We are delighted to invite you to join True North Evolution for an in-person presentation series on serving marginalized populations in the LGBTQ+ community. The series will showcase two different presentations and will span locations in Vermont and New Hampshire. This is a sponsored educational event by the National Association of Therapeutic Schools and Programs (NATSAP), who will award two free CEUs to … [Read more...]
CEU and Networking Event
True North Evolution is looking forward to hosting a networking opportunity for professionals in the Northeastern United States. The event will take place on March 24 from 9:00 AM - Noon in Burlington, VT. As the sponsor of this event, Bayside Continuing Education is offering continuing education that will focus on tools for serving marginalized populations in the LGBTQ+ community and assessing when residential … [Read more...]
Identity Development, Adventure, and Therapy
Adolescents and young adults often enroll at True North because they are feeling stuck. They may be stuck in their room, stuck on their devices, or stuck in unhealthy habits. This often leads to cycles of shame and guilt. Developmentally, adolescence and young adults are at a pivotal point in their identity-development journey. The multitude of adventure opportunities at True North offers novel experiences and tools … [Read more...]
All Gender Programming at True North
In the Spring of 2020, after 15 years of operating with single-gender adolescent groups and all-gender young adult groups, True North introduced an all-gender adolescent group, one of the first of its kind in the field of wilderness therapy. While True North has always had an inclusive approach, and has worked with many students to find the right fit within the previous group structure, it was clear that adolescents … [Read more...]
Alex Szuba, BS: A Role Model, a Mentor, an Experiential Learning Guru
The role of the “Guide” in Wilderness Therapy cannot be overstated. As the direct care staff, the Guide creates the foundation for therapeutic intervention, and supports each student throughout their therapeutic journey. Guides work closely with the Wilderness Therapist in treatment planning and implementation, and complete eight day intensive and rewarding shifts. When interviewed upon their graduation from True … [Read more...]
Comparison is the Thief of Joy
I often hear students compare themselves to their peers. It sounds like, “I went so slow in Trailhead phase” or “Jesse is better at bow drilling than me. They’ve already busted a coal.” Or I hear something along the lines of “Harlow never asks for breaks on hikes, and he doesn’t have any issue carrying his pack.” To compare is to consider the similarities or differences between two things or people. However, we often … [Read more...]
Exciting Changes to the True North Clinical Team
True North is thrilled to announce some exciting changes to the clinical team. Bo Bicknell will be leading the team as Clinical Director, Evan Oppenheimer will run the young adult group, and Michael Domey has joined the team to work with adolescent boys. Bo Bicknell, LCSW has provided exceptional care to adolescent and young adult clients both as a clinician and as a leader in the field department for … [Read more...]
Beyond a Hybrid Reality: A Pandemic of Lost Identity
Social scientists widely agree that identity development is more complex than it was in Erik Erikson’s time. Identity exploration extends beyond adolescence, and is now a key feature of emerging adulthood (Arnett, 2021). Further, with the inception of the internet (and particularly social media and online video games), identity development now transpires within a “hybrid reality,” interactions in both the online and … [Read more...]
Pronouns and Morning Circle
“Morning circle” occurs every morning as the group prepares to depart camp. It is an opportunity for each student to share the mindset and feelings they are carrying into the day. In the all gender group, taking a moment to share one’s preferred pronouns as part of morning circle is simple and profoundly affirming. Quick vocabulary recap: Gender identity is a person’s internal sense of gender and gender … [Read more...]
Update from the Research Coordinator
Greetings from the Research Coordinator! It’s time for an update on outcomes-based research... The database continues to grow! The National Association of Therapeutic Schools and Programs (NATSAP) has a growing community of more than 70 programs participating in outcomes research. This expands quality of care, improvement of services, and to provides useful data to the public. Named the NATSAP Practice … [Read more...]
Gender Joys
Enjoy a few glimpses into moments in the all gender group at True North this week: A student and guide sit together, brainstorming potential middle names. The pharmacy sent the correct size syringe (1L !) for a student’s weekly testosterone shot. The numbers are easier to read, the needle is shorter, and the students' anxiety was visibly lower. A parent catches themself misgendering their son, and … [Read more...]
A Gender Inclusive Environment
As a trans nonbinary human and therapist of an all-gender adolescent group, I often spend my time thinking about the intersection of gender and wilderness therapy. I am eager to publish a series of thoughts and questions that arise in my work, and will start with gender affirming environments. How do we move beyond the gender binary? What does a space that accepts people of all genders look like and sound like? How … [Read more...]
True North is Hiring Guides!
Join the guide team at True North! This is a great opportunity to work with an amazing team and to connect passions for the outdoors, healthy living, and working with young people. The average starting pay is $1719 per shift. Benefits include: health insurance, SIMPLE IRA, opportunity to earn up to $450/year towards qualified health and wellness activities, and the opportunity to earn up to $600/year of student … [Read more...]
Academic Success: Take Learning Outside
Parents worry about their child or young adult falling behind academically or missing school when considering a 10-12 week wilderness therapy experience. Flooded with doubt and guilt, and heavily influenced by pressures to focus on grades and credits, it is difficult to objectively weigh the pros and cons of withdrawing from school, and choosing wilderness therapy. This decision has been even more complicated during … [Read more...]
Announcing an all gender adolescent group
Good news seems to be a precious commodity these days and we are thrilled to share an exciting new development at True North. Please join us in welcoming Margo Kelly, MSW, MEd to the True North Clinical Team. Margo will be opening a brand new ALL gender adolescent group, the first of its kind at True North. This group is appropriate for any adolescent student who fits a traditional True North profile and may … [Read more...]
“Success is Subjective” Podcast Features Owner/Co-Founder Ty Maves
True North Owner and Co-Founder Ty Maves was excited to reconnect with Joanna Lilley, host of a new podcast called Success is Subjective to share a bit of his story and some thoughts about emerging adulthood. Joanna is the owner and founder of Lilley Consulting, a firm that is dedicated to all things related to emerging adulthood. She works with families to identify therapeutic resources, gap year programs, and to … [Read more...]
COVID-19 Response Plan: March 6, 2020
FOR THE MOST CURRENT INFORMATION ABOUT TRUE NORTH'S COVID-19 RESPONSE, PLEASE REFER TO THE COVID-19 UPDATE PAGE. The administrative team at True North has been paying close attention to news and reports on the spread of the COVID-19 Coronavirus. The safety and wellbeing of our students, staff, and families is top priority just as it always is and would be regarding any situation that might arise. We are … [Read more...]
“Stories from the Field: Demystifying Wilderness Therapy” Podcast features True North Co-Founder/Owner, Mod Barefoot
True North Wilderness Program Owner & Co-founder Mod Barefoot was recently featured on the podcast, “Stories from the Field: Demystifying Wilderness Therapy.” Dr. Will White’s interview with Mod is the premier episode of the podcast’s new season focused on clinicians in wilderness therapy. Will and Mod reflect on the early experiences and education that led Mod to this field, as well as her work in a … [Read more...]
Alumni Gathering: NY 2019
True North has been helping families for nearly 15 years and there are just under 1,000 alumni families that have participated in the program to date! True North remains invested in providing opportunities for students to maintain connection with their True North experience and our regional Alumni Gatherings continue to be a great touch point for our alumni, their families and the True North team. June 22, 2019 … [Read more...]
The Magic (and Science) of Nature
Why Wilderness? “In every walk in nature one receives far more than he seeks” – John Muir The thing that separates wilderness therapy from all other modalities is the fully immersive experience in a wilderness setting. It is fair to ask the question, why wilderness? I first encountered this question at age 22 when I was applying to wilderness therapy companies to work as a field guide - … [Read more...]
Understanding Substance, Video Game, and Technology Use from the Inside Out
For the last several decades we’ve been having a conversation about the link between problematic substance use and adolescents. More recently this conversation has increasingly been expanded to include harmful video game and technology use. There is an equally well-established dialogue between adolescents and their parents, schools, and society at large about the risks associated with these behaviors. Adults offer up … [Read more...]
After Eight Years: Alumni Musings by Talia
I write this blog entry several days after visiting True North – eight years after having attended the program. This time I was able to ask the right questions. This time – I got a much better picture of who I used to be. I found out I had the longest intake in True North history. Of course I hadn’t remembered that, since I went on to see True North as my second home, a place that at times felt more like … [Read more...]
Skills: Building Traps
Outdoor living skills, such as learning how to make traps, are an integral part of the wilderness therapy experience at True North. Our students learn how to make two types of traps, the Paiute Deadfall and the Figure Four. They make a total of four traps and learn how to set them up with flat rocks they find near their campsites. Each trap comes with its own unique set of mechanical challenges, from harvesting trees … [Read more...]
Skills: Making Fire
The successful completion of True North, like all life adventures, requires the acquisition of new skills and expertise. While the word “therapy” often suggests emotional or cognitive work, the Wilderness requires the acquisition of a set of physical skills as well. These physical skills relate closely to the social and emotional work that takes place at True North. An essential skill at True North is the art of … [Read more...]
Alumni Gathering: Boston 2018
When I made the transition from Administrative Assistant to Research and Alumni Coordinator last fall, I was curious what it would be like to spend more time connecting with True North families after graduation. One of the aspects of my work at True North over the past five years that has been the most rewarding is being able to offer support to parents and family members during the intake process and throughout … [Read more...]
Research: Purpose and Process
Why do we conduct research? Each family at True North has a unique story with their own specific struggles and goals. It is our aim to provide individuals and families the best care and support possible as we collaborate to chart the course toward a successful future. Wilderness therapy has a powerful way of identifying the difficulties families are facing and addressing them in a way that is … [Read more...]
“I just want my child to be happy.”
“I just want my child to be happy.” We hear this often from the families that we work with. It is a wish that on the surface, seems heartfelt and harmless. What parent doesn’t want their child to be happy? This is especially true for parents who have children struggling with anxiety, depression, or other personal challenges. For many parents who have been living with the pain of watching their child struggle to … [Read more...]
Summer Team Announcements
The summer is upon us in the world of Wilderness Therapy, and True North is thrilled to welcome the following individuals to our team: Ally Barnett, MSW, joins the clinical team as a course leader (student therapist) starting in late May. She has been working as a therapist in nearby Burlington and became acquainted with True North through a former course leader there. In preparation for running her … [Read more...]
What to Expect at a Hiring Seminar
True North students are continuously learning more about themselves and experiencing new challenges in the wilderness. They live in small groups where they are working to build community, learn leadership skills, and understand their own therapeutic process. Their personal and group experiences may seem daunting and stressful at times. But the students are not alone in their journey. They are supported throughout … [Read more...]
The Journey of Guides to Therapists
On Wednesday mornings before a shift, the air is electric but the guides are sometimes a bit sleepy. The night before a week long Wednesday-to-Wednesday shift often lacks the same uninterrupted rest as other nights. The potential pleasures and pitfalls of a new dramatic week often loom heavy in the mind on a Tuesday evening, and each guide must prepare themselves with their own rituals and habits. Before they took … [Read more...]
Gearing Up: Winter in Vermont
“Dressed like onions” might sound funny when you think about our students and staff in the cold Vermont winters, but the phrase is actually an important principle in the year round outdoor-active community. The idea is to simply layer up when you are cold and layer down when you are warm to always find the most comfortable temperature for the activity you are doing. Whether it’s sitting around the campfire journaling … [Read more...]
True North joins with other professionals to help kids in need
Professional conferences are a wonderful opportunity to connect with colleagues from near and far, to learn and explore new ideas through professional development, and to contribute to the advancement of the industry through presentations highlighting current research and best practices. At the most recent IECA (Independent Educational Consultants Association) conference in Washington DC, True North was delighted to … [Read more...]
What to Expect When You Arrive at True North
Walking in to True North is a bit like walking through a friend’s front door for a cup of coffee. Our office is home-like and staffed with people who know what you are going through. It is not uncommon for students or their families to be anxious when they arrive at True North. After all, nobody really knows what to expect because it’s a new experience for everyone… but not for the staff at True North. We have … [Read more...]
Braving the Wilderness: An Argument for Wilderness Therapy
In her 2017 book Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone, Brené Brown, Ph.D., LMSW, writes, “What all wilderness metaphors have in common are the notions of solitude, vulnerability, and emotional, spiritual, or physical quest. Belonging so fully to yourself that you’re willing to stand alone is a wilderness – an untamed, unpredictable place of solitude and searching. It … [Read more...]
Neil Binette and Bogie Foden present on Research at Regional Conference
Course Leader Edward “ Bogie" Foden and Parent Therapist Neil Binette presented at the NATSAP NE Regional Conference in Kennebunkport, ME on September 27, 2017. They shared an enthusiastic review of the impact of parent and family therapy work during treatment in wilderness therapy, based on research conducted by Bogie this past year at True North as part of his graduate work at UNH. Students of wilderness therapy … [Read more...]
True North Attends Northeast NATSAP Conference in Maine
On September 26-27th True North attended the 2017 NATSAP Northeast Regional Conference. This conference has been thriving at the Colony Hotel in Kennebunkport, ME for the past several years. After all, who doesn’t enjoy continuing education with a side of lobster? The conference has been so well attended that it has outgrown the venue, and will move to a bigger location in Cape Cod, MA in 2018. True North was proud … [Read more...]
What to expect when you call an admissions counselor
As parents explore the True North website, they may feel overwhelmed with all of the information and confounded about how to make the best decision for their child. They may worry that calling an admissions counselor might confuse and overwhelm them further, or that they will just get a canned sales pitch. When a parent or student calls an admissions counselor at True North, they can expect to find someone who … [Read more...]
