SUWS Seasons Now Accepting Summer Applications: Wilderness Therapy Camping Program Highly Effective for Preteens
SUWS Seasons, which offers an experiential therapeutic model that has been shown to be more effective than talk therapy for children under 14 years of age, is enrolling for summer sessions now.
Old Fort, NC (PRWEB) June 26, 2007
This summer the Seasons program in North Carolina will offer much more than a traditional camp for children ages 10 to 13 years old. Seasons is one of only a few therapeutic wilderness programs in the United States set up to help children this age change their defiant attitudes, let go of substance abuse, and get back on track in time to navigate the more dangerous teen years. They are currently accepting applications for summer sessions.
"We can turn around the negativity," said a therapist who works at Seasons. "This is the best time to do it - before they hit high school. Before they learn to drive. Before the pressures of getting into college come into play."
Many of the children who enroll in the Seasons camp program have been through a year or two of the traditional weekly hour of "talk therapy."
"These kids think in concrete terms and learn by tangible experiences," the Seasons counselor related. "They think in terms of what's in front of them, what's happening now. They are not ready to sit and analyze their behaviors. It's better to 'show them, not tell them."
Some scientific studies back up the point of view that preteens are not developmentally ready to benefit from "talk therapy." Yale University professor Alan Kazdin found that 40% to 60% of young people drop out of psychotherapy after a few sessions. Research at Aachen University found that less than a third of children undergoing twenty-five sessions of psychotherapy improved, compared to 8% in a control group that improved without any intervention. Professors at Nagoya City Graduate School of Medical Studies in Japan found that talk therapy produces no long-term benefits for children.
Wilderness therapy, however, is effective with youngsters this age. The University of Idaho's Wilderness Research Center concluded that most children who participated in any of seven programs in their study continued to improve one year after treatment.
Campers typically stay four to nine weeks at Seasons, hiking and camping in small groups of seven or fewer, as counselors work with them on a twenty-four hour basis. The emphasis is on building self-care, confidence, trust, empathy, and an appreciation of the natural world in all its wonder.
"Kids this age are more malleable, more open to change than older teens," said a therapist. "They know they're miserable and they want to change, but sometimes they have fallen into negative patterns. When they get out in the wilderness, their old ways don't work anymore. They can't slam doors. Other people ignore them when they pout and sulk. They have to come back to the group and work it out in a healthy way."
Talk therapists often never see their young clients tantrum and sulk, because most youngsters can control themselves during a weekly office hour. Meltdowns do occur during a wilderness program when little daily frustrations like being caught in rain or having a blister mount up.
"Suddenly we understand what their parents were talking about," a Seasons therapist said. "This mellow little kid really does have anger issues after all."
In the wilderness, preteens have to learn to talk through problems, communicate frustrations, and cope in healthy ways. They begin to understand that their behavior affects themselves and the other members of their group. If you don't dry out your socks, you'll develop blisters the next day. If you are angry and sulk, you take away from the fun of a campfire.
"It is therapy in the here and now," the counselor explained. "If you do this, you have this impact. If you are kind to others, things get better. It's all about natural consequences and learning by concrete experience. They become aware of the effect of their behaviors as they happen. We help them understand and process their feelings. What they learn here carries over into their family and school life when they return back home."
Another advantage of working with this age group is that parents of preteens are often more open to change than parents of teenagers. They have been through fewer years of disruption and bad behaviors, and they are more willing to learn new parenting styles.
Seasons uses "Paws With a Purpose," a program that pairs children with gentle animals. Often a child who closes up in relationships will show affection and caring to a friendly dog. One Labrador named Zeb seems to know just the right thing to do. If a camper is upset, he licks her face. If she is lonely, he brings a stick to throw and retrieve.
"It's only a summer, but we can change lives," one Seasons therapist said. "When a family reunites for their final campfire, it's a happy time for everyone. The family heals. Things are better. Everyone can go home."
If you would like to learn more about the SUWS Seasons wilderness therapy program call (866) 496-3241 or visit http://www. suwsseasons. com/seasons (http://www. suwsseasons. com/seasons).
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