Susan LoCascio

Review of True North Wilderness Program

When the treatment team at our daughter's high sch...

When the treatment team at our daughter's high school suggested that we send her to a wilderness program because she wasn't able to get out of bed for classes, we were unsure how been in "the woods" could help our daughter with issues of self-esteem, anxiety, make-up obsession and self-harm. We searched and vetted programs, read books and reviews, and made phone calls. We chose True North Wilderness Program. From the first contact with the office staff to the initial interview, we understood and appreciated the direct and knowledgeable therapists and guides. We were given information about the daily life for our daughter in program, feedback how they would deal with her challenges and work WITH her to overcome them. The rigor and integrity of our communication with our daughter through letters (faxed), the direct conversations that we had weekly with her therapist and the work that we ourselves did with the family therapist by phone, showed us that we had made a great choice of program. For our daughter, the elimination of the "noise" of daily life made it possible for her to look deeply at her distractions and habits that hid her underlying FEARS. Through difficult, yet compassionate discussions and hard work, our daughter was able to learn how to cope with and overcome the challenges and fears that had been in place for years. She says now- almost exactly one year later- that it was the hardest and best thing that she has ever done FOR herself! The growth that began at wilderness has continued. She starts college in September with determination and an inner strength that is the direct result of her 70 days with True North Wilderness Program.
Susan and Antonio L.