Wilderness Therapy: Sophisticated Clinical Treatment by Getting Back to Basics
At Evoke we strive for and look to be creative; not just engaging in the "treatment as usual" approach. Often when we meet as a clinical team, we find ourselves discussing challenging cases or processes with families. Mental health is messy. It is tough. We are often working with families and young people during some of their worst moments, on some of the most challenging days of their lives. We provide support and care; often in an emergency and often quickly when people are in crisis. The importance of compassion and thoughtfulness cannot be overstated.
In session, when I introduce the concept of mindfulness to a student, I usually get a skeptical stare that says, “I’ve been waiting for hours for another student to pack up so that we can finally go on this hike. I’m angry at my mom for the last letter she sent. I spent all day yesterday trying to make fire from sticks and stones to no avail. I can’t talk to my friends right now. I’m the only one who can complete my chores on time. All I want to do is scream at the group, and you’re asking me to pause and be mindful?!” And my response is always: Yes—try it out and see what you notice.
Codependency. It’s a word that has gained popularity in the mental health field and with it comes a lot of confusion about what it means, what it looks like, and how it feels.
“That’s passive!”
Evoke Therapy Programs has always incorporated the family into our therapeutic approach. When we started doing wilderness therapy more than 20 years ago we knew how essential it was to involve the family. Back then it looked like phone calls, letter writing, and what we called a transition camp where families were reunited with their child and practiced their newly learned tools. Now, it’s so much more.
It is my sincere hope that many of you who are reading this looked into what research that has been done about the field of Wilderness Therapy (WT), and the methods and outcomes, in an attempt to determine if this would benefit your child. In doing so, you likely came across the terms Outdoor Behavioral Healthcare (OBH) and National Alliance of Therapeutic Schools and Programs (NATSAP). Partially I hope this so that you are more confident and educated consumers, and partially so that your mind may have been put at ease about your decision.
Often when I am working with a new family the fact comes up that I (and other therapists at Evoke) spend two days of the week in the field. At this point I can usually hear anxiety and concern in their tone, "You only see my daughter or son for two days? What happens the other five days of the week?"
"At the deepest level, the creative process and the healing process arise from a single source. When you are an artist, you are a healer; a wordless trust of the same mystery is the foundation of your work and its integrity."
I have been thinking a lot lately around my graduate studies and training to become a therapist. I remember having a mentor (and highly seasoned clinician) reach out to me to congratulate me on my graduation a couple of years ago. The first thing he said was, “Now, all you have to do is forget everything you learned and start actually doing therapy.” We both laughed, but the reality was that he understood there was some truth behind this. Graduate school and additional training did an adequate job preparing me for the job of being a therapist, but ultimately didn’t completely teach me the art of truly being with another person. This became an integral part of my post-graduate training, and something I am sure I will continue to work on for decades.
This past week, I took a vacation to the Sierras to camp and hike with a friend (yes, I spend my free time outside, too!). My hope was to get some time to unwind and unplug, and I was particularly excited to get some good, quality sleep. I spent five years as a Field Instructor at Entrada, and most nights in the field with the groups, I fell asleep promptly, slept deeply, and woke rested. I always attributed this to simply sleeping outside, away from phones and screens and all the typical nightly distractions.