My 15yo graduated from OS 2 wks ago. I cannot say enough positive things about the program, the staff, or the counselors. My child has a new found and well earned sense of confidence and hope. And so do I. His journey in recovery is just beginning. OS has provided him with a foundation on which to build. He knows he can hike through blizzards, make fire from sticks and bushwhack up a mountain. He can also talk about his feelings, look objectively at the behaviors that got him to wilderness and take responsibility for his choices. Our relationship is being restored and I am grateful for the tools we both have gleaned and will continue to practice. OS was a life changer for our family and has made all the difference.
Open Sky Wilderness was a great growth opportunity for our family. The staff is kind and supportive. I felt like my son was safe and well cared for. The pride that he developed after being in the Wilderness for 13 weeks was priceless!
Open Sky was a life-changing experience for our family. The changes our son was able to achieve in only 12 weeks were remarkable. The experience of being in the wilderness, being so radically different than his everyday life, helped to break patterns in a way that really could not be achieved with another type of program. The process of therapy being integrated into all activities of the day and living in connection with a team of other boys really pushed him to understand and express his emotions in ways he was never able to do before. His teammates became like brothers for our son, and he had always had difficulty forming deep relationships before Open Sky. His therapist, Jonathan, was also amazing. We have worked with numerous mental health professionals over the last decade, but no one else was ever able to reach our son. His intuition and skill working with troubled teens was a level above anyone else we have ever worked with. Additionally, the parent part of the program helped us so much. We were able to grow alongside our son, connect with other parents who were going through similar experiences, and learn so much about ourselves and how to improve our communication. I was not fully aware of the importance of the parent piece before choosing Open Sky, but it made such a difference for us. Our son was also encouraged by the fact that we were working as hard as he was--we didn't just send him off somewhere to "get fixed" but instead wanted to work in parallel with him to improve our family bond. While wilderness is physically demanding by its nature, Open Sky treated our child with respect and care. Never was there a physical punishment or any kind of psychological treatment issues that I have heard from other reviews of wilderness. The nature of the program is to inspire, engage, and support; negative physical or emotional treatment just would not happen in such an environment. I would recommend Open Sky to anyone considering help for their child. It is the best decision we have ever made.
it was no picnic but open sky really did save my life. i have so much emotional insight that i didn t have before, and am much more capable of handling my life even when it s unbearable at times. staff were understanding and supportive in a way no adult in my life had ever been. they really are excellent role models and truly push you to be your best, healthiest self. my one note for parents would be to try to talk to your child before sending them to the program, as being able to feel like it s partially your own choice to be there makes it a lot easier to move forward therapeutically. also be very very VERY cautious with the aftercare program you choose. make sure that you aren t sending your child to an abusive one (red flags for these programs are level based systems, using isolation as punishment, restricting food/water as punishment, forced physical labor, telling you not to believe your child, or use of involuntary transporters).
Open Sky was an absolutely wonderful experience in all regards (including parents and child). The team at OS was amazing, experienced, gifted, and unbelievably patient. Having sent our daughter to another wilderness camp I can tell you unequivocally that hands down OS is truly one of the most amazing places for troubled youth and imperfect families in the entire United States. If you do decide to send your child definitely make time for Family Quest. You will laugh, cry, and learn more about yourself and your child than you ever thought possible.
Where to begin...our 15 yr old son had missed two years of school, was self isolated in his room, wasn t eating properly, neglected his hygiene, lost most of his friends, became addicted to gaming as his coping strategy, but after sending him to the Open Sky Wilderness Therapy program, it completely transformed our son. He was very receptive to it, allowing the program to nourish his mind, body, and soul. Open Sky became his safe space and he was able to focus on transforming himself and really seeing who he was and what he could accomplish and achieve in his life. It was truly life changing for us as a family. He was always a wonderful human being, but I really believe he became a better human because of Open Sky as he could finally see himself, respect himself, be himself, forgive himself, and heal himself. He graduated from Open Sky as a young man with an entirely new outlook on life and we feel so blessed for Open Sky and thank Badger and Norman and the rest of the wonderful staff at Open Sky. I would recommend Open Sky to anyone who has has a struggling teenager who has lost their way in life and needs to get back on track. The staff are very helpful, encouraging, respectful, and really challenge the students to achieve their full potential and help them to get back up after falling down and back on their own two feet again. Since graduating Open Sky April of 2020, our son is living in Idaho for aftercare and is back in school and has caught up to his grade level already, is participating in sports again, has friends, and has such a good outlook on life again. It warms my heart and makes me emotional seeing how far he has come since Open Sky, but these are tears of joy as I watch him continue to grow and see the big smile on his face. Thank you and Bless You Open Sky! - Aho
So you're cool with lying to the parents? So what stops a guide touching someone's kid.
Open Sky is an amazing program full of devoted and hard-working people. I had a lack of positive role models and Open Sky showed me some of the best men and women I think I'll ever know. The hiking was tough, but looking back I realize how crucial it was to my process. It was really difficult at times, I missed my home, my mom, my brother. My mom and brother missed me. But I pushed through it and it was worth it. Open Sky gave me my life back and I truly believe my time there is what built the foundation for me to really grow. I've known two other people who've gone there from my home town and from what I can tell it helped them a lot too. First time I've ever felt like therapy helped me. THEY ACTUALLY LISTEN TO YOU!! It's worth it, and also as much as the hiking was difficult the guides always made sure that my group was staying hydrated, well nourished, and safe. Brian Leidel, Jared, Julian, Constantine, Aidan, Ryan, and Natalie. All great great people. It's been just about two years since I went.
Our daughter (16) spent 11 weeks at Open Sky from July 2021-October 2021. She suffers from major depressive disorder, anxiety and struggled with suicidal ideation. She tried Residential Treatment (for 90 days), Intensive Outpatient Therapy, private therapy multiple times a week, group art therapy and more prior to going to Open Sky. Open Sky saved her life and changed our family for the better. Her experience started off with struggle, but she was able to dig deep and learned to thrive. She had the most incredible staff supporting her through it all - guides, therapists, psychiatrists...every person she (and her dad and I) came in contact with was professional, empathetic, smart, and helpful. I could not have been more impressed from enrollment, to transport, to daily support in the field, weekly parent support calls, to Family Quest, Wellness Weekend...all of it. Our family will forever be grateful for saving our daughter and bringing her smile back!
We participated in the three-day wellness weekend for parents. We had no idea what to expect. It turned out to be one of the more educational and comforting experiences we've had in our difficult journey with our son. The Friday through Sunday workshop included yoga, meditation, coping and communication strategies, breakout groups to connect more directly with other parents and a general orientation of what a typical day at Open Sky was like for our son. My wife wound up connecting with several women who subsequently formed a weekly Zoom support group. We both got a better understanding of what life at Open Sky is like for our son, minus, of course, hiking miles a day and sleeping on the ground. We learned about the Four Line Feelings Check, which we found so useful that we posted it on the mirror in our bathroom. It's something we practice every day when we wake up. We learned how to use the breath to calm and center ourselves. We learned several skills to help us communicate more effectively with our son. Perhaps the best part of the weekend was seeing other families expressing the same fear, frustration and sadness that we felt and listening to families who were further along in the process, talk about how things slowly got better for their children as the weeks went by. By Sunday afternoon, at the end of the weekend, we felt certain that sending our son to Open Sky was the best decision we possibly could have made. We truly believe this experience will be a life-changer for him.
