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...]
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...]
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...]
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...]
What to Expect at a Parent Workshop
A core value at True North is the importance of family. In support of our values, we are committed to family inclusion, especially when it comes to working together with the parents and guardians of our students. We have received overwhelmingly positive feedback through the years related to the work that parents at True North have invested in, alongside their children, in a parallel process of self-discovery and … [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...]
Parent Programming at True North
At True North, we place a strong emphasis on supporting parents at every stage of the program while simultaneously repairing, shifting or strengthening the relationships between parent and child. It is critical that we address the family as an emotional unit that impacts all members of the system. Students frequently report that as a result of their struggles, they have felt like “the problem” in their family, and … [Read more...]
