How Wilderness Therapy Can Help Troubled Teens

Wilderness therapy is the way to make a unique difference in your teen’s life. It goes beyond the traditional therapeutic methods and bears unique benefits. Let’s explore!

1. Building Self-esteem and Self-Efficacy

• Among the standout benefits of wilderness therapy is that it increases self-efficacy and builds self-esteem.
• Engagement in challenging outdoor exercises and the ability to overcome them helps a teenager build confidence and improves their perception of their abilities to overcome challenges.
• This newly found self-assurance can be a long-lasting advantage that encourages your teen to welcome more positive thought patterns.

2. Developing Personal Responsibility

• As much as wilderness therapy involves teen group therapy sessions similar to residential treatment, it underscores the significance of personal responsibility.
• Through collaborative efforts and the various group assignments, your teen learns the value and importance of accounting for their actions.
• The increased sense of responsibility obtained during wilderness therapy can help your teen throughout their lives, thus helping them make informed and better decisions.
• It also fosters greater self-reliance.

3. Improving Social Skills

• Social media, peer pressure, and teen isolation can greatly affect your adolescent’s social skills, thus leading to disconnection and withdrawal from the real world.
• Wilderness therapy can help your teen navigate such challenges by promoting social reintegration via teamwork and group living.
• The trust-building activities and bonding experiences involved in wilderness therapy create better opportunities for your teenager to build healthier relationships and strengthen their social connections with the rest of the world. Isn’t that amazing?

4. Encouraging Self-Reflection

• Wilderness therapy provides an ideal room for self-reflection through the peaceful embrace of the natural environment.
• While undergoing wilderness therapy, your teen will find times of solitude to connect with their inner feelings and thoughts.
• Self-reflection helps your teen become aware of their attitudes and values and how they affect their behavior and thinking.
• By exercising self-reflection, your teen better understands their personal beliefs, goals, and values, eventually improving their mental and emotional well-being.
• Imagine your teen getting to know themselves better through adventure.

5. Providing Structure and Discipline

• Troubled teens often experience chaos in their day-to-day lives.
• Wilderness therapy comes in to help by providing a structured routine.
• Routine is essential for helping your teen create positive habits and regain control over their lives.
• Wilderness therapy routine entails physical activities, basic skills exercises, and group therapy sessions.
• All these activities will help your teen develop and achieve some order in their lives.

6. Teaching Coping Skills

• Wilderness therapy exposes your teen to an array of obstacles and challenges that need adaptive coping mechanisms.
• By learning to overcome the unpredictability of the wilderness and managing stress while at it, your teen develops healthier thought patterns and a generally improved emotional well-being.
• Imagine your kid learning to cope with stress, depression, and teen anxiety while in the wilderness.

7. Fostering a Connection with Nature

• Online research published on MDPI  indicates that exposure to nature leads to a decrease in anxiety and rumination, which are associated with negative mental health.
• Wilderness therapy uses various techniques to harness this connection with nature to help your teen reduce stress and promote their overall well-being.
• How does it work? When your teen spends time in the wilderness, they are likely to experience the calming effect on their minds courtesy of the natural environments that surround them.
• This helps them improve mental clarity and reduce anxiety as well.

8. Removing Negative Influences

• Another critical aspect of wilderness therapy is isolation from negative influences.
• By drawing away from peer groups and usual environments, your teen gets to have the opportunity to free themselves from negative behaviors such as peer pressure and substance abuse. 

9. Creating Opportunities for Achievement

• Wilderness therapy involves skill development and wilderness tasks that essentially provide teens with opportunities for achievement.
• The feeling of accomplishment that your teen derives from completing challenges and mastering new skills can, in turn, significantly motivate and boost their morale.
• This kind of encouragement is what your troubled teenager needs through their recovery journey.

10. Encouraging a Healthy Lifestyle

• Outdoor activities are the building blocks of wilderness therapy, which promote physical and overall well-being.
• Encouraging your teen to participate in outdoor activities helps them develop a love for the outside environment, improve their physical health, and improve their overall well-being.
• Your teen needs to stay hydrated, wear appropriate gear and clothing, engage in strength exercises, and take breaks during wilderness therapy for optimum results.
• This also points to the essential role of experienced guides and professional therapists who ensure your teen’s safety during wilderness therapy.

11. Building Resilience

• The wilderness is full of challenges, but wilderness therapy helps your teen overcome them, and by doing so, your teen becomes more resilient.
• Wilderness challenges teach your teen the ability to persevere during adversity, mental toughness, and adaptability.
• By taking part in wilderness therapy, your teen gets to learn these skills and more, which are key and applicable throughout life.

12. Enhancing Problem-Solving Skills

• The techniques used in wilderness therapy enhance problem-solving skills and critical thinking.
• While undergoing wilderness therapy, your teenager will be faced with situations that require them to make decisions while under high pressure or in unfamiliar situations.
• These moments help sharpen your teen’s problem-solving skills and critical thinking, making them more adept at dealing with the complexities of life.
• Wilderness therapy helps your teen learn how to break problems into smaller parts that are easier to deal with.
• Moreover, the repeated nature of wilderness therapy enables your teen to practice their problem-solving skills and become better.

13. Promoting Mindfulness and Awareness

• Wilderness therapy entails outdoor activities that help teens improve their mental health and practice mindfulness.
• Mindfulness teaches your teenager to be present in the moment without judgment or interpretation and to be aware of their emotions and thoughts.
• Through practices such as meditation and self-reflection, your teenager can develop self-awareness, which helps them understand their values and handle peer pressure.

14. Personal Growth and Development

• Wilderness therapy provides an environment where your teen can connect with their inner selves, overcome adversity, and confront their limitations.
• By being away from the distractions of their usual lives, your teen will be able to gain clarity, discover their strength, develop resilience, and navigate their emotions and thoughts.
• Ultimately, your teen will emerge from this wilderness therapy with enhanced interpersonal skills, greater self-awareness, and a better comprehension of their personal goals and values.