Before exploring the use of force in detail, a distinction must be drawn between a “wilderness therapy program” and a “juvenile boot camp program”.

Wilderness therapy should not be confused with a juvenile boot camp program. The philosophy of wilderness therapy is to allow children to experience the force of nature as their teacher and to avoid staff use of force and restraint.

Boot camp programs are designed and run with a high degree of interpersonal confrontation as well as physical and psychological aggression toward students. Wilderness therapy programs are designed to create therapeutic opportunities and choices when students are confronted with nature and inevitable realities when living in a primitive environment.

The fact that a student must gather wood and build a fire in order to cook (i.e. wilderness therapy) is different than screaming and intimidating a child if they don’t do what they are told (i.e. a boot camp).

Obtaining control and compliance through the use of intimidation and coercion is characteristic of a boot camp program. Wilderness therapy and boot camps are distinctly different and incompatible approaches to working with youth.

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You might wonder if wilderness camp would be effective for your kid. There is only one way to find out – make him or her take an evaluation exam at the camp. Or, you can consult a therapist before checking the camp. There are several assessment programs that will define the behavioral, emotional and learning condition of your teenager. For instance, there are specific tests that would measure IQ, behavior and emotion. Such methods also determine what kind of treatment they need, and then how long should they stay in the camp.

However, you have to know if such evaluation method have exclusionary criteria like medications and suicidal behavior.

Wilderness therapy programs come with a certain price. Of course, you do want your kid to overcome his or her ill behavior. The best quality treatment programs cost around $4000 and $9000 a month. Hence, your teenager is required to stay for at least a month. Depending on the case, your child might stay longer than you think.

However, you don’t have to worry because wilderness therapy is one of the most effective treatments in a short period of time. This is actually a good news especially if you cannot afford to spend for a longer therapy, such as sending your kid to a specialty boarding school.

Sending your kid to a wilderness camp is one thing, having them back is another. However, it is advisable that the family will also get a counseling program while their troubled teenager is away. This will definitely help in dealing with him or her on coming home. Don’t think that maybe there is something wrong with you as parents. It is just that sometimes you have coping techniques, which could be negative to your newly-reformed child.

The therapy will provide a clear understanding of your teenager’s condition. In turn, you could work and communicate with your kid effectively. You have to consider that bad behavior may return, if you do anything that could trigger the situation.

Some of the wilderness camps use hippotherapy with the kids. Hippotherapy is a type of treatment that involves the horse and its movements. This strategy is executed with the help of a physical, occupational or a speech therapist. Hippotherapy is used to address the physical, psychological and cognitive issues of teenagers and even adults.

During a session, each kid is accompanied with three people (the leader, the side walker and the therapist) and, of course, the horse. After this treatment, the teenager will have a better attitude towards himself or herself, others and even situations. His or her behavior will also be improved, especially if should there be any unacceptable behavioral pattern.

Some of the wilderness camps are reformatting their programs and services by extending to the adult population. Emotional, behavioral and even learning problems don’t stop after being teenagers. These camps often offer different kind of approaches. For example is the so-called dual-diagnosis approach, a kind of treatment that include clinical and 12-step methodology.

Most of these camps provide mental health treatment like anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, relationship difficulties, self-harm, anger management, family issues and other undesirable behavioral pattern.

Such facilities also offer substance abuse treatment, like understanding the nature of addiction, relapse prevention, learning to cope up with sober lifestyle, and dealing with school or employment difficulties.

Teenagers between 13 to 17 years old, who suffer from behavioral and emotional issues, can enrolled in a wilderness camp. Their issues should include oppositional defiant disorder, teen depression, learning disabilities and other negative conditions. In turn, they affect socialization, self-esteem and school performance. Most these kids are struggling and eventually self-medicating. Some of them usually resort to substance abuse, isolation and expect instant gratification.

Generally, teenage issues often result from parent-child conflicts, particularly regarding rules and limitations. Adolescents usually desire for their own freedom, because they believe that they are already adults. They somehow are entitled to independence.

Teenagers are required to have a psychological exam before they can enter the camp. Parents can request a particular test. Each test is optional. These tests can include:

* Pschological and Psycho-educational evaluation – this includes IQ test, academic achievement and personality, social/emotional functioning. This test is usually used to measure treatment needs, academic and cognitive strengths and weaknesses and aftercare.

* Psychological evaluation – this assessment concentrates on the personality, emotional and social functioning of the kid.

* Psycho- educational evaluation – focuses on the teen’s IQ and academic capacity.

There are also other types of exams, which specifically address the needs of the teenagers:

* Neuropsychological evaluation – measures the sensory perceptual functions, such as visual, auditory and tactile modalities. It also evaluates motor functioning, language and communication skills, and other intellectual and cognitive skills.

* Attention Deficit Disorder evaluation – evaluates attention, disctractability, impulsivity, concentration and hyperactivity.

* Dyslexia screening – tests any possible learning disability in reading.

Who are the kids in the camp? There are different teenagers who are enrolled in a wilderness camp. These kids usually seek for another chance by changing their behavior. Their parents believe that through the help of mother nature, their teenagers will change for the better.

Most of these kids have a difficult time dealing with the issues that come along with growing up. As adolescents, there are several things that they need to cope up, such as physical and emotional changes. They are also challenged of the fact that they have to prove their self-worth and independence. In some cases, both peer and cultural pressure can lead them into alcohol/drug abuse, aggressiveness, suicide, eating disorders and other abnormal behaviors. These risk factors are often the result of poor decision.