Wilderness Therapy Programs for Troubled Girls from Alaska
American teenage girls (including those from Alaska) are increasingly becoming behaviorally and emotionally troubled in today's current cultural climate. As it stands, the number of adolescent girls in the United States who are deemed "troubled" (teens who are behaviorally out of control due to emotional and mental issues) has become an epidemic.
As to why teenage girls from Alaska (and beyond) engage in out-of-control behaviors in unprecedented numbers, experts point to contemporary influences like the availability and easier access to drugs, the internet - namely, social media - and other technological screen-based distractions that can quickly instigate negative feelings and actions.
What are Wilderness Therapy Programs for Troubled Girls From Alaska?
Actively combatting the trending number of troubled teenage girls is the rising number of residential treatment centers specifically designed to therapeutically modify the behaviors of out-of-control youth.
Among the most therapeutically credible and effective residential facilities are wilderness therapy programs.
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GET THE APP NOW!As the title suggests, wilderness therapy is a unique form of residential treatment in that it treats troubled teenage girls in an entire outdoor environment. Advocates of wilderness therapy (along with an ever-increasing number of scientific studies to support their views) claim that outdoor-based therapy programs are prime in treating troubled teens' underlying issues due to the program's natural setting.
Namely, by being removed from all potential distractions of the outside world and being immersed in the inherently healing beauty of the natural environment, troubled adolescents become more able to receive therapeutic and emotional healing. What's more, navigating and conquering the wild's challenging environment is proven to boost self-esteem and self-worth in young women with poor self-image or confidence issues.
While there may not be any wilderness therapy programs in the state of Alaska, there are plenty of wilderness therapy programs that serve families from all over the nation.
The Empirical Evidence Supporting Wilderness Therapy - According to The Outdoor Behavioral Health Council (OBH)
Are Wilderness therapy programs from Alaska are effective. For proof, one needs to look no further than the scientific empirical evidence supporting this notion. Below is taken from exhaustively thorough research conducted by the Outdoor Behavioral Health Council (OBH)
What is the OBH, exactly?
Per the OBH website:
The Outdoor Behavioral Healthcare Council is a community of leading outdoor behavioral healthcare programs working to advance the field through best practices, effective treatment, and evidence-based research.
The OBH is most responsible for conducting the most comprehensive research on the outdoor behavioral industry. To ensure their research's integrity and objectivity are credible, the OBH subjects their findings to the intensive evaluation of a technical review committee and The External Peer Review Committee.
Due to their attentive impartiality, leading behavior publications and journals support their findings and publish their research.
What did The OBH's Studies Find?
Wilderness Programs are safer than home!
Unfortunately, due to misconceptions about the outdoor environment of wilderness programs, the public often misconstrues them as inherently dangerous. However, this misconception is due primarily to the public's unfamiliarity with the stringent risk management practices applied by credible wilderness programs and the low reputation of so-called 'wilderness programs that are, in reality, merely boot camps that happen to take place outdoors.
Ironically, extensive research proves the opposite to be true - wilderness-based programs are less risky for teens than living at home.
According to a 2012 study by the OBH, the average teen is twice as likely to receive medical treatment for injuries than participating in outdoor behavioral therapy. In fact, the Council also found that everyday physical activities the average teen engages in are substantially more dangerous than the daily activities teens participate in while at a wilderness therapy program.
For example, the OBH Council found that backpacking is 20 times more likely to cause teen injury than wilderness therapy participants' activities. Even worse were football-related injuries, which were an astonishing 328 times more likely to occur.
Wilderness Therapy is Scientifically Proven to Be Effective
The most important discovery in the OBH's findings was proving wilderness therapy's overall effectiveness in treating troubled teens' emotional and behavioral issues. Through interviews with a random selection of past teen campers, the Council found that 83% of teens' behavioral and emotional problems were still greatly improved after a year of completing a wilderness therapy program.
What's more, 81% of the randomly selected teens personally rated their time spent in wilderness therapy as useful, while only 17% claimed their wilderness therapy experience was unsuccessful in treating their issues.
"May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it. Brothers and sisters, pray for us. Greet all God’s people with a holy kiss. I charge you before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers and sisters. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you." 1 Thessalonians 5:23–28
Alaska Mental Health Resources for Struggling Adolescents
Families from Alaska have made MasterNet their top choice when it comes to the healing and recovery of their at-risk child wrestling with obstacles related to self-harming behavior, pain medication abuse/addiction, or poor academics. Parents can expect MasterNet to have a team of staff consisting of compassionate, expert therapists and leaders. Our therapists operate with the understanding that recovery must first come from the inside, rather than from external influences. MasterNet is devoted to the proper assistance, not only for your at-risk child, but your entire family as well.
As a result, MasterNet is devoted to meeting the particular needs of each girl with the utmost professionalism and compassion. MasterNet’s therapists and field staff discourage the use of judgments and labels, and never condone one’s diagnosis to interfere with a at-risk girl’s sense of self or ability to form friendships with one another. MasterNet has provided support to numerous families from all over the nation. Our expert therapists offer superior treatment to set the path of recovery for teenagers at-risk with challenges such as video game addiction (gaming), hypochondriasis, or even poor academics.
Our purpose is to see your at-risk child make a successful transition into adulthood, while living independently as a dignified young adult. 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, reach out to our team; call one of our licensed intake counselors at (435) 574-4518, and discover how we can offer a variety of relevant residential treatment strategies (equine, life training, behavioral therapy) for your struggling child today!
“Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change And though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea;” Psalms 46:2
