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...]
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...]
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 Guides are WFR Certified
The physical and medical safety of our students is of the utmost importance to the whole team at True North. The Wilderness First Responder (WFR) certification is the “Gold Standard” in medical training for anyone working in an outdoor environment. It is the definitive medical course for wilderness travelers. The 80 hour course is usually spread over 8-10 days with many opportunities for students to ask questions … [Read more...]
True North is a “Leave No Trace” Program
As a program that operates in the lush Green Mountain wilderness of Vermont, True North has valued from its founding the unique and bountiful experience that spending time in nature has to offer, and we are committed to the longevity and preservation of its beauty. For the past few years we have worked closely with the Leave No Trace Center to ensure that the outdoor spaces we visit and inhabit throughout the seasons … [Read more...]
Young Adult Community Service Projects
Once a week throughout the year, you can find the young adults at a local farm, non-profit organization, or local business, providing service and learning about various aspects of the local Vermont community. Whether it is weeding at a family-run farm that combines sustainable agricultural practices with education or helping out at a locally owned farm that produces food for guests using local and organic … [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...]
A Healthy Diet at True North
Although it may seem like common sense to most people, eating a healthy, well-balanced diet is critical to positive physical and mental health. During the first couple of weeks, our students start to acclimate to outdoor life at True North. For many students, the daily routine at True North is very different from their lives at home. They begin and end each day with a nutritious meal, track their water intake and … [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...]
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...]
The Green Mountain National Forest
Quite often, folks wonder about our field areas and express curiosity about the actual wilderness part of True North Wilderness Program. Our offices are located in the heart of Waitsfield, VT, but our program utilizes a wide variety of field areas throughout central Vermont and our young adult clients travel even more widely, exploring wild places all around New England. The largest field area that True … [Read more...]
A Tour of the Winter Facilities
During the summer, True North students are making their way through the beautiful green mountains in a nomadic wilderness therapy model. As the seasons change, however, True North students find themselves at Windridge, our winter base camp. The use of the camp’s buildings and infrastructure is crucial to the operations of our winter program. Upon arriving to Windridge, the first building students and guests … [Read more...]
Young Adult Winter Activities
Staying Active Wintertime in Vermont provides an endless amount of opportunities to stay active and continue to explore the outdoor world. At True North, our young adults go on various day trips and multi-day expeditions that help to develop a love for the quiet beauty of a snowy winter day. From snowshoeing along a frozen river to downhill and cross-country skiing, our young adult groups find plenty of ways to … [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...]
Celebrating the Winter Holidays
Just a few days after the longest night of the year, the holiday season acts as a beacon of light to our True North family. This morning, members of our friendly staff worked together in the kitchen preparing a home cooked meal to celebrate the holidays. As they moved about indoors, the final snowflakes from last night’s storm danced their way to the thick white blanket that covers the rolling Vermont hills … [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...]
True North Prepares for Winter
While the squirrels, chipmunks, and other woodland creatures hurry and scurry to prepare for the winter season, the trained eye can also find the TN Operations Department scampering through the woods and trails of Windridge, our Winter Campus. Sprucing up the many buildings that are used throughout the winter, for everything from workshops to graduations, is the first of many winter preparations. Six … [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...]
