In my professional journey, I have found that the wilderness model stands as the most powerful and portable intervention available. If you've worked with me, you know how strong my belief is in this work. Therapeutic wilderness treatment delivers unparalleled outcomes and fosters sustainable change. As a seasoned clinician with over 30 years of experience in many clinical settings, I have repeatedly been drawn to the unique and profound impact of providing direct care in a wilderness setting. My passion for this work is as fervent now more than ever. Every aspect of the natural environment, from the simplest tasks to the most challenging moments, serves a therapeutic purpose. Nothing in the wilderness is wasted—every interaction, even setbacks or disruptions that might be viewed as challenges in traditional settings, becomes a rich opportunity for insight, growth, and partnership.
The Transformative Power of Wilderness Therapy Treatment
Kathy Donovan, LCSW
Our young men today are struggling
Having worked with adolescent girls at Blue Ridge since 2007 and having trained our clinicians to excel with that population, I found my attention increasingly drawn to working with adolescent males aged 13 to 17.
The adolescent boys with whom I work are often labeled “treatment-resistant” due to behaviors rooted in oppositional tendencies, learning differences, identity struggles, trauma, depression, anxiety, or substance use. Their outward behaviors often dominate the narrative, masking deeper issues of pain and shame that go unaddressed. Many are in the midst of an identity search, gravitating toward connections or traits that emphasize their limitations rather than their strengths.
Emotional regulation in the great outdoors
A nature-based setting provides an essential first step for these students: calming and resetting a disrupted central nervous system. Many young people today live with chronically overtaxed nervous systems, which leave them unable to feel safe or process information effectively. In this state, every experience can feel like a threat.
Immersing them in a peaceful, remote environment, free from the overstimulation of modern life—sights, sounds, smells, and technology—creates the conditions for their nervous systems to relax and reset. From this foundation of safety and calm, we can begin to uncover and address the underlying issues driving disruptive and high-risk behaviors.
Opportunities for positive change
One significant dynamic I’ve observed demographic is a tendency to challenge one another in unhealthy ways, seeking control over peers as a means of understanding themselves. Without a solid sense of identity or self-esteem, these behaviors often spiral into chaos, harming both the individual and the group. The wilderness provides countless opportunities for positive challenges—hiking, therapeutic risk-taking, fire-building, and other self-created tasks—that shift the focus to personal growth.
These experiences encourage adolescents to push their own boundaries, fostering a sense of character and accomplishment that replaces the competitive “one-upmanship” common in adolescence.
So, why wilderness therapy?
A therapeutic wilderness experience is sustainable because it minimizes external distractions and disruptions long enough for students to develop mastery over coping strategies that promote life-affirming outcomes. In this environment, they learn to create positive internal feelings that are more enduring and meaningful than their previous patterns of avoidance, posturing, or high-risk behaviors. Through these experiences, they build genuine self-esteem and develop a deeper understanding of their own potential.
In the wilderness, young people discover the strength to overcome challenges, the clarity to face their inner struggles, and the tools to create lasting, positive change. This process not only transforms their behavior but also empowers them to lead healthier, more fulfilling lives.
Kathy Donovan, LCSW
"I am a believer that the family system is an enormous source of resilience for the challenges we face in life. As one family member begins a healing journey the family system is reworked, restructured to heal as well."
Blue Ridge Therapeutic Wilderness
Located in the Blue Ridge mountains of North Georgia, Blue Ridge Therapeutic Wilderness is the leading nature-based therapy program to integrate a family systems approach, whole body health and wellness, and holistic, assessment driven, clinical treatment for troubled youth with anxiety, depression and other mental health challenges.