By Graciela Sholander

If you're thinking about enrolling your teenager in a wilderness therapy treatment program, you probably have dozens of questions: What, exactly, do teens do in these programs? What's the difference between wilderness programs and boot camps? Are they safe? Will they help my teen?

Let's start from the beginning: What is a wilderness program? Basically, it's a blend of summer camp and therapy. The goal of most wilderness therapy programs is to help teenagers believe in themselves, face their issues, resolve conflicts, grow in character, and develop healthy self-esteem. Like summer camps, wilderness programs vary in what they offer. Depending on the program, your teen may hike, camp in the wilderness, canoe, ride horses, participate in high ropes courses, or do whitewater rafting. Cooperative team-building activities are at the core of just about every wilderness program.

So is therapy. Program staff members include licensed counselors and therapists trained to work with youth, and health professionals who take care of participants' medical needs. Both individual therapy and group processing sessions are held daily. A typical day includes experiential activities that foster cooperation and good communication skills, individual counseling, journal writing, and chores that help develop personal responsibility, such as setting up camp and cleaning up after dinner.

All this is done in a natural setting of lakes, forests, hills and mountains. With urban distractions removed, teenagers can better focus on the internal work they need to do to help themselves. Nature's therapeutic qualities are highly conducive to self-reflection, self-assessment, and self-improvement.

Wilderness programs are not boot camps. While both strive to help troubled teens, each goes about it differently. Generally, boot camps are more confrontational, physically challenging, and mentally demanding than wilderness programs. They "strip" teens of their old selves, applying military-style techniques.

In contrast, most wilderness programs focus on nurturing teens. Safety is important. Participants are challenged, but not beyond their capabilities. Our nurturing approach helps students look at personal issues, experience success in a safe setting, and focus on developing healthy family relationships."

Safety needs to be your top consideration when you evaluate programs. Ask the right questions - and many questions - before sending your child to any program. Click here to find a valuable, detailed list of questions you should ask:

http://www.wilderness-programs.com/InterviewQuestions.html

Will a wilderness program benefit your teen? It certainly can. As with any other form of therapy, one of the keys is matching your child with the right program. Find out what parents and participants are saying about the wilderness program you're considering. Read the testimonials on their Web site. At the site for New York-based Adirondack Leadership Expeditions, for example, you'll find reassuring testimonials like these:

"I would not hesitate to refer appropriate candidates to ALE, considering that they would be in such good hands."

"Clearly you are guided by safety and have thoroughly worked out contingency plans..."

But don't stop there. Research any program thoroughly. Learn their philosophy. Talk with the director and counselors. Find out the program's safety record and treatment effectiveness. Check references. And don't forget to trust your instincts. If you do your homework, you'll find a safe, nurturing wilderness program that can help your struggling teen find the right path again

Graciela Sholander is a mom and freelance writer. She co-authored the self-help book, Dream It Do It: Inspiring Stories of Dreams Come True (http://dreamitdoit.net).