Author Topic: Supporting The Adolescent Rite Of Passage  (Read 1605 times)

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Offline woodbury reports

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Supporting The Adolescent Rite Of Passage
« on: January 07, 2012, 04:26:35 PM »
http://www.strugglingteens.com/artman/p ... 0104.shtml
Supporting The Adolescent Rite Of Passage
by Mary Flora, MBA, MA, LPC, LCAS
Primary Therapist
Trails Carolina
Lake Toxaway, NC
888-387-2457
[email protected]

Clinical symptoms exhibited by teens are a call for transformation. The instinctual drive to find meaning in life produces seeking behaviors that look for fulfillment. This instinct appears in archetypal patterns easily recognizable in any family constellation; the pleaser/co-dependent, the victim, the hero/heroine, the saboteur, the scapegoat, the addict, the perfectionist, the prostitute, the sloth and so on. The urge to transform carries a paradoxical force of energy responsible for both the forward drive hidden in the unconscious as well as its own declining regressive action. This tension appears necessary in creating emotional discomfort that leads to unrest, cognitive dissonance, and a subsequent call to action. When the hidden instinctual drive to move forward releases energy, it filters into consciousness resulting in a moment of clarity, or a cognitive shift causing one to pay attention, feel inspired or motivated. An environment that creates opportunities for individual transformation is critical to supporting the adolescent developmental process that requires the creation of an identity of their own.

A regressive tendency and the opposing call to renewal is a story common to all and a storyline often accompanying adolescence. The adolescent is torn between a need for parental guidance and the developmental pull toward establishing a sense of personal authority. The parent's role is to stand in the middle of the two opposing forces and hold the tension of the opposites, not an easy task. Wilderness is one such environment worthy of supporting the adolescent in the psychological call to action. Nature provides the perfect backdrop for self discovery and a challenging environment for the shift in consciousness that is often sought in adolescence.

Working with teens in a wilderness environment is an honor and a privilege and requires special care to guide them through the conflicting and often self defeating messages they receive in today's culture. Placing teens in a wilderness environment affords them the opportunity to strip away cultural stereotypes and distractions that have thwarted their attempts at forming a positive self image. The passage from childhood into young adulthood requires formal markers and acknowledgment of the need to transform as still present in the modern adolescent psyche. This rite is essential to psychological health even though the cultural constructs needed to positively support this passage are absent (Frankel, 1998). The literal practice of initiation has ceased, but still may be influencing the psychology of adolescence. If positive cultural constructs to initiate are missing, the adolescent will be left to his or her own devices to act out this ritual in whatever way the culture is demanding as the appropriate ideal to attain. Drug use, eating disorders and cutting become habitual and ritualistic, oppositional attitudes, promiscuity and violence mimic what can be seen on reality TV and the internet. These behaviors become the unconscious treatment plan in an attempt to meet the cultural expectation of what is ideal.

An important question to consider is how the absence of the rite to initiate is influencing adolescents and in what way is this absence causing psychological stress in the maturation process and becoming a self destructive narrative for teens.

Personal authority is the ability to validate one's own thoughts and actions as good and true. It develops gradually as others recognize and communicate the value of one's ideas and contributions, both for the family and for the larger social group. Society designates authority symbolically by conferring decision-making influence, social status, and power over material resources. (Young-Eisendrath & Wiedemann, 1987, p. 1)

The therapeutic wilderness experience is one that validates, contributes to the adolescent rite to initiate in an empowering way, and offers decision-making influence in a peer society while fostering transformation as the agent for personal change and renewal.

References:
Frankel, R. (1998). The adolescent psyche. New York, NY: Routledge.
Young-Eisendrath, P. & Wiedemann, F. (1987). Female authority: Empowering women through psychotherapy. New York, NY: The Guilford Press.


Trails Carolina is a comprehensive therapeutic wilderness program for ages 10 - 17 in the tranquil North Carolina Mountains. Specifically developed to address the "whole child" our proven methods and clinical therapies help change troubling behavior, guide adolescents up new paths of self awareness, lead families toward reunification, and healing and re-engage students in appreciation of academic challenge and learning.
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »

Offline none-ya

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Re: Supporting The Adolescent Rite Of Passage
« Reply #1 on: January 07, 2012, 05:26:14 PM »
Funny,nowhere does it mention real rites of passage like driving a car,smoking a joint or getting laid. In no particular order.
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »
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Offline cmack

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Re: Supporting The Adolescent Rite Of Passage
« Reply #2 on: January 07, 2012, 09:15:52 PM »
http://www.heal-online.org/childtortureusa.htm#trails

Trails Carolina in Lake Toxaway, NC is confirmedly abusive.  We received a report from a former staff stating that this program is abusive.  We are currently working on the staff list for this program.  In the meantime, please see the complaints confirmed by the Division of Health Service Regulation.  If you were abused or had your rights violated at Trails Carolina, please contact us and we will post your story here as a warning to others.

 http://www.heal-online.org/trails.pdf

viewtopic.php?f=9&t=26502

viewtopic.php?f=9&t=26502&start=45#p368695

STATEMENT OF DEFICIENCIES AND PLAN OF CORRECTION

Postby Ursus » 06 Jul 2010, 01:01
Okay... here we go, no more muckity muck.

Given my predilection for appropriate attribution, y'all would be so good as to note that this doc was obtained (somehow) by Angela & Company at HEAL. I have, as of yet, been unable to reach her re. more details.

-------------- • -------------- • --------------

NORTH CAROLINA Division of Health Service Regulation

    PRINTED: 03/23/2010
    FORM APPROVED


STATEMENT OF DEFICIENCIES AND PLAN OF CORRECTION


(X1) PROVIDER/SUPPLIER/CLIA IDENTIFICATION NUMBER: MHL088-020
(X2) MULTIPLE CONSTRUCTION

    A. BUILDING ______________________
    B. WING _____________________________

(X3) DATE SURVEY COMPLETED: 03/04/2010

NAME OF PROVIDER OR SUPPLIER: TRAILS CAROLINA
STREET ADDRESS, CITY, STATE, ZIP CODE:

    500 WINDING GAP ROAD
    LAKE TOXAWAY, NC 28747

An annual and complaint survey was completed 3/4/10. The complaint was substantiated. (Intake ID #NC00062564). Deficiencies were cited.

This Rule is not met as evidenced by:
Based on review of facility records, and interviews, the facility failed to implement their policy requiring and ensuring the Department of Social Services (DSS), in the county where services are provided, was notified of all allegations of resident abuse by health care personnel, affecting one of four sampled clients (#4). The findings are:

A review of facility records on 3/1/10 revealed an incident report dated 12/23/09 and 2 incident reports dated 12/24/09 addressing a restraint of Client #4 which occurred on 12/23/09. The report by the Facility Manager dated 12/23/09 stated he "restrained (Client #4) to ground and held until staff intervened." The attached Physical Intervention report also completed by the Facility Manager on 12/23/09 revealed, in the section asking if the student was injured during the intervention, Client #4 got a "bloody lip trying to bite staff."

Review on 3/1/10 of the 2 incident reports completed 12/24/09 revealed Staff #1 and Staff #2 witnessed the Facility Manager strike Client #4 during the restraint on 12/23/09. The incident report by Staff #1 revealed he "saw [the Facility Manager] hit [Client #4] in the face ... and observed [Client#4] had blood in his mouth." The incident report by Staff #2 revealed the Facility Manager "took student to ground and punched [Client #4] in the lip."

A review on 3/1/10 of an internal investigation report revealed the Executive Director(ED) was out of town and learned of allegations by Client #4 and Staff #1 and #2 in a phone call from the Admissions Director(AD) on 12/23/09. The AD was in charge of facility in the absence of the ED. The AD documented an interview at approximately 4:30 PM on 12/23/09 with Client #4, during which Client #4 told him he had hit the Facility Manager in the face and the Facility Manager hit him back in the face.

Review on 3/1/10 of facility policy and procedures for reporting allegations of abuse revealed: "Policy: The therapist shall provide a leadership role in the identification, reporting, and follow-upon child abuse issues. ... Procedures: ...3. The therapist will receive supervision from a clinical supervisor and the Executive Director to determine if there is enough data to warrant a "reasonable suspicion" that a student has been the victim of abuse. That is all that is required for a suspected report. ... 6. c. Documentation will be made on the Abuse, Neglect, and Dependency Report, Attachment 2 and will be forwarded to the Department of Social Services (DSS)."

Review of facility records on 3/1/10 revealed no Abuse, Neglect, and Dependency Report, Attachment 2 was on file, nor was there documentation that such a report had been forwarded to DSS.
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »