Second Nature Blog

Second Nature Blue Ridge Opens Young Adult Group!

noreply@blogger.com (Second Nature) — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 00:14:00 +0000

Second Nature Blue Ridge is excited to bring young adults to the East coast, the 12 Steps to the woods and single-gender to addiction work!

We are excited to offer a safe, supportive peer community of young women to trek through the wilderness, learning together how to transform their past and take charge of their future with the healing power of gender-specific 12 step recovery!

Young adulthood is a time of intense change and potential transformation. It is also a time of additional freedom, stress and responsibility. And a time when young adults are indoctrinated into a culture that supports experimentation with drugs, alcohol and risky behaviors. The increase in drug and alcohol abuse rates among young adults is approximately double what they are in the general population. For many young women their struggles do not start nor end with addiction, it is often a complex web of past circumstances, maladaptive coping and unsuccessful life skills that bring them to a place of needing support and guidance.

Addiction coupled with other vulnerabilities deserves a thoughtful approach of recovery, healing and empowerment. For recovery, the 12 step model is woven into the culture of each group to prepare clients for a seamless transition into real world recovery communities. The young women will be practicing the 10th step of self-inventory and the 11th step of meditation/mindfulness daily to begin making recovery principles a personal practice. They will explore, with the guidance of staff members, who have extensive experience in recovery and the physical, mental and spiritual aspects of the “dis-ease” model of addiction.

Identifying and being sensitive to the underlying factors that contribute to or exacerbate addiction is a key component of the individualized care that each client receives. And with the high correlation of trauma and substance abuse (70% of young adults receiving treatment for substance abuse report a history of trauma exposure) staff has been trained to provide “trauma-informed” treatment, meaning they cultivate a culture of safety, support and connection where each client can heal and grow.

Offering young women a safe place to begin their healing journey helps them grow a strong sense of self and reclaim their power from that which is greater than themselves to step out into the world less triggered, less vulnerable, and more emotionally prepared.

Kelly Wedell EdS, LPC, primary therapist for the group, brings a wealth of experience working with addiction, trauma and other psychological issues in several different settings with young adults and their families. Her experiential nature blends yoga, mindfulness practices, and body centered psychodynamic work, grounded in neuropsychology, Bowan family systems, trauma-informed theory and addiction/recovery expertise. Kelly holds a deep faith in the power of the wilderness and the human capacity for change. For more information, please contact Second Nature Admissions: 866-205-2500.

Dr. Coady Schueler Opening Adolescent Girls Group at Second Nature Uintas!

noreply@blogger.com (Second Nature) — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 18:55:00 +0000

Dr. Coady Schueler has over twenty-five years experience working with adolescents. Coady received her M.A. in Counseling Psychology in 1986 from Antioch New England Graduate School. She earned her Doctorate in Psychology from the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology in 1994.

Coady has extensive experience working with adolescent females who have experienced trauma and, as a result, struggle with depression, anxiety, eating disorders, self-harm behaviors, as well as, substance abuse/dependence. Coady’s doctoral dissertation explored how a female adolescent’s conceptualization of emotional intimacy was impacted by her experience of being sexually abused. In private practice, her work focused upon adolescent females who were in the process of addressing the residual impact of their respective trauma; including sexual assault and/or family traumas, such as the death of a parent or loved one. Coady is also highly experienced in working with girls who struggle with abandonment or adoption-related issues.

Coady has a unique ability to establish and maintain a rapport with clinically complex girls, often with unresolved grief. Her diagnostic skills coupled with her ability to formulate a comprehensive understanding of each girl’s personal struggle, guide her interventions. Her warmth and relational skills further help to create a sense of emotional safety within her group. Coady employs the framework of developmental psychology to understand adolescent girls and their struggles and, from there she utilizes cognitive behavioral techniques, psychodynamic theory, as well as, the tenants of family system’s theory to inform her interventions. Patience and humor are also important in her work.

Originally from the east coast, Coady moved to Park City in 1993 with her husband. Coady’s passions include telemark skiing in the backcountry and trail running when the ski season is over. Her most important passion is her son Ketch who continuously keeps her humble by reminding her that even parents need to continue to learn and to change.

noreply@blogger.com (Team Second Nature) — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 18:37:00 +0000

Wilderness Therapy:
Learning to Live and Feel in the Present

Justin Stum, MS, LMFT
Primary Therapist, Second Nature Entrada

They leave their families, often angry and upset to enter the wilderness. These teens enroll with a wake of difficulty and heartache at home and parents hoping for change. Often these teens are plugged in, yet at the same time tuned out. They talk about friends and memories, boasting of their hundreds of virtual “friends,” yet often are very alone and isolated. They are living via trite connections and frequently lack ‘doing’ and ‘experiencing’ because of the generation they are living in. It is in the wilderness that many, some for the first time, come to think, breathe, and relate to others in real-time, in the ‘now’ as I call it.

At home they have the world at their fingertips, on demand via their smart phone or personal computer. They connect quickly and instantaneously, yet are distracted and self-absorbed rather than self-reflective. Apathetic with regard to sibling and parent-child relationships, they claim their problems are really about their parents not them.

Therapeutic treatment with adolescents in this generation and age is very difficult. As a therapist, I have found that enlisting resistant teens into the therapeutic process is a significant task, but not insurmountable. Helping teens engage in a process of openness and change consideration is difficult. It is through the process of working through the issues in wilderness therapy that adolescents can surrender past defenses and gain significant insights into themselves and their relationships.

The adolescent brain is a work in progress, a developing organ. As the teen brain matures, the prefrontal cortex or 'executive leader' of the brain helps the individual reason more rationally, manage impulses, and make sound judgments. The difficulty is that many of these developing teens are flooding their bodies and brain with drugs and chemicals that disorient the brain from more healthy normal development. In addition, mood swings, intense conflict, and family avoidance impedes their progress and further complicates their understanding and growing in ways that promote healthy relationships at home and overall maturing as they enter adulthood.

As adolescents grow and develop they seek to comprehend and engage with peers outside their family of origin. In time they develop circles of peers, some virtual and some not. Adolescents are hard-wired to reach out and connect with others their age. They undergo an emotional revolution within which they attempt to figure out who they are and where they fit in the world. They want to direct and control their own destiny. During this same window of time, parents are trying to hold lines and guide their former child now-teen, into making healthy decisions, keeping up and learning academically, and communicating and relating well at home.

Wilderness therapy offers a unique environment that assists adolescents in unplugging and leads them headlong into a peer group removed from distractions while being confronted with their own process of what-in-the-world-is-happening-to-me-and-ehy-am-I-here mode of thinking It is this process that does not and often cannot happen in traditional talk therapy at home. In fact, many parents feel hopeless as talk therapy and other interventions at home proved ineffective or marginally effective at best in many cases.

Through the process of wilderness, young men and women can come to understand who they are and how they relate to others, the very developmental achievement needed as they attempt to differentiate from parents and seek independence and autonomy. They come to learn how they can, in fact, live in the present and relate to others in ways that prolong relationships and help to bolster their sense of self. This process occurs relatively free from the distractions and elements that are a part of normal urban life, and would cumber the process. Being in the wilderness without electronics, peers, family, substances, and pastimes helps create space for them to naturally work on understanding who they are and what is happening for them. This process happens through everyday activities in the wilderness.

It is through the process of wilderness therapy that they learn what they are feeling and become astute at identifying and understanding themselves. I recently had a student inform me that for the first time he has begun to feel things he hasn’t felt before. Feelings like genuine regret, disappointment, and sorrow for how he treated his parents and siblings. We discussed the possibility that he may have been ‘attempting’ to feel for some time while at home, but blunted and misguided his emotional process with daily marijuana smoking. As he has come to know and understand how to communicate and interact with others, he has begun to feel emotions he thought he never had experienced before.

The therapeutic process in wilderness is not merely an hour or two of therapy each week, rather the environment itself is a clinical garden that is lead and directed by the treating therapist who takes advantage of opportunities that will provide insight and reflection for young men and women. I have witnessed that individuals learn and grow in productive ways when they participate and learn to live in the present while in the wilderness. Many of the young people I work with are therapy savvy, meaning they can talk the clinical terms but have little grasp on the process of what is really happening at home for them and have not really ‘experienced’ working through issues. For example, it is during a reflection hike when wilderness staff may direct the students to hike for some length of time without talking or chit-chatting with others. Windows of opportunity are often created by staff and therapists to help them reflect and spend some unique time thinking to themselves. I have found that it is during those windows of quiet pondering and reflection that many teens come to ponder on their relationships and where they are heading. The physical rigor of hiking also provides a time for them to focus on their inner abilities and confront a physical challenge, something that cannot and is not done on a smart phone or on the couch. Just enduring at first, then managing and finally conquering the challenges of wilderness living offer the adolescents success and pride in something they know few of their peers and adults have accomplished. For the first time for many, they feel they have achieved something to be proud of.

Fire building is an integral part of wilderness therapy, not simply for its utilitarian principles of cooking and warmth alone, but for the process it provides for teens to feel and work through. Holding the bow steady, listening to coaching from staff and peers, and humbly realizing that they cannot charm the fire into being are a few of the myriad of processes that take place during the fire making that occurs daily. Attention, work, persistence, patience and openness are required prior to the fire’s combustion. It is through this process and ones like it that help them learn to open up and surrender to new ways of thinking. These ways would include listening, being humble, working consistently, and overcoming difficulty. It is these processes that are born out of the fire building process that help them reconnect and begin anew a relationship with parents and siblings that is healthy and stable.

Group activities that require team-work and cooperation are key moments that happen on hikes, during dinner preparation, camp setup, and during group therapy. It is during these moments that teens learn real-time how to work with others. No longer can they avoid by leaving the house or checking out on an iPod. It is through the process of dialogue and feedback that they learn to know and feel others’ perceptions and in turn assist themselves and the group. Groups can only hike as fast as the slowest member—if they want to get to camp sooner they will have to help, not complain, their peers that may not hike as quickly. During meal time it requires many hands, those stoking the fire, others doing meal preparation, others cooking, some on clean-up, etc., for meals to run smoothly. Staff will not do it for them, they are empowered to do for themselves things they often avoided at home. Unlike home where they may have been bailed out often, wilderness teaches them that choices consistently have consequences. Through these processes growth is naturally occurring and often they don’t realize it.

Family therapy is a significant element of the wilderness process. This occurs through letter writing, satellite phone calls, and parent visits to the field. Letter writing occurs weekly and provides a solid slow process for teens to be intentional and present when speaking to parents. It also provides space for parents to become more aware of their own patterns and process with the child. While teens are working in the field parents are reading, pondering, and referencing online webinars on how they can better grow and make changes in their own lives to be the healthiest parent they can be.

The therapeutic process at Second Nature can be a significant process for both parents and child. Change occurs by thinking, feeling and most importantly by doing. Simple cognitive possessing around issues, like what occurs in an hour therapy session at home, often is not and does not carry enough clinical power to help them pull out of the emotional rut they are often stuck in when they enter treatment. Wilderness is one of the most powerful environments to help young men and women break away from old patterns and unplug while coming to terms with who they are and what they ultimately want in their lives. As they come to live in the present and work through the challenges inherent in the wilderness, and away from their ‘former’ life, their minds and hearts open to a better understanding of what was really happening back home. They are then able to face their relationship and behavioral problems with resources and strengths they already had but were buried behind anger, resentment, drug use, and avoidance. It is through the journey of wilderness that young men and women gain a glimpse into their potential and greatness.

The Second Nature Parent Workshop...A Return to Base Camp

noreply@blogger.com (Second Nature) — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 05:26:00 +0000

Zoe, Aowyn, Atticus, Abe and Carl

Written By:
Zoe, Second Nature Parent, Northern California

Wilderness is where we conveyed our child, yes. But, in a metaphorical sense, Carl and I, the parents, are also in a wilderness of our own. While our child is grappling with a raw and foreign place in Utah, we are not physically removed to any new location, and yet our lives have become unrecognizable. We don’t know how we got where we are, and we certainly don’t know the quickest and most intelligent way out. We are partnered with a therapist who, in essence, is a khaki-clad guide. Surprisingly jovial at times, entirely comfortable and at home in the setting that we ﬁnd so alarming, the therapist is now traveling with us, revealing the way.

The phone that we use to communicate, the computer we use to watch webinars and download and compose letters, the walls of our bedroom that we read in late at night to try to understand the terrain, don’t seem to lessen our own experience of wilderness. We are trekking, some days with gritted teeth, through valleys and up hills that look impossible from the bottom.

The guide doesn’t stay as long as the journey, though. We are together only a matter of weeks. Eventually we have to set off without him and, in our case, in the company of our child. On our own, assuming point, some days go well and include new and striking vistas; some days don’t. At intervals, usually prompted by set-backs, we review what we have learned, not always very sure that we are practicing the skills as well as they were taught. But we keep moving. We refuse to stand still. Occasionally we look around and realize we have been to a particular place before. We must have inadvertently backtracked, or gone in a circle, and that is disheartening. But mostly we are sure that what we are keeping to the right trail.

And then an invitation arrives, sent out to so many individual travelers on trails far and wide. Directions are given to a nearby base camp. With relief, we head in that direction, with
noticeably more energy in our strides. The Second Nature Parent Workshop is held in a hotel. The ﬂoor of the lobby gleams, the escalator rises underneath shimmering chandeliers and a conference room awaits, with chairs set out in rows.

But, to us, what it feels like to walk into this event is a return to base camp. We drop our heavy, dusty packs. More parents ﬁle in. We settle and begin to regroup, revisit and recharge.

***

The parent workshop took place on August 27th, a year—almost to the day—since two young, burly Paciﬁc Islanders arrived at our door in the dead of night, walked silently down the hall and entered our son’s bedroom. Atticus hadn’t been sober for any extended period in the several preceding years. Asleep, his body was awash in vodka, oxycontin and marijuana. He had run away once, having gotten wind of this plan. The police were involved, two siblings were shattered watching us chase and him dodge. The morning of the transport came as a heartbreaking relief.

Atticus said nothing, objected not at all. He was jostled awake, a few loving words were choked out by his father, and then he slid on long basketball shorts, picked up his iPod and a sweatshirt as he was asked, and walked out uncomplaining, with complete strangers on either side. Yet, here we are, just 354 days later, riding in our car, heading to Millbrae, California. Atticus is with us, an invited guest on the panel of speakers.

A stone’s throw from the San Francisco Airport, the Parent Workshop gets underway. Old and familiar guides are present, organizing the goings on at base camp. They are teaching additional skills and refreshers, and deftly keeping the schedule. But they are also allowing this setting to work naturally on its own, just as they do for groups of kids gathered around smokey campﬁres out in the ﬁeld. Today we learn from each other.

***

Paul
Paul comes to the podium with smiles and notecards and a quick and engaging wit. He declares that he’s not there to talk about his daughter. He wants to talk about himself. His daughter has Borderline personality disorder. She has been to Second Nature more than once. Her problems are not gone, the difﬁculties within the family aren’t neatly resolved, but Paul’s story is surprisingly triumphant.

He speaks of a personal history that includes a desire for control and for achievements that are traditional and measurable. But these aspects of himself are holding him up, they are stalling progress in his family, and so he has worked on letting go and changing focus.

As a result, he feels closer to his wife. Moreover, his relationship with his other child, a son, is transformed. His happiness isn’t any longer tethered to that of his daughter’s. He loves her; he likes her! But he doesn’t know in what space, in what condition, her life will ultimately take root. If he lives by the notion that “parents are only as happy as their unhappiest child,” he may never feel joyful about his own life, and that’s not what he wants for himself.

Paul sounds like someone who has seen a particularly dark and tangled stretch of wilderness, and yet he’s standing in front of us, with humor, humility and strength. It is so reassuring to see.

Liz
Liz is a young woman in her mid-twenties who explains that she had trouble with substances at a much younger age. Those years ended, the use of substances stopped, but her feeling of being ill at ease did not abate. There was no glaring problem, nothing at which she could point and know with certainty that she needed further help. And yet that was her intuition. She chose Second Nature for herself; she resigned her job and willingly put herself in wilderness.

Listening to Liz, it is hard to imagine her any other way than she is in the present moment. Liz is intelligent, wry, honest, composed. The courage it must have taken to walk away from a life that was going rather well, going well enough, is abundantly apparent in her voice.

She touches on one further point. Her relationship with her parents had always been good, but now, post Second Nature, it is “amazing.” By turns, I take both comfort and inspiration from this story. I imagine my own child expressing such a sentiment about his relationship with his father
and me.

Atticus
In fact, I can’t tell you what Atticus chose to say, because he requested that we leave the room when he spoke. I heard applause and later saw people approach to ask questions and give thanks. Two fathers shared with Carl that listening to Atticus was inspiring. Has he always been that conﬁdent? they asked. We are so glad he has returned to sports, to his passion...

What I thought about in the hall was the parent workshop my husband and I attended in January, 2011, just seven months earlier. At the time, Atticus had been home for only a handful of weeks.

On this gray January day, sometime around mid-morning, a Second Nature alumnus came to the front of the conference room. He was tall, handsome, his collared shirt was pressed. He stood with stunning poise, told his story and spared himself nothing. He took question after question, carefully repeating each one so that people at the back could hear. Wisdom and self-awareness poured out of this 19-year-old young man and I hung my head and wept. Would we ever get here? Would our son ever sound like this?

This is the memory I had as I stood waiting in the hall. My son was now in the conference room, collared shirt on, telling a painful story and giving a new gathering of families more insight and hope.

***

Two familiar faces
After lunch—and lunch is so pleasantly chaotic with stories and candid accounts that notebooks could be ﬁlled with the material—we break up into smaller groups. We face each other in circles and introduce ourselves and our individual circumstances. This is another time to reﬂect, a time to pick up pearls of wisdom, and offer one or two if you have them to spare.

It was during this part of the day at the January Workshop, that my husband and I regarded a couple that we will never forget. They were attending the workshop as part of a decision-making process. The father struggled to share his son’s story of internet addiction and social isolation, and he seemed so enveloped in sadness and grief as not to notice the comfort of his nearly silent wife. He too hung his head and shed tears, freely admitting that he didn’t know what to do to help and protect his son.

It was one of the most moving expressions of fatherly love we have ever seen, and we could sense that he was straying far from his own personal norms, talking about acute problems in
front of perfect strangers.

Carl and I spoke to this couple at the close of the January meeting. We tried to offer encouragement. We expressed our hope that they would make the decision to send their son to Second Nature. Since January, we have wondered about them many times and when they walked into the room looking for two open seats, broad smiles spread across our faces.

On August 27th, they were the last to arrive to our afternoon circle. They took the last two chairs. They didn’t have to utter a word to convey how far they had traveled since winter. They smiled, they laughed, they carried themselves with so much less wooden tension it was remarkable. Their son was doing very well in therapeutic boarding school. Their whole family was doing well. Both husband and wife were eager to share. They were here at the conference to give back, to encourage the next parents, the ones who might be in that now familiar fog, where they were only nine months prior.

***

And so we rise to leave. We have Paul’s Power Bar of energy, we have fresh stores of I Feel Statements and Reﬂective listening techniques, we have courage from Liz, grit from Atticus and the smiles of two people who feel like old friends. We are back out on our own trail. Hopefully the climbs we make won't feel impossibly steep. Maybe we will make it to a mountaintop. Maybe we will make it there with our son, to take in a sunrise together.

Working With Difficult Clients

noreply@blogger.com (Second Nature) — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 04:47:00 +0000

Dr. J Huffine, Primary Therapist,
Clinical Director, Second Nature Cascades

Second Nature Wilderness Programs exist to assist “difficult” or resistant adolescents and young adults in making positive changes in their lives. But what makes one “difficult”? Why do some adolescents (and adults) seem to resist change?

It is a hallmark of therapeutic wilderness programs to help clients begin to engage in their own therapeutic process, so that lasting change can occur. But how? What is actually changing?

I stumbled across a book several years ago that had a profound impact on how I view therapy in the woods, a book written by Fred J Hanna, Ph.D. entitled Therapy With Difficult Clients: Using the Precursors Model to Awaken Change. Dr. Hanna conducted reviews and meta-analyses of research on change, whether that change occurred in a therapeutic context or not. He found that there were seven factors (which he called precursors) that were necessary for change:

1. A sense of urgency

2. Awareness

3. An ability to tolerate uncomfortable feelings

4. A willingness to consistently confront problems

5. Effort

6. Hope

7. Social support

After becoming aware of these factors, I began to think about clients we work with in wilderness therapy. No matter what the profile of the student, the common thread amongst almost all students is a pattern of problematic behaviors (and/or emotions) and an apparent resistance to changing behaviors. Understanding these seven factors led to my own “aha” experience. It has greatly helped my understanding of why some students are more “resistant”, i.e., stuck, than others.

Resistant students are usually deficient in some or all of these areas. The profile of students that I typically work with includes the more “acting in, clinically layered” adolescent male. Often these are individuals with some depression, anxiety, school failure, and some with significant processing issues, social difficulties, and family conflicts.

Often, these adolescents were miserable at home, but showed no urgency to change because of deficiencies in the other precursors. There were often promises to do better, “I’m going to start on that tomorrow”, etc. But unless they had really “hit bottom” there was often a lack of urgency. In wilderness, if for no other reason than to “get out”; students are motivated to do something other than what they had been doing. Motivation for change gradually becomes more internal as students see that something positive is really occurring for them.

Awareness includes both internal awareness (also called insight) and external awareness, how one’s actions affect other people. Progress is impossible without an awareness of internal processes (if you believe in cognitive behavioral therapy), and lack of awareness of one’s own role in his or her own problems results in an inability to improve outcomes by altering behaviors. Wilderness therapy works on awareness constantly through the writing of Impact Letters, giving and receiving feedback, utilizing the “I feel” statement, providing time and space for reflection and introspection. We hold up figurative mirrors and ask, “Do you notice…”

An ability to tolerate uncomfortable feelings? This is huge. Think about changes you have made in your own life. What discomfort did this require? How many teenagers are willing to do something uncomfortable today to benefit themselves down the road? Especially those that have limited resources for coping, or who lack emotional resilience, or have been “rescued” from their feelings too often. Wilderness therapy helps increase emotional capacities, by providing an environment where students can experience their emotions, gain emotional resilience and the ability to tolerate sadness, frustration, disappointment, anxiety, stress, etc. Feelings that come with life.

A willingness to consistently confront problems? Most students I work with show a strong pattern of avoiding their problems. In the woods, this is impossible. The size of the group, the staff to student ratio, the structure all allow for constant monitoring of students’ behaviors. They simply can’t get around their problems, and we help them learn how to work through them.

Effort? Seems obvious that effort is necessary for change, but often there has been a tremendous lack of effort at home in areas that are instrumental to positive change. In wilderness, effort is put into those areas that are important to growth and development. I’ve heard new students say, “hiking isn’t therapeutic, it just ticks me off”. Yet, most students later recognize that effort obviously was necessary and really paid off. Not just physical effort, of course, but emotional and mental effort as well.

Hope is the belief that what we do matters; that we can make a difference in our own lives and that we are not helpless victims. Many students I work with have reasons they have come to the conclusion that, “It doesn’t matter what I do, I’ll never be happy, have the friends I want, feel better, be successful, etc.” They may have biologically based factors that have made their lives more difficult than others. They may have developed “learned helplessness” which is a major cause of depression. Wilderness, above all else, gives hope to the participant. You can’t “not” increase self-efficacy in wilderness therapy. All students are going to succeed on some level.

Lastly, students need a social support system to effect change. Support, encouragement, feedback, and praise, are all necessary. Adolescents typically hear constructive feedback better from each other than from adults. Wilderness provides an instant source of peer and therapeutic support. There is also considerable energy invested in working with each student’s primary support group at home, that is, the family system, which is critical to the long-term success of “difficult/resistant” clients.

It is my belief, that on some level, all people want to live functional, successful lives. When I ask students to rate themselves in relation to the seven “precursors”, they are often quite accurate in their perceptions. We encourage students to understand some of the reasons why they have been stuck and struggling and often, they are relieved to realize that they are not “bad, stupid, lazy”, etc.

Second Nature is highly effective at helping teenagers “engage in their own therapeutic process”. Not only are the very precursors or ingredients necessary for change so directly addressed while they are in wilderness, but foundations for change are laid for the future. By increasing capacities in these areas, adolescents are better able to benefit from future therapeutic opportunities.

Creating Appropriate Structure at Home for your Child

noreply@blogger.com (Second Nature) — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 13:37:00 +0000

Beth Laughlin, M.A.

Beth Laughlin, M.A.
Director of Development and Admissions
Second Nature 360

When speaking with parents preparing to have their child return home from treatment the conversation is often mixed with feelings of optimism and hope combined with anxiety and fear. The weight of these feelings varies with each parent but more often than not, all of these feelings are expressed. The anxiety frequently focuses on the fear that the parents won’t be able to provide the same level of structure that has been provided in treatment. Most parents are amazed at how well their child has responded to the structure and feel that this has been a key component to the success their child has experienced.

The reality is that often this is true. When all of life’s triggers and distractions are removed from a child’s world, the internal confusion and chaos has a chance to slow down enough to gain more clarity about what’s really going on underneath the behaviors. In the safety of the structure the child can begin to unravel and process what’s going on and then begin to gain tools for addressing these struggles when they reengage life again.

Transitions in general for all of us are disruptive. Some of the most stressful times we experience are during times of transition whether it’s changing jobs, moving, changing an unhealthy habit or simply going home for the holidays. Uncertainty and disruption are natural elements of transition. The goal ultimately is not to completely eliminate the external disruptive texture of transition but to learn how to engage these disruptions differently with better tools as individuals and as a family.

With this in mind, it important to recognize that parents cannot replicate the structured environment of treatment in the home nor should this be the expectation or goal. With 360, transition is often about helping a child move from one environment to another and most of our work with families is about moving a child from more to less structure. We assist families in striking that balance of an appropriate level of structure within the home without overdoing it.

Each child is different and each family is different. There is no one “right” way to strike this balance. One of the key elements of structure lies in the relationship dynamics between the parent and the child. Is there a level of trust in the relationship? Is there accountability built in for the child? Is the communication open and consistent between the parent and child? All of these relationship components play in to balancing the external structure required for a successful transition.

As your child returns home here are a few things to consider:

1. Although anxiety is often revving at its peak when your child first arrives home, avoid going overboard in limiting all of his or her freedom. Discussing limits and being clear about expectations is important but monitoring every moment of your child’s day is neither feasible nor does it send the right message. It is important to reflect a level of confidence (however fragile) in the changes your child has made while in treatment. Again, this varies with every family but even believing in the small changes can help a child build confidence as they face challenges. Remember, your child is often just as scared as you are but may not have the maturity to express this appropriately.

2. Recognize what you can and cannot control. One parent put it well, “I cannot save my child… I can only support and guide them.” It’s important to seek a balance between supporting and reinforcing without displacing your child’s ability to ultimately make their own decisions in order to develop a healthy sense of self and independence. Although this is often a terrifying and painful process for parents to watch, it is frequently during these challenging times where the real growth happens, the parent-child dynamic has an opportunity to change and the tools your child has learned in treatment can be applied. Providing safety without eliminating all the risk and autonomy is the difficult task that all parents are challenged with.

3. While the scope of each family’s rules and habits vary dramatically, it’s important for all parents to reinforce accountability for their child’s actions. Monitoring your child at an appropriate level allows for built in accountability and teaches them responsibility in all areas of their life. Striking that balance of space and freedom without absolute space and freedom is appropriately based on the current level of trust in the parent-child relationship. This helps create an environment of safety for the child. As the trust grows and accountability is honored, more freedom and independence is gained.

Regardless of where parents choose to draw the line between structure and freedom with their child, it’s important to recognize that this process evolves over time. In some situations more structure may be required, in other situations less. By working to avoid the two extremes of either being too authoritarian or too permission, you leave enough room for your relationship with your child to dictate the appropriate ebb and flow that’s required.

www.secondnature360.com

Second Nature 360 helps adolescents and young adults successfully transition from treatment to home, college, or independence. Transitions from one setting to another can be challenging and disruptive for the whole family. We understand what is at stake and know what has already been invested. We can help you protect this investment. 360 provides the family with wrap-around support to ease the disruption and help parents guide and parent their child as he or she transfers the skills learned in treatment to their real-world setting. Visit: http://www.secondnature360.com/

Working with Educational Consultants

noreply@blogger.com (Second Nature) — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 14:43:00 +0000

Dr. Brad Reedy

Brad Reedy, Ph.D.

Co-Founder, Partner
Second Nature Therapeutic Wilderness Programs

You’re in crisis. You have done all that you can at home. Your child is in danger. She has become unresponsive to your requests to set limits or talk. You know you need help, but the school counselor and your family therapist don’t seem to have any answers. You check the Internet and find there are schools and programs for “at-risk” adolescents. The websites talk about caring therapy, creative milieus and residential treatment. You come across references to an Educational Consultant. The title seems unclear. You wonder if these professionals work with children suffering from learning differences or with aspirations to get into an Ivy League school.

Is this the best we can do? In this information age, many parents of at-risk adolescents aren’t aware of the professionals who can guide them through one of the most difficult, painful and rewarding journeys their family will ever travel. When the public hears about Educational Consultants, few understand the profession and the benefits of hiring a consultant. In my 15 years of working in wilderness therapy, I have come to truly respect Educational Consultants as partners in helping the families we serve. A good Educational Consultant provides guidance, information on appropriate resources, case management and quality assurance.

Identifying a Good-Fit

The first goal of Educational Consultants is to assess their clients’ needs. After out-of-home placement is determined to be the necessary track, they work to match students and parents with programs and staff. Consultants take into account each client’s specific therapeutic needs, the history and track record of programs they consider, timing, finances, therapeutic models, and culture for the family and child. Their knowledge digs far deeper than attractive websites as a good consultant makes it their mission to know the staff, the model, the history and effectiveness of the options. From the initial contact, families have an advocate and ally they can rely on throughout their child’s entire treatment process.

Case Management

Educational Consulting offers families a parallel process with the therapeutic process. They communicate knowledge gathered from home professionals and family to program staff. In order to match the needs of their clients, an experienced consultant places children and families with specific therapists and staff. Quality educational consulting welds the knowledge of the child, the family, and the therapeutic programs in a cohesive manner.

After admission to a program, the consultant offers opinions and direction to the treating therapist from a larger, systemic vantage point. If a family is struggling with staff and/or policies, the consultant can advocate for the family, and support the family in addressing these concerns with the program. Or the consultant may choose or to redirect the family and encourage them to trust in the process, and the proven and effective treatment being offered.

Consultants are intensely involved during the wilderness or assessment phase of treatment. When the family moves to an aftercare program, the consultant continues to monitor progress and maintains communication with the family and the program. They follow the process through until the eventual discharge of the child, when plans are made for reintegration into the family or independent living.

Quality Assurance Advocate

Educational Consultants offer a reference point for families to insure that programs accurately reflect the services and programming offered. A good consultant is aware of a variety of programs and recommends safe, qualified programs with excellent staff. Educational Consultants have their ear to the ground, never merely relying on marketing brochures, websites or outdated program information. They personally visit new and existing programs to monitor and keep abreast of current trends.

More than a “human search engine,” an Educational Consultant is the glue, the lubricant, the wall, the sounding board, the compass, and the gear that makes the process effective. Second Nature values working with dedicated, skilled and caring members of the Independent Educational Consulting profession.

Second Nature Safety Protocols: A Closer Look

noreply@blogger.com (Second Nature) — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 15:30:00 +0000

At Second Nature, all incoming adolescents and adult clients receive a physical exam including a complete CBC panel to determine overall level of health and hemoglobin counts. In addition, they are administered a metabolic panel to determine basic nutrition including the levels of glucose, protein, potassium, sodium, and carbon dioxide. These and other factors help to determine an individual’s fitness for exertion. During the physical exam, adolescents/adults are asked their drug history, diet, fitness level, smoking history, and are drug tested to screen for recreational or prescription drugs.

In addition to extensive information provided by parents on the application for admission, Second Nature staff interview each incoming client. Clients are asked about their drug history, diet, fitness level, smoking history and any other concerns they may have about their health. All information is documented and relayed to the staff team working with the client in the wilderness. Important information relayed to the staff includes physical abilities, mental state, current illnesses, asthma, and details on medications, anaphylactic reactions to meds/ foods/ bees, and dietary restrictions or requests to ensure food is palatable to the client.

All Second Nature locations have a Medical Coordinator (advanced practice clinicians, i.e., medical doctor, Physician's Assistant, Nurse Practitioner) on call at all times for field staff to contact regarding medical concerns, questions and/or updates regarding a client's current status in the field. If the concern warrants a visit to a clinic or emergency room then evacuation is immediately initiated. Additionally, clients receive medical checks in the field every 14-21-days by a medical practitioner.

Upon arrival, as clients travel to the field office, they are offered a meal and beverage as standard protocol. Once the client arrives at base, he/she is provided a supply of personal food that contains a large bag of trail mix, fresh fruit, string cheese, peanut butter, tuna and/or chicken packets, a bag of tortillas, and four quarts of water. Staples are replenished as appropriate (at least twice a week) and are accessible to the client to eat at his/her discretion. The logistical support staff delivers fresh fruit and meat to each group throughout the week. During meal times, staff supervises each client's intake of food and water. Clients must consume at least 8 oz. of food per meal and four quarts of water each day. Food and water intake is monitored and documented. If a client doesn't consume the required food or water intake, the Second Nature Medical Coordinator and the client’s therapist are contacted to address concerns expeditiously.

During Earth Phase (initial phase), all Second Nature clients participate in an acclimation curriculum in which they are closely supervised and observed by a staff. From day one, staff members begin building rapport with participants, establishing open communication and offering continuous support as they begin to consider why they are at Second Nature and what they hope to get out of the program. During this period hiking is kept to a minimum and the group hikes at the pace of the slowest member of the group. At Second Nature clients never participate in extended hikes with lower food intake. Second Nature strongly believes that such practices are unadvisable, and do not enhance the impact of participation in a wilderness program.

Second Nature conducts ongoing and mandatory staff training for all levels of Field Instructors, Drivers, Logistic Coordinators, Therapists and Administrators. While Second Nature’s safety protocols meet or exceed industry standards, protocols address other vital relational aspects of safety. Second Nature staff never hikes or “pushes” when an adolescent or adult client exhibits any sign(s) of possible duress. Staff is trained to respond to all complaints even when there is reason to suspect manipulation. If a client attempts to manipulate by “crying wolf” with complaints relating to his/her health, he/she is assessed and treated medically first and responded to therapeutically in the next therapy session. Second Nature does not engage in power struggles with clients; our instructor and medical staff must, by company protocol, always rule out medical risk first.

In addition, Second Nature has always taken the stance that clients are not engaged in an overly strenuous curriculum. Second Nature never uses deprivation of water or nutrition to create stress or dependence, as an access for therapeutic change. To illustrate, Second Nature offers more than 3,000 calories per day and utilizes internal frame backpacks for comfort.

Second Nature continually maintains a very high staff to student ratio that helps ensure the safety and well being of all clients in our care. All Second Nature field instructors are certified in CPR and First Aid and each group of participants is supervised by at least one Wilderness First Responder certified staff or (wilderness) Emergency Medical Technician. The Wilderness First Responder program (and WEMT) is a nationally recognized certification that certifies our staff to respond to emergency medical situations in backcountry situations.

Second Nature staff receives continuous training from a medical professional on pertinent medical issues. In the field all Second Nature staff have access to medical resources and information including but not limited to a Wilderness First Responder handbook, information about the potential side effects of psychotropic medications administered in the field, and Second Nature policies and procedures regarding the health and safety of our clients, along with 24/7 phone access to the Medical Director.

Second Nature honors requests by our clients to be evaluated by a medical professional. There are no negative consequences for asking to be seen by a medical professional or for anything said to a medical professional. It is Second Nature's policy to address any medical concern that cannot be handled in the field by transporting the client to a medical facility as quickly as possible. Status reports are routinely communicated to the base logistical staff at morning and evening call-in. If the group does not call in during this time, logistical staff make a visit to the group. Staff members have two-way radios, cell phones, and satellite phones and are directed to contact EMS directly for evacuation or consultation in an emergency situation if they cannot immediately access Second Nature medical personnel.

Finally, all Second Nature employees operate under the mission of safety first. Our clients' physical health and safety is our #1 priority above any other goal or treatment objective. Our staff is flexible with their daily routine and hiking plans in order to address any medical concerns. If for any reason, a group member cannot continue the hike, the group will stop. Second Nature will transport any extra or unnecessary gear (extra layers of clothing or extra food) for any participant unable to carry the full weight of their backpack. Second Nature will also adjust the diet to provide extra calories and electrolytes if needed. For example, we provide extra fruit in the summer and extra protein during the winter.

Second Nature strives daily to maintain an impeccable safety record. Our admissions team is happy to speak with you at any time to further discuss our established safety protocols.

Utilizing Transport Companies: Allaying Fears, and Addressing Myths Associated with Adolescent Transport

noreply@blogger.com (Second Nature) — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 21:01:00 +0000

Now that you have decided on the need for wilderness therapy, how do you make it happen? As evidenced by their need for a therapeutic placement, the ability of your child to make healthy decisions is lacking. If your child is at a point where they need such an intervention, it is often the case that they are not willing to dialogue or more importantly, cooperate with you about boundaries, interventions, therapy and most especially, wilderness therapy.

In the early days of wilderness therapy and therapeutic placement, it was not uncommon for parents to lie to their children to facilitate getting the child to treatment. Parents would tell their child they were going on “vacation” or perhaps for an interview or assessment, only to turn them over to a program; doing so created a path of least resistance for the parents. While this was short-term effective at initiating the wilderness treatment, thankfully, the process has progressed since then. But along with the seemingly more “democratic” and “humane” strategies of openness and direct dialogue, there have also come some disadvantages.

More common today is the practice of “selling” the child on the idea of attending wilderness. It is significantly important that no matter what the parents says or how much information they give their child - even when parents enter into dialogue or negotiation with their child, providing a significant amount of objective and straightforward information - the child often struggles to adjust to the reality of the experience once enrolled. Upon enrollment, common responses might include, “this is not what I thought it was going to be like,” or “I chose to come here and now I can choose to leave,” and “this is not what my parents told me it was going to be like. And if they knew what it was like, they would want me to leave.”

Another strategy intended to dignify the process means that some parents weather the straightforward battle of transporting themselves, which often means arguments, verbal attacks, attempts to run, black-mail, property damage, and “I hate you’s”. This approach may result in getting the child to the program, but often leaves parents and the child hurt, exhausted and full of regret and anguish. Not to mention, many children either threaten to run away or actually do run away when told of the parents’ plan for placement, requiring the parent to commit to “no placement” so the child will be willing to return home. This is a dangerous cycle that allows the child to entrench deeper in their negative behaviors and maladaptive coping skills, and further restricts the parents’ emotional repertoire.

What is the other alternative? My response: “A reputable transport company can help you with this step.” Many parents are shocked, aghast at the thought of such an intrusive idea. The fear that their child will feel betrayed, or traumatized by this method is often very powerful.

Often, my first response is to acknowledge the betrayal. In essence, it is a betrayal. It is a betrayal of the former implicit understanding by a child that the parent will not do anything without the tacit approval of the child. You are betraying the child’s misguided belief and experience that “they are co-parents,” equal in the democracy with the parents. Importantly, the reorganization and establishment of appropriate boundaries (and hierarchy) is the first movement of the therapeutic intervention. In many cases, when the parent, unilaterally, makes the heartfelt, thoughtful decision to place the child, they powerfully start the therapeutic intervention.

And while the idea of using a transport company may be foreign, it is actually quite professional, respectful and humane. After careful planning and instructions from the transport team, the intervention starts the moment the parent wakes up the child at 5 o’clock am and says to their son/daughter, “We want you to meet a couple of people we trust. They are here because, as your parents, we have made a decision to enroll you in a program in Utah/Georgia/Oregon because we love you and know this will be good for you and for our entire family. They will be taking you to this program today so that you can get help for your problems. We love you and will be in touch (Parents leave room and or house).

Along with this general procedure, some transport companies invite the parents to provide a letter explaining their concerns and intentions for the enrollment in the program. This letter is given to the transport agents for use at their discretion during the transport. These professionals utilize a combination of therapeutic intervention and experience as they confidently facilitate moving the child from the home to the program. Transport professionals are experts in calm, de-escalation techniques. They treat each child with integrity, answer questions and safely bringing the child to treatment, without the use of intimidation or engagement in a power struggle. If they encounter a physically resistant adolescent who is becoming a danger to themselves or others or becomes a flight risk a good transport company will use only non-harmful restraint holds (such as those taught by the Crisis Prevention Institute www.crisisprevention.com). Parents doing their due diligence should check to confirm that a transport company provides proof of professional liability insurance, also that their employees are employees and not simply contracted laborers (this means that the company assumes responsibility for their agents actions and that the agents come under the company’s insurance policy), and that they do reputable background checks on all of their employees. These behaviors among other things will help to demonstrate companies that are committed to providing the best care for your child.

The most important and hopefully comforting truth for parents to hear may be my experience as a field therapist: in most cases, transporting your child to a program using a professional agency accelerates the intervention by 1-2 weeks. In other words, children professionally transported take less time to engage in therapy when compared to children traveling to the program after a long extended battle or negotiation with parents. Non-transported children often need to hear reinforcement of the decision in follow-up letters and communication from parents. Parents must “re-state” the need for the child to complete the program and its emotional curriculum in order for the child to let go of the fantasy of being rescued. This new dynamic takes time to sink in and that adjustment is reduced in cases where a professional transport agency is utilized.

And perhaps just as therapeutically important to rehabilitating the parent-child relationship is the concept of letting your children feel their feelings, even though these undesired feelings may include “angry”, “abandoned”, “betrayed”, “kidnapped,” or “traumatized.” Your job is to listen to them and validate their feelings without requiring consensus or defending yourself. Parents who convince their children to attend Second Nature later get complaints from their kids that they feel “lied to” and “tricked.” Even when the parents try to be democratic in getting their children to “sign themselves up” for the program, the family cannot avoid an aversive emotion from the child after enrollment such a reaction is nearly unavoidable.

That is the lonely job of parenting.

Attempts to control the child’s feelings or perceptions (see June 2 Blog post entitled: Will my Child Forgive Me?) are telltale signs of an unhealthy and unsustainable relationship. Paradoxically, the more you try to “sell” them on the idea, the more they tend to dig in. Instead of discussing long-term health and more respectful relationships, the argument becomes a power-struggle where the battlefield is over the right for everyone to feel what they feel and think what they think.

So even though it is a foreign idea for the vast majority of parents (outside of this field of therapeutic placement), my experience tells me transporting is the most humane, powerful, and effective method of enrolling a child in our program. The intervention begins in the home and the parent creates a boundary, essentially sending the message in the most appropriate place that “our home is to be a safe place of love and respect and healthy behavior. Anything less than that will not do for this family.”

Second Nature Families Participate in NATSAP Advocacy in Washington, DC

noreply@blogger.com (Second Nature) — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 15:24:00 +0000

Patrick Logan, M.S.
Director, Special Projects

Second Nature is a very active member of the National Association of Therapeutic Schools and Programs (NATSAP). For the last 4 years, Dr. Brad Reedy and Patrick Logan, Second Nature’s Director of Special Projects participated in the annual NATSAP DC “Fly-in”. The sole purpose of the DC “Fly-in” is to educate the Congress on what wilderness therapy really is, in contrast to the inflammatory rhetoric that at times, surrounds proposed federal bills. DC camps tend to become polarized and their debates often reduce issues to lifeless axioms postulated between leaders who are, at times, ill-informed.

For some legislators, there is a perceived “risk” associated with wilderness therapy. As with all “agents of change” there is some associated risk. And yet often, Second Nature’s incoming students took frequent, very significant risks while back home - with far less supervision possible, and almost no internal constraint. It is often the case that parents simply do not have the capability of effecting such a powerful transforming milieu of peer support, therapeutic guidance and socially-appropriate consequence as provided in a safe and reputable wilderness therapy setting. There have been a few, poorly supervised "bad apples" in the industry that operated recklessly, sometimes with disastrous consequences.

NATSAP is committed to sound business practices for its member programs. These practices serve to promote the health and well being of children and families. NATSAP spends a great deal of its mission on confronting the misinformation that passes for informed debate. An impressive number of Second Nature parents have been involved in this process and have been highly effective at educating Senators and Representatives (and their legislative aids) on the important work of NATSAP. NATSAP programs strive to support programs that are safely run, compassionate, nurturing and effective. Good programs reduce real risk, simultaneously confronting each client’s short-term decision–making and unhealthy behaviors while providing parents with skills, practice and support with healthy parenting.

Recently, several Second Nature families flew to Washington, DC to share first hand experiences with wilderness therapy. Each family shared deeply personal stories relating to their respective journeys and the sharp contrast in life before and after their wilderness therapy experiences.

NATSAP and participating Second Nature families met with the offices of:

Senator Richard Burr (R-NC), member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee
Representative Phil Roe (R-TN), member of the House Education and the Workforce Committee and Chairman of the Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor and Pensions
Sen. Bernard Sanders (I-VT), member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee
Senator Kay Hagan (D-NC), member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee
Senator Michael Enzi (R-WY), Ranking Minority (Republican), Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee
Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee
Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT)
Representative Jim Matheson (D-UT)
Representative Rob Bishop (R-UT)
Representative Jason Chaffetz (R-UT)
Senator Mike Lee (R-UT)

One Second Nature alumni student Wyatt, exemplified initiative and accountability as he spent his birthday visiting Congressmen and Congresswomen and confidently shared his personal journey at Second Nature. Another Second Nature Alumni parent brought a slideshow highlighting her son's "Before and After" journey in pictures. Several Congressional aides commented that the pictures truly seemed to personify the true mission of the wilderness therapy experience.

Here’s an excerpt from one Second Nature parent’s summary of the DC experience:

“My group went to 6 congressional offices - 5 Senators' and 1 Representative's…With one exception, all Congressional offices were interested in what we each had to say and seemed to give us an unlimited amount of their time. None seemed particularly familiar with wilderness therapy and therapeutic programs. They posed questions designed to get insight into the programs and not just superficial information… I thought Monica (a young lady who completed a program 7 years ago and is now a law student writing briefs for the Supreme Court) provided a powerful example of the impact the programs can make. [Another parent] brought up the issue of safety, saying how her son would have been in far greater danger had he been at home rather than in the wilderness…With my photos, I tried to emphasize that while the conditions are rugged, the kids are well-cared for physically …”

This parent’s excerpt speaks to Second Nature’s unwavering desire to lead the industry in providing the highest safety standards while delivering quality, clinical care in facets of programming.

This “snapshot of the day” in DC is specifically designed to thank you – Bev, Ashley, Lori, Loren and Wyatt – for the tremendously generous contributions of your travel, participation and your profoundly meaningful stories. Additionally, I’d to thank the many others who tried to rearrange their schedules, the many parents who happily sent personal testimonials regarding their Second Nature journeys, and to thank all of our families and students for your consistent and far-reaching support.

Second Nature Blue Ridge Welcomes Therapist: Greta Lutman!

noreply@blogger.com (Second Nature) — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 21:04:00 +0000

Greta Lutman, M.A. LCAS

Second Nature Blue Ridge

Adolescent Females - Primary Therapist

Prior Work Experience:
Inpatient adult, adolescent substance abuse, psychiatric, and eating disorder treatment centers; Wilderness Therapist and Clinical Director of SUWS of the Carolinas; and extensive therapeutic boarding school experience, most notably at Carlbrook School as Assistant Clinical Director.

Areas of Expertise:

Greta works well with adolescents struggling with depression, anxiety, grief, trauma, addiction, identity problems, adoption issues, and individuation problems. Taking a trauma-informed approach, she understands that many problems in adolescence are caused or exacerbated by unresolved grief and trauma. Seeing the family as the "client," Greta enjoys helping parents become agents for change.

Strengths:

Greta's strengths center around her ability to know and understand the student and parents, helping each person feel safe and connected. Utilizing relationship to understand the system from the inside, she assists each family member in taking responsibility, re-conceptualizing the "problem," and adjusting beliefs, feelings, and responses accordingly.

Interests:

Viewing, collecting and occasionally making art; mid-century modern furniture and decorative arts, experiencing exotic ethnic cuisines, jumping on her trampoline, spending time at galleries and studios with her husband David, and exploring Asheville, where she lives.

Bio:

Greta graduated from Wake Forest University with a Bachelor's Degree in Anthropology in 1988, and a Masters from Appalachian State University in Agency Counseling in 1992 with specializations in Substance Abuse Counseling and Marriage and Family Counseling. She is a Licensed Addictions Specialist.

After several years of working in in-patient substance abuse and eating disorder units, Greta discovered wilderness therapy and believes it to be a most effective setting for adolescents and their families to begin the change process. She was fortunate to have worked for three years at Carlbrook School, where she enjoyed the relationships that a longer-term intervention afforded.

As a clinician, Greta attempts to focus all of her attention on understanding the person she is sitting with (no matter age, gender, role or what their struggles may be) and on her own experience of that person. Her goal is to understand the function of each person's behaviors and beliefs in a system, how all members relate, and how adjusting the structure of a system can bring relief, change, and growth.

Greta's strong emphasis on assisting clients in "re-envisioning" their difficulties by guiding them towards the awareness of their inner landscape through Gestalt work, guided imagery, timeline work, and other highly personal and metaphoric work. In this way, the client becomes his or her own best resource for healing.

Second Nature Uintas Staff Spotlight: Dr. Coady Schueler!

noreply@blogger.com (Second Nature) — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 16:35:00 +0000

Coady Schueler, Psy.D.

Second Nature Uintas

Adolescent Boys - Primary Therapist

Prior Work Experience:

Dr. Coady Schueler has twenty five years of clinical experience. Prior to joining Second Nature, Dr. Schueler worked in inpatient psychiatric settings, university counseling centers, community mental health clinics, a group private practice and a therapeutic boarding school.

Areas of Expertise:

Over the course of her career, Dr. Schueler has developed an expertise in working with adolescents who have depression, anxiety, non-verbal learning disorders, oppositional defiance, eating disorders and substance abuse/dependence.

Strengths:

Coady has a capacity to establish and maintain a rapport with adolescents who are resistant to treatment. Her diagnostic skills coupled with her ability to formulate a comprehensive understanding of the underpinnings of each adolescent’s struggle, guide her interventions. Humor and patience are as important in her work.

Interests:

Coady’s passions include telemark skiing in the backcountry and trail running when the ski season is over. Her most important passion is her son Ketch who continuously keeps her humble by reminding her that just because she is a parent does not mean that she knows all of the answers.

Bio:

Dr. Coady Schueler received her M.A. in Counseling Psychology in 1986 from Antioch New England Graduate School. She earned her Doctorate in Psychology from the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology in 1994. Coady’s primary focus in her professional career has been adolescents. Her dissertation explored how an adolescent’s conceptualization of emotional intimacy was impacted by the experience of being sexually abused. She has worked in a variety of clinical settings, inpatient psychiatric units, university counseling centers, children’s group home, group private practice, as well as, a therapeutic boarding school. Prior to joining Second Nature, Coady was a Psychologist at The Oakley School, a leading therapeutic boarding school, for five years.

Through her work in residential settings, Coady has extensive experience integrating a child's successful completion of a wilderness program into long term settings. This perspective guides Coady’s approach with current students and families. Coady employs the framework of developmental psychology to understand adolescents and their unique struggles and, from this understanding, utilizes cognitive behavioral techniques, psycho-dynamic theory, as well as the tenants of Family Systems Theory to inform her interventions. Patience and humor are as important in her work.

Originally from the east coast, Coady moved to Park City, Utah in 1993 with her husband. She loves telemark skiing in the backcountry and trail running when the ski season is over. Her greatest love is her son Ketch. She and her son share a passion for lacrosse and, much to Ketch’s chagrin, she has developed a reputation for being a "boisterous cheerleader" during his lacrosse games.

"Will My Child Forgive Me?"

noreply@blogger.com (Second Nature) — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 03:17:00 +0000

Dr. Brad Reedy

“Will my child forgive me?” This is one of the most common questions parents ask when contemplating a child’s emotional reaction to a wilderness therapy intervention. Often, the questions center around whether the child will forgive, will feel abandoned, or will hate the parent. These questions tug deeply at the heart of each parent. Nothing is so precious as the relationship with one’s child. The fear of losing that relationship is truly frightening.

My first response to the question is simply this: Your child will forgive you when he/she gets healthy—because that’s what healthy people do. They forgive their parents for their decisions, for their perceived limitations, for their insecurities and surely for the well-meaning interventions. In that vein, a young person who matures and gains a more well-rounded and healthy perspective, will forgive a parent for initiating an intervention that they, the parent, believes is vital to the health, well-being and in some cases, their child’s survival.

Parenting by “trying to control what the child feels” contains several fissures at its very foundation. First, trying to “control” what a child feels actually teaches the child that feelings are someone else’s responsibility. Feelings are to be owned. Further we may also be sending a message to our child that difficult feelings are to be avoided at all costs, thus robbing the child of working through the feelings and the challenges they encounter. We can talk about how an action and perception of that action leads to our emotions, but the feeling is ours to own. Subsequently, by parenting with a focus on our intentions and our truth rather than by how our child might react or perceive us, we are able to let go of how our children feel and give it back to them.

At Second Nature, we often see young people struggling with an inability to differentiate in their relationships. They struggle to determine where they end and where the other person starts. This lack of clarity is often rooted in a family of origin that (unwittingly) models this form of emotional control. “You made me lose my temper,” or “you caused me to feel sad,” “I am lonely because you ignored me.” By allowing your child to experience their feelings while listening empathically, and NOT making your choices based on his/her emotional reactions, you assist your child in establishing a healthy pattern of emotions, navigating challenges and relating to others throughout their lives.

Back to the question…..”Will my child forgive me?”……A second problem with this question is the control it allows the child to have in the parent-child relationship. The above paragraphs speak to the perspective of control from the parent to the child. However, another risky aspect of this dynamic is the control that the child has over the parents. In essence, the type of thinking we are talking about allows the child to say to the parent, “I won’t forgive (or love, or feel loved, or feel safe, or feel cared for or talk to you, etc.) unless you do (or don’t do) “X”. This dynamic places decision-making in the hands of the child. Parents are under the proverbial gun to do as the child desires in order to have the emotional outcome they want. By making your decisions without deferring to your child’s emotional reaction, but from a place of love, careful consideration, education, intuition, faith, and insight - in other words, doing the very best you can - you don’t put your child in the (inappropriate) position of raising him or herself.

I remember this simple, short example from my work in the field with a young man and his family that illustrates this point well. During the third week of this young man’s program, I had asked the mother in this family to write a challenging letter to her son. Her son was slow to consider the magnitude of his choices (dealing drugs) and the impact of his actions on his life and the life of his family. He was talking about therapy as “unnecessary” and an “over-reaction” on his parents’ part. Mom wrote a very heartfelt, honest and courageous letter to her son, with my direction and support, and sent it to her son in the field. The subsequent letter she received from her son was angry, bitter, resentful and attacking. Mom started our next call with, “I made a mistake. I wrote a horrible letter.” I asked her why she felt this way and she responded with what seemed to be obvious evidence to her. “Look at my son’s reaction. He is going to lose hope and faith in me. He is furious!” I went on to explain to this mother how powerful and direct she was in her letter. I explained that if she measured her effectiveness by the emotional response of her son, she was using a very flawed instrument for healthy communication and interaction.

Expanding on the idea of giving children control in the relationship, this pattern of parenting (worrying about your child’s emotional responses to your boundaries and consequences) also puts the responsibility of your self-esteem as a parent squarely on your child’s shoulders. You are, in essence, saying to your child, “I will feel about myself as you feel about me.” For your child, in the short-run, this responsibility for your parents’ self-esteem is a nice piece of power to get what you want, the long-term consequences of being responsible for a parent’s self-worth is psychologically taxing. Eventually those same children, as adults, will need space from their parents as they will want to resist being the one “carrying” mom and dad’s sense of self. By letting go of how your child feels, while still being sensitive and respectful of it, you un-burden your child from taking care of you.

So…Will they forgive you? When they get healthy.

What can you do? Do your best. That’s all you can do anyway. And allow your child to have their emotional response. In fact, this “letting go” of your child’s reaction is one of the greatest contributions you can make to the equation. When they realize you are not being held hostage by their emotions and response, they will usually let go of the helplessness, blame and manipulation.

Second Nature Blue Ridge Welcomes New Therapist!

noreply@blogger.com (Team Second Nature) — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 00:17:00 +0000

Kelly Wedell EdS, LPC

New Adolescent Females Group Therapist at Second Nature Blue Ridge

Kelly is a licensed professional counselor experienced in working with adolescents, adults and families in various mental health settings focusing primarily on trauma and substance abuse. She received her MS in community counseling from Western Carolina University and her EdS in mental health counseling education from The University of Montana where she spent several years as a primary therapist at Chrysalis, an all girls therapeutic boarding school.

While in private practice for the past several years she has stayed connected with the therapeutic wilderness community by conducting the parent education day for a wilderness therapy program and co-created Touchstone, a post-graduate family wilderness weekend to reconnect students and their family with the magic of the woods. Kelly enjoys working with teens and their families who are navigating the destructive coping often associated with trauma, substance abuse and core developmental wounding.

Kelly has specialized training in EMDR, a trauma-based therapy, Hakomi, a body-focused mindfulness approach, addiction and recovery treatment and family systems. Outside of work she enjoys mountain biking, yoga, camping, rafting and being converted from a snowboarder to a skier by her husband and daughter.