REVIEWS
our clients’ experiences.
Nature-based Programs:
“Our family has been transformed. Our daughter learned effective coping skills for her debilitating anxieties and stress triggers, while we all learned and practiced how to communicate more effectively, assertively but with grace and compassion, with one another - also as part of the program. We are very grateful to Talley directing us to the right program for our family.”
– S. Parent of 16 year old girl
“The staff at [wilderness program] were all kind and wonderful people. My son was safe and treated respectfully. The program is hard in terms of being away from friends, family and it is physically and mentally challenging to be camping in nature for 8-12 weeks. It requires grit and hard work from the boys. However, it provided space for my son to stop and think about his relationships with his family members and what he wants to do differently in the future. This experience matured my son in the 7 weeks we attended.”
– Parent of 13 year old boy
“It was hard to make the decision to send our child to wilderness and it was hard for the first weeks especially. As the program went on we communicated with our child more and visited the camp. We could see the change gradually taking root in our child. She was becoming more open and invested in getting better. By successfully completing wilderness our child had taken a significant step towards healing. Her growth was made possible by amazing therapists and guides and the isolation of the forest. She had begun the journey to identify and understand their underlying traumas. I don't think this would have been possible without wilderness.”
– Parent of 15 year old girl
“Based on the guidance provided by our EC, Talley Webb, the program we selected had high-quality staff and programming. The wilderness experience was a crisis intervention step that served a needed purpose of a chance to stay safe, pause, and evaluate future needs with relatively clear minds.”
– K. Parent of 17 year old non-binary child
“Sending our son to a wilderness program was a last resort for us, his parents, to help him get out of the rut he had gotten into. Consistent efforts to help him, lecture him, advise him over the years began to drive a wedge in our relationship, which was becoming a broken relationship. The wilderness experience provided a clean environment where our son could detach from the negative influences that had begun to surround him and gave him an environment where he could begin to learn who he was, what he was capable of, and build back some of his lost self-confidence and self-esteem. The therapist who worked with him most was also able to help us, his parents, understand him better and give us all tools to begin to mend and heal the divide that had grown between us. Our son is not where he wants to be yet, but he is on a forward path now and we are now working together as a team to help him find his path. We honestly think we would not be anywhere near this point in our relationship and his progress if it wasn't for his (and our) wilderness therapy. We now have a hope we haven't had in years.” ”
– Parent of 16 year old boy
“The staff is exceptionally well trained and cohesive. They created a supportive, safe environment for our daughter. We all learned advanced attachment and listening skills, and basically had a powerful wake up call.”
– J. Parent of 20 year old young adult woman
“Did I want to send my teen to wilderness therapy? No. Would I do it again? Absolutely, yes. It is an incredibly difficult decision, but I have learned that the "reset" of wilderness helped my son to do just that. To reset. Nature is a powerful healer. The therapists that worked with my child are really good humans. I am grateful and humbled.”
– C. Parent of 16 year old boy
“[Wilderness Program] provided a rare opportunity for our child and our family to gain understanding and skills regarding mental, physical and emotional health. Despite facing challenges, our daughter felt safe and cared for and our family experience was entirely positive. We were challenged to communicate openly in a skillfully guided manner that was also teaching us how to employ these same techniques as a family going forward.
The wilderness environment empowers young people to experience self-sufficiency, to regulate their nervous systems and to break the cycle of toxic patterns while being fully supported. We had not previously found such a thoughtful and integrated approach, also including nature as a significant healing ingredient. We were amazed by the consistency of care, true attentiveness and soulful approach. We experienced zero red flags.
People might ask how the experience can translate to 'the real world' and thankfully ongoing support is available to that end. We do not consider a wilderness model to be alternative, to the contrary, it is connecting us back to our true nature, to a slower pace and healthy ways of living which can hopefully be replicated on some level back at home. It is a reference point that we will continue to use, a new family language and framework for BETTER.”
– Parent of 17 year old girl
residential Programs:
“Our child received 24/7 care and supervision in a lovely facility. We chose the program in part because it was small, which was important for our child and turned out to be crucial for her focused work. Without the distractions of a large census and it being girls only the program was a safe and comfortable space for our child. The program was exceptional, small enough to provide significant one-on-one care while being run by experienced staff to have a solid organization foundation to operate the program. Every touch point with the program provided me with confidence. Also, our child enjoyed being part of a small community and the dogs were a big plus.”
– Mother of 16 year old girl
“The program that our son attended in Utah helped him find his way back to himself and us as his parents. It's sometimes hard to find the words to describe the gratitude that we feel. In the program, he gained the strength to start to build his life in early recovery. The therapists and staff were very supportive and caring, for all of us.”
– Parents of 20 year old young man.
“Our son has only been in residential treatment a short time however; we do recognize there is a significant benefit of having somewhere to go where wilderness graduates can learn to integrate back into the "real" world using tools he/she has learned, with program support to help him/her adjust in a healthy manner.”
– Parents of 22 year old young man