The first issue here is that people are grouping together all of the programs under the Second Nature name, which is going to lead to problems regardless of intention--they operate an adult program, several programs for adolescents, and a program for younger kids.
That may not sound like a big deal, but I worked in the industry after being a client at one of their programs and trust me--the differences are huge between adult, adolescent, and youth programs. Different laws apply, different treatments are emphasized, and each employs a (similar and still) different structure. For example, most adolescent and especially the youth programs are not meant to "fix" or "cure" the student; they are mainly used for stabilization, assessment, and are (way more often than not) just prerequisites for getting the student into a good boarding school, as many require a certain level of behavioral decency that these students need help reaching.
I was a client at Second Nature Entrada, which is home to several adolescent groups and a couple adult groups as well. There are definitely things about it that I disagreed with, and also had an overwhelmingly positive experience. I think that most therapists--psychiatrists in particular--are full of crap, and have been very open with that opinion since day one. That being said, I would take a bullet for my therapist at 2NE. That man, and the field staff out there, helped save me from myself in ways that those who haven't experienced this kind of thing cannot begin to imagine.
It's very obvious, reading over this forum, that most of the posters have little to no idea what they're talking about, either in regard to the positive or more questionable aspects of wilderness therapy programs--and yes, both are very real. Example: one poster said that--and I quote--"nobody who went to a wilderness program would ever claim that it helped them." Well, here I am. It saved my life, and I know that is not true for everyone.
What program "works" for everyone, in any realm of life? Does school guarantee everyone a job? Does everyone like their classes? Their professors? Does everyone learn the same things from their jobs? Of course not.
After graduating, I went to a transitional program in Costa Rica that was blatantly fraudulent, and which I (and everyone else, really) considered to be psychologically abusive in certain ways. That program has been shut down.
I stayed there only long enough to realize what was going on, and then left and went to a different program that was not remarkable in either direction.
I now work in the industry, as a Field Instructor, and can tell you that if a program even had the potential for being abusive, it wouldn't exist for very long. The rules and policies are so incredibly specific, and so much paperwork needs to be filed for everything from a student complaining of a headache to what exactly happened that led to a student's being restrained, that there is no room for error. One kid, who I saw tremendous growth in and will probably always be unstable, called after he graduated and accused a certain staff member of sitting on him, pouring water on his head, and yelling in his ear, "THIS IS HOW ANNOYING YOU ARE!"
He was fired immediately, even though this probably never actually happened. THAT is how careful these programs are to make sure that no such abuse can occur. Staff are never--EVER--alone with a student. All it takes is one vindictive kid deciding he doesn't like you and saying you said mean things to him to get you canned unless someone else was there who can vouch that it didn't occur.
I will answer any questions completely and to the best of my ability, as I believe I have certain insights that most students of these programs don't (that is, seeing both sides of the industry).
