Brad Reedy
Viewing entries tagged with 'wilderness therapy'
Posted by Brad Reedy, Ph.D., Owner, Clinical Director of Evoke Therapy Programs on January 03, 2018 |
Families who make the difficult and courageous decision to send their child to Wilderness Therapy often hear from concerned friends and local professionals. These caring individuals have questions about “Wilderness Therapy.” Maybe they have heard stories of such programs or maybe the idea of sending a child away for treatment seems contrary to the notion that healing must happen in the family where the young person is surrounded by those that love him or her most.
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Posted by Brad Reedy, Ph.D., Owner & Clinical Director at Evoke Therapy Programs on May 23, 2017 |
It has been over twenty-two years since I first began working as a wilderness therapist. While the spirit and dedication of practitioners remains the foundation for quality wilderness-based therapy, many things have changed in that time: family support services, clinical sophistication, whole health curriculum, and a dedication to outcome research. Twenty years ago, when we began on our own adventure to establish the new standard in wilderness therapy, we knew that many would follow suit. We often stated, what makes our program great is not what we did yesterday, but what we are willing to imagine for tomorrow. At Evoke, one of our founding principles is our commitment to continually innovate where we see a need.
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Posted by Brad Reedy, Ph.D., Owner & Clinical Director of Evoke Therapy Programs on January 02, 2017 |
Therapists often talk about healthy detachment, but what about connecting and being close to our children?
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Posted by Brad Reedy, Ph.D., Owner & Clinical Director on July 13, 2016 |
This question often arises when a family is left to explain where their child is after they have been sent to therapy. Enrolling a child in treatment can temporarily leave a large hole in a family unit, and parents often struggle to explain this to the community, to extended family, or to the child’s school. And while many parents may not choose to or need to send their child to a residential treatment center, they may still experience feelings of loneliness and isolation because of dealing with a difficult child who is struggling with addiction, depression, anxiety, or any number of other common struggles.
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Posted by Brad Reedy, Ph.D., Owner & Clinical Director at Evoke Therapy Programs on June 01, 2016 |
You’re in crisis. You've done all you can at home. Your child is in danger. She has become unresponsive to your requests to set limits or talk. You know you need help, but the school counselor and your family therapist don’t seem to have any answers. You check the internet and find there are schools and programs for “at-risk” adolescents. The websites talk about caring therapy, creative milieu and residential treatment. You come across references to an Educational Consultant. The title seems unclear. You wonder if these professionals work with children suffering from learning differences or with aspirations to get into an Ivy League school.
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Posted by Brad Reedy, Ph.D, Owner & Clinical Director on April 26, 2016 |
A common question from parents at this time of year (Spring) is, "Should I pull my child out of school and send him to your program or wait until the school year ends?"
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Posted by Brad Reedy, Ph.D., Owner & Clinical Director on March 18, 2016 |
This is one of the most common questions parents ask when contemplating a child’s emotional reaction to a Wilderness Therapy or long-term rehab intervention. Often, the questions center around whether the child will forgive, will feel abandoned, or will hate the parent. Will your child forgive you if you take away his car, don't let him back into the house, or don't support him financially? These questions tug deeply at the heart of each parent; nothing is so precious as the relationship with one’s child, and the fear of losing that relationship is truly frightening. Ultimately, the parent is asking about whether or not the child will abandon them. And this fear is evidence of a wound from the parent’s own childhood, one that will require their attention as they press forward with the stated goal of helping their child out of mental health or addiction issues.
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Posted by Brad Reedy, Ph.D., Owner & Clinical Director on February 14, 2015 |
Now that you have decided on the need for Wilderness Therapy, how do you make it happen? As evidenced by their need for a therapeutic placement, the ability of your child to make healthy decisions is lacking. If your child is at a point where they need such an intervention, it is often the case that they are not willing to dialogue or more importantly, cooperate with you about boundaries, interventions, therapy and most especially, Wilderness Therapy.
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