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...]
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...]
The Safety in Trying, Failing, and Trying Again
Wilderness therapy offers a rich learning environment, and exploring new behaviors is a critical part of developing personal insight and a positive sense of self. There are moments where many students at True North do something that would have normally landed them in trouble at home. However, in the wilderness therapy environment, these moments become opportunities, where course leaders are able to act in a way that … [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...]
Self Efficacy and Self Worth: Empowering Young Women
With the changing of seasons in New England, I have been reflecting on the small yet crucial changes that begin early in True North student’s experience. The mental and physical fortitude students gain along their journey takes time to develop. The beauty of wilderness is that new students will always be supported by more seasoned students, not to mention capable and compassionate field guides, setting the stage for … [Read more...]
Nonviolent Communication: A Path to Emotional Expression and Relational Repair
Adolescence is an important developmental stage where emotional vocabulary blossoms. That said, identifying and expressing emotions is a skill that youth have to develop. Putting a name to an emotional experience is challenging, and the knee jerk reaction can be inflammatory. Adolescents tend to “react” to relational distress or conflict versus “responding” to it. This “reaction” could be blaming, withdrawing, … [Read more...]
Creating New Paths: Organization from Complexity
When a group of students at True North arrive at a new campsite, the area typically looks a bit chaotic. Trees and bushes, bumps and puddles, sticks and dirt are everywhere. Perhaps the temperature has dropped and everything is covered in a smooth sheen of snow or ice. The functions of the ecosystem that created the area are incredibly complex, to the point of seeming to be completely random and almost infinitely … [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...]
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...]
Treating Self-Harming Behavior in the Wilderness
At this year’s Wilderness Therapy Symposium in Park City Utah, True North therapist Bo Bicknell MSW joined clinicians Emily Thelan (Chrysalis School) and Kendra Meiklejohn (Outback Therapeutic Expeditions) to lead a workshop presentation on treating adolescent girls who exhibit self-harming behaviors in the wilderness. Their audience included visiting consultants, wilderness guides, clinical directors, and other … [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: Map and Compass
The theme of navigation appears regularly in our lives at True North. A student’s arrival is typically discussed as “the beginning of the journey” through True North. As a therapist, I speak with students and parents about “shifting course," or "finding a new path." One often arrives to a program like True North after they “took a wrong turn,” “started moving in the wrong direction,” or “got lost.” We move through … [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...]
Finding the “Real World” in the Woods: Leaving Behind Social Media and Anxiety
As a student adjusts to life in the woods at True North, the often begin to have discussions about “the real world” and what they do “in real life.” They talk about favorite music, movies, and other media. In particular, they tend to discuss their lives on social media: “What’s your Twitter handle?” “What’s your Insta?” “What’s your Finsta?” (a ‘Fake Instagram,’ typically reserved only for close friends). This is … [Read more...]
Pack Weight
Pack-weight is an important consideration when hiking long-distances. Typically, aspiring thru-hikers start with heavy packs, and gradually we find ways to reduce our weight along the trail. When I set out on the Appalachian Trail my pack weighed 54 pounds! Little things make a collective difference. Pack weight determines how nimble and how lite we are on our feet, and eventually the most stubborn hikers begin to … [Read more...]
Resilience in the Cold
After particularly cold nights in the Vermont hills, mornings can be noisy. Trees creak and snap as the first sunlight reflects off of the bright snow and starts to melt ice particles. Occasional wind gusts nudge branches at the tops of trees into motion, dropping a bit of snow near the top, which upsets the next snowy branch below, escalating step by step into an avalanche of powder thundering down out of the pines … [Read more...]
The Impact of Wilderness Therapy on Academic Success
A question we often hear from families and students alike is, “How is fire making, building traps and hiking possibly going to help me in my life?!” As professionals working in the field of wilderness therapy, we have long seen how a few short intensive months in wilderness settings can have a positive impact on a student’s success in academic endeavors. However, understanding what actually goes on in wilderness to … [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...]
