Self-mutilation has been popular with kids. It’s not a good news especially with the “emo” thing going on. Teenagers hurt themselves for a reason or two. They cut, bite, hit and even bruise themselves. These teenagers lack the capacity to deal with the pain. Instead of really confronting their personal issues, they resort to a much drastic action. It even pains parents more seeing their kids hurt themselves.  Thus, parents should get professional help, like an intervention from a psychologist or psychiatrist.

Being in a wilderness camp is a very positive growth experience. Teenagers get to face challenges that nature has to offer. Amazingly, nature has this “miracle” effect on teenage behavior. Wilderness program includes activities such as:

>remote living
>outdoor education
>team building
>structured daily activities
>experiential therapy
>expeditions
>exploration

Wilderness therapy is actually an experiential program that takes place in a remote outdoor setting or the wilderness. The program includes therapy, counseling, education, leadership training and primitive living challenges. Thus, kids learn honesty, responsibility, accountability, openness and awareness.  The purpose of such a therapy is to remove teenagers from negative influences, and let them discover the safety that the outdoor environment provides them.

Teen silence is common as a cold. It’s even harder than the real virus. Teenage kids could turn cold for a very long time, and this kind of action is really affecting parents. Somehow families get used to shouting and yelling, silence is the only defense that kids have. It’s even hurtful when they don’t talk than have them talking back to their parents. Thus, parents should learn to reach out and talk. If the coldness continues, give a little space. Kids will eventually come around.

Counselors and therapists as well as medical and mental health professionals are not necessarily more qualified to evaluate and deal with a risk of suicide than a reasonable person.

Physicians are trained to diagnose and treat medical conditions, medicate if necessary, and admit patients to holding or psychiatric facilities. Evaluation, intervention and treatment of a suicide risk are specialized skills that require training and supervised experience.

Program personnel should consider themselves responsible for the outcome, when that program and their staff assume the authority to intervene or dismiss the risk of suicide.

The evaluation of a suicide risk is in fact an intervention and that intervention should not end once the child’s risk is no longer considered immediate. Consultation with parents and obtaining second opinions from qualified professionals are reasonable standards of practice.

A minimally qualified professional to deal with a suicide risk would have:

~  a masters degree in a mental health field,
~  licensure in a mental health field,
~ 16 hours of continuing education training in crisis intervention (with emphasis on suicide and violence risk), and
~ 6 months of supervised experience and training working with suicidal adults and children on regular basis.

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Failure to recognize Borderline Personality Traits (BPT) in a wilderness program can lead to chronic problems and can have a destructive impact on a child’s life. Many  students with the initial behavioral symptoms of this disorder will go undetected primarily because they hide these behaviors from parents and family members.

They are generally not evident until the child is under stress and they are observed continuously in a structured setting such as a therapeutic boarding school, psychiatric hospital, residential treatment or wilderness program.

In a wilderness program, a student may not demonstrate all of their symptoms until the third or fourth week. In severe cases they will be uncompensated within a week.

Behaviors That Will Be Encountered In The Field:

~ Intense emotional pain (shame, guilt, fear, loneliness, emptiness, longing)

~ Rapid mood swings (anger, sad, fearful to happy).

~ Failure by others to meet their needs are interpreted and reported to others as personal, intentional, neglectful or abusive.
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A wilderness program is more likely to detect bulimia than a therapeutic boarding school, psychiatric hospital, residential treatment or wilderness program. In a wilderness program, a student may not demonstrate all of their symptoms until the third or fourth week.

Students with Bulimia and Anorexia have four primary problem areas. These include:

~ Control
~ Argument and Debate
~ Secretive Behaviors
~ Guilt and Shame
~ Obsession over weight

Behavior That Will Be Encountered In The Field:

>> Hiding food.

>> Arguing over certain foods they can or cannot eat.

>> Comments that they are fat, unattractive and need to loose weight despite evidence to the contrary.

>> A pattern of drifting to the perimeter of the group or asking to leave the group to void their bladder soon after eating an adequate or large meal and then purging their meal without staff awareness.

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Boarding schools and wilderness therapy programs offer services to parents for adolescents and teenagers who are “at risk” and those who may also have “special needs”.

Unfortunately, the terms “special needs” and “youth at risk” are unclear and potentially misleading. These terms are commonly used in wilderness programs and therapeutic boarding schools. They generally refer to children and teenagers who have problem behaviors, difficulty in school, may be using drugs, or are involved with kids who are in trouble and have conflicted relationships with their parents.

While these terms are vague, they have are not without redeeming qualities. For one thing, they side-step the use of equally misleading and potentially harmful terms such as mental illness, mild mental retardation, antisocial personality or a  psychiatric disorder.

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MRI (Mentor Research Institute)
OBHIC (Outdoor Behavioral Health Industry Council)
OBHRC (Outdoor Behavioral Health Research Council)
NATWC (National Association Of Therapeutic Wilderness Camps)
NATSAP (National Association Of Therapeutic Schools and Programs)
WRC (Wilderness Research Center, University of Idaho)
AEE (Association For Experiential Education)
OEREC (Outdoor Education: Research & Evaluation Center)
WEA (Wilderness Education Association)
OPISU (Outdoor Program. Idaho State University)
Experientia
Naropa

In most cases it takes time for a crisis to become critical, life threatening or intolerable. A pattern of crises have usually taken place before yet another crisis  quickly becomes dangerous.

At some point, one can trace the cause to one or more factors. Identifying these factors can help characterize the evolution of the crisis, the appropriate response and the duration of intervention that may be necessary.

> Drugs
> Alcohol
> Peer and social pressure
> Traumatic experience
> “Brittle” or fragile emotional temperament
> Parental divorce or separation
> Untreated parental alcoholism, drug abuse or mental disorder
> Failure to provide rules, discipline and a bonded relationship with a child
> Family conflict and discord

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