthy coping skills for dealing with their specific stressors and challenges
- A team of clinicians who specialize in adolescent mental health
- Support in building self-esteem and self-worth
- Individualized instruction to support teens to stay on track with academic goals
- A robust alumni program to help them stay connected after discharge
Start the healing journey today: Contact us for a free teen mental health assessment.
Frequently Asked Questions
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