Deseret News Archives,
Sunday, July 29, 1990
NEWCOMER IN TEEN THERAPY SHUNS DESERT SUN FOR PINES
By Brent Israelsen, Staff Writer
Few rattlesnakes roam the high country of Cedar Mountain.
That comes as a great relief to several of the teenagers enrolled in Seneca, a wilderness therapy program that moved a few weeks ago from the northern Arizona desert to a site on private property a few miles south of Navajo Lake.
The absence of poisonous snakes is just one of the differences between Seneca, a relative newcomer in this genre of child-therapy programs, and Challenger, the most controversial in light of the heat-stroke death last month of a girl in the Challenger program.
Seneca, though still emphasizing the wilderness experience, is devoid of grueling hikes and drill sergeant like orders from the staff.
In contrast to Challenger, which takes its enrollees on cross-country desert treks, Seneca operates out of a base camp, subjecting its participants primarily to round-trip day hikes.
The Seneca participants sleep in tents that, though hidden in the evergreen trees, are only about 100 yards from several cabins that have hot water and comfortable beds, just in case a participant gets ill.
Without naming his competitors, Bob Lichfield, Seneca admissions director, said, "We feel our program is more designed for safety." The Cedar City hospital is closer to Seneca than the Panguitch hospital is to the Escalante desert, he said.
And besides, the mountains are less hostile than the desert during the summer, said David Goodwin, a child therapist who works with Seneca youths and also happens to own the property that Seneca leases. "I'm in favor of the wilderness, boot-camp concept - as long as you have a quick way out," said Goodwin, who plans to equip a nearby pasture with fuel tanks, lights and a wind sock to accommodate helicopters in case of emergency. Seneca, which was started in Hawaii about 18 months ago and will likely move its operation to that state during the winter, teaches basic survival and camping skills to the rebellious and troubled teenagers placed in the program by their parents. But Goodwin also guides them through a set curriculum that includes classes on self-esteem, values and family relationships.
"Mother Nature will teach them responsibility," said Lichfield. "I know the effectiveness of the outdoor setting. It's magical."
