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...]
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...]
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...]
Attachment and Parenting Styles: Part 2
In the following blog post, Parent Therapist Peter Girz, LCSW, continues his series on attachment and parenting. If you haven’t had a chance to read part one yet, please click here: Attachment and Parenting Styles: Part 1. Even if you are familiar with the child/parent attachment that I touched on in the previous post, it can be difficult to understand how attachment styles translate into adulthood. There are no … [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...]
Attachment and Parenting Styles: Part 1
It’s not unusual to enter the therapeutic process with a future orientation. When enrolling in True North, families wonder where this process will lead. It is important to maintain a goal oriented perspective, and yet, the process begins with looking into the past. This is the first of four-part series examining the theory and integration of family systems work in the context of True North’s programming. We begin … [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...]
It Takes a Village: Breaking from the Academic Norm
Engaging in a wilderness or residential therapy placement is a big commitment for families, especially since it usually entails withdrawing from school, and letting go of expectations one may hold surrounding traditional academics. As a society, we are accustomed to a developmental trajectory that emphasizes academic success as the central point of focus, with emotional and social development lurking in the … [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...]
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...]
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...]
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...]
“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...]
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...]
Grieving the Loss of Idealized Adolescence
Supporting clients and families in the process of acceptance and charting a path towards healthier communication We often see a form of grief and loss taking place in times of transition to alternative educational settings. Specifically, we regularly speak with parents and students about letting go of the ideal image they wished they had with respect to neurotypical adolescent development and traditional academic … [Read more...]
Spectrum of Care and Therapeutic Support for Adolescents
True North Wilderness Program is one of many forms of residential treatment that can guide individuals and families on a path to health and wellness. However, our therapeutic milieu and where wilderness falls on the overall spectrum of care is often unfamiliar and at times overwhelming for families to fully understand. Described here are the varying levels of care, from least to most restrictive and supportive. … [Read more...]
A Closer Look at Parent and Family Work
One of the most exciting and sometimes daunting elements of participation at True North is the Parent Program. Whether a family is new to treatment or has had previous experience, this is an opportunity to explore family dynamics and patterns and to engage in a parallel process with students. As families begin their work with parent therapists at True North, there are certain terms that are bound to come up. These … [Read more...]
Preparing Our Students For Transition
Transitioning out of True North can be one of the most difficult tasks that our students take on during their stay here. Leaving behind friends and mentors, removing themselves from the quiet and serene wilderness, and departing from the structured environment that allows immense growth to occur, creates a stressful and exciting time for our students. We realize how difficult this time can be and have implemented a … [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...]
New Year’s Neuroscience: Goal Setting
As the calendar year winds down, we acknowledge one of the most widely accepted and practiced ceremonies in cultures throughout the world: marking the passage of time by setting intentions for the coming year. New year’s resolutions are grounded in a belief that growth and maturation are not only possible, but within our grasp. We look to the past, recognize our human imperfections, and then turn to the future, … [Read more...]
