What are Wilderness Therapy Programs for Troubled Teens in Westminster, CO?
Like that of all troubled teen treatment facilities, residential treatment centers come in many different forms with varying levels of severity and duration -- depending on the troubled teen's behavioral and mental health-related issues.
While there is a multitude of types of RTC, the main ones include boot camps, lockdown treatment centers, rehabilitation programs, wilderness therapy programs, and therapeutic boarding schools.
That said, in the last two decades, a rise in multifaceted programs that offer new and cutting edge treatments. These types of residential treatment centers are often an amalgamation of different RTC's, such as ones that combine adventure therapy (wilderness), regular residential treatment, and animal-assisted therapies (namely, equine-assisted therapy.
Additionally, some behavioral experts suggest that due to its unique environment and usage of contemporary treatment strategies, programs that incorporate wilderness therapy are most effective for those who have been resistant to traditional residential treatments, such as traditional talk therapy, drug, and alcohol outpatient programs, etc.
The Unfortunate Truth About Some of the Nation's Wilderness Therapy Programs Near Westminster, CO
Some Wilderness Therapy Programs are Exceedingly Expensive
According to a 2020 report from All Kinds of Therapy, wilderness therapy programs are among the rarest types of residential treatment centers. According to their findings, there are roughly 30 therapeutically recognized wilderness therapy programs in the U.S. (compare this number to the literal thousands of other types of RTC's.
One reason these programs are so difficult to come by has to do with the difficulty it takes to become state-recognized thanks to the therapy's inherent dangers and lack of psychiatric professionals who specialize in traversing the wilderness. Consequently, this makes wilderness therapy programs absurdly expensive. According to the most recent numbers, the average wilderness therapy program costs parents roughly $600 per day, not including the exceedingly steep enrollment fees which average to roughly $6,000.
What's more, the average price of wilderness therapy programs is rising. According to All Kinds of Therapy, the price of wilderness programs has increased 9% since late 2017. Wilderness enrollment fees have skyrocketed an outrageous 28% in that same time.
One of the reasons for the rise in prices has to do with the fact that many wilderness programs are actually partnered with other RTC's which they send graduating teens (from Westminster, CO and beyond) upon finishing their several-week program. This combination of the two RTC's often leaves parents paying for two different programs and transportation services. Parents from Westminster, CO typically end up paying several grand just in transportation services.
Wilderness Therapy is Clinically Proven to be Effective in Treating Serious Mental Health Issues
There is no more significant threat to our nation's youth (including teenage girls from Westminster, CO) than mental health-related issues in today's America. Recent polls show that one out of five teens lives with depression, anxiety, or a mixture of the two.
These epidemic-like numbers are even more concerning because suicide is currently the third-leading cause of death among teenagers.
Luckily for parents of depressed teenage girls from the Westminster, CO area, wilderness therapy is a research-supported treatment provenly effective in treating depression, anxiety, and stress - more so than more traditional, indoor-based facilities.
As for why outdoor-based treatment programs are better suited to treat mental health-related issues than indoor programs, research says it combines several factors. For example, hiking (an obviously significant part of outdoor-based therapy) is clinically proven to reduce negative thinking patterns and harmful brain activity, known as rumination.
Studies have also shown that when immersed in nature, a teenage girl's brain improve her neuroplasticity, causing them to become increasingly open to receiving therapy.
Navigating the challenging environment of the wilderness also helps form bonds between teens and clinical staff. This organic relational development builds long-lasting trust between teen and their therapist. Developing and building upon the trust between camper and caregiver is crucial in a mentally ill teenage girl's willingness, ability, and overall likelihood of effectively treating their underlying mental health-related issues.
11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. - Ephesians 4:11–16
Guidance for Parents of Troubled Teenage Girls in Westminster, CO
Families from Westminster, CO have made MasterNet their first choice for child change and guidance. Parents, looking for help for their child, can expect a team of compassionate, expert practitioners and leaders here at MasterNet. MasterNet operates from the understanding that "change" must come from the inside-out, not from the outside-in. We are devoted to the life skills development and experiential education for all adolescents, who may be struggling with depressive disorder, technology addiction (social media, cell phone), or divorce reaction problems, but also the entire family; with the guidance they need for lasting change.
As a result, MasterNet is devoted to meeting the particular needs of each teenage girl with the utmost professionalism and compassion. MasterNet’s practitioners and field staff discourage the use of judgments and labels, and never condone one’s diagnosis to interfere with a troubled teenage girl’s sense of self or ability to form friendships with one another. MasterNet has provided guidance to numerous families from all over the nation. Our skilled practitioners provide superior treatment to set the path of change for adolescents troubled with problems such as internet addiction (porn, social media, YouTube), body image, or even oppositional defiant disorder.
MasterNet has served numerous at-risk clients from Westminster, CO, and we can provide help for your child too. Don’t hesitate to contact MasterNet’s intake counselors for more information regarding enrollment, tuition, and insurance options. For testimonials from current and past MasterNet families, connect with our intake counselor at (435) 574-4518 today!
“He who walks with integrity, and works righteousness, And speaks truth in his heart.” Psalms 15:2
