Blog

Viewing entries posted in 2021

The Intent to Inform

Posted by Jakob Gowell on December 15, 2021 | 0 comment(s)

Gowell Headshot 2019It was late morning and the hope of the staff team, driven by an early wake up, to start our hike before the heat of the day was waning. Our preparations to leave had been complete for some time: our gear in need of transport was at the road, the previous night’s onion peels—overlooked before—no longer lay “on the floor.” The hitch? Earlier we had informed a group member, Andrew (a pseudonym used to protect client confidentiality), that, for the first time since his arrival, we expected him to hike with his pack. For him this was unwelcome news, and the initial verbal response was, “No.” He intended to refuse.

Read the full post

Preparing for a Winter Parent Visit

Posted by Jesi Gorzalski on December 08, 2021 | 0 comment(s)

Jesi Gorzalski 147You just heard from your child’s therapist that you are invited to do an overnight visit in the field with your child. Your first thought may be something along the lines of, “Yes! I finally get to see them!” Pretty quickly that first thought may be followed by “Oh no, I have to go camping in the winter?!?”

Read the full post

An Invitation: A Letter of Gratitude to My Body

Posted by Trina Grater on December 01, 2021 | 0 comment(s)

A20A0E6D 38F2 4394 8F24 60E1064E71C5Everyone today is faced with messages that our bodies--at least their exterior appearance--are projects. To put the reality of this into perspective, I suggest looking into Jean Kilbourne’s work as she has chronicled decades of the increasing magnitude of cultural pressures on women, especially through advertisement, since the 1970s. Among the internet searches is an entire series of documentaries called Killing Us Softly 1-4. They are profound.

Read the full post

What Are the Traits of a Successful Field Staff?

Posted by Brennan Dougherty on November 17, 2021 | 0 comment(s)

EB67304F 3B9B 4F74 A38B 47A3D32DD0E5 1 201 aOften when I am talking to a prospective field staff during the interview process, they ask me what traits I look for in a candidate. From my time in the field, working as a field staff, talking to successful high-level employees, and examining the commonalities between past staff and others who did not thrive in their previous employment, I have boiled down what I believe to be the five essential traits that seem to be universal among successful people and field staff alike.

Read the full post

Personal Growth: Jump In

Posted by Malia Boyd on November 10, 2021 | 1 comment(s)

A29B0367 AA1C 42AD 8E70 20241367DB63 1 201 aWhen I was 12 years old, I was in living in Hawaii (where I grew up) and hiking to a gorgeous spot called Maunawili falls with a big gang of kids and grown ups from our neighborhood.

Read the full post

If I Were You….

Posted by Steve Kirk on October 20, 2021 | 4 comment(s)

406E1D53 4D86 469B B5BA 76097D45696AEarlier this year I lost my older sister Colleen, after a decades-long battle with addiction. In our younger years we were very close. Over the last several years we had become more estranged, largely because of the choice I made for me and my own family to detach from the dysfunction that was associated with her disease. It wasn’t without years of trying to help and intervene in so many different ways. This became the case for my other siblings, as well as many other friends and loved ones who one by one distanced themselves over time. And yet with that, I still miss her and will always love her.

Read the full post