SUWS Troubled Teen Wilderness Programs specialize in helping troubled teens and defiant teens with behavioral and emotional problems. SUWS prides itself on being one of the longest running wilderness therapy programs in the United States. For over 25 years they have assisted young people to identify and work through internal conflicts and emotional obstacles that have kept them from responding to parental efforts, schools, and treatment. SUWS accepts boys and girls ages 11 to 17. These are children who are inherently good and have the ability to be successful, but because of unhealthy misperceptions about themselves, they have limited access to their own abilities and strengths.

SUWS provided families with a safe and immediate intervention by utilizing its search and rescue metaphor, individualized treatment plans, and flexible length of stay. The wilderness environment and experiential learning help students recognize and build upon their own sense of self-worth as they learn the value of helping others.

Aspen Achievement Academy is JCAHO-accredited, licensed treatment program that integrates an accredited academic component, a sophisticated therapeutic model, and an experiential education curriculum in a healing wilderness environment. Aspen Academy recently participated in a landmark study of wilderness therapy that showed a dramatic improvement in teen behavior after participation in this type of program.

The Academy creates a modern “rite of passage” designed to assist adolescents in making the transition to responsible young adulthood. It guides each participant through a series of powerful metaphors that symbolize stages of growth, provide deeper insight towards developing self-reliance and generate a sense responsibility for self and community. Aspen’s clinical focus is on insight-oriented therapy, rather than behavior modification. The model helps our students gain awareness of their emotional and behavior habits. This unique, nurturing approach allows our students to address individual issues, become engaged in their personal success, and begin the process of bringing families back together.

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Wilderness Programs offer a unique treatment for troubled youth by removing them from negative peer influences and allowing them to experience the awe-inspiring power of Mother Nature. Teens show significant improvement after attending therapeutic wilderness camps.
Our working ranches offer a truly unique experience for teens who are defiant, hostile to authority, and who have not responded to traditional therapy. Teens respond to equine therapy much better than they respond to adult forms of talk therapy.
Residential Treatment helps teens with more acute behavioral or substance abuse issues and includes accredited academic programs to keep them on track with credits. Our continuum offers long-term therapeutic boarding schools for teens who need more support.