The Benefits and Challenges of Wilderness Therapy
Recently, I had the privilege of presenting at the NOLS Wilderness Risk Management Conference alongside Christine Norton and Matt Matteini on enhancing client rights and amplifying client voices in wilderness therapy. This full-circle moment was an opportunity to reflect on the transformative nature of wilderness therapy, the ethical challenges it faces, and how we can evolve this powerful model.
As someone who attended wilderness therapy as a struggling teen, and who now mentors teens—including many who have participated in similar programs—I’ve experienced firsthand the beauty, complexity, and potential of this therapeutic model. Wilderness therapy saved my life, but it also left me with lingering questions about agency, respect, and reintegration.
Our presentation explored the current “winter” wilderness therapy finds itself in—a time of reckoning, reflection, and transformation. A therapist described this as an “initiation” for the field. It’s a powerful metaphor: wilderness therapy, much like its participants, is being asked to evolve, to shed old patterns, and to emerge stronger and more aligned with its core purpose. Here, I want to explore three key aspects of this model: the gift of cause and effect, the challenge of agency, and the need for support in reintegration.
The Gift of Cause and Effect
One of the most valuable aspects of wilderness therapy is its ability to teach through natural consequences. In the wilderness, the environment itself becomes the teacher, offering immediate and undeniable feedback for every choice a participant makes. Unlike in everyday life, where consequences can be delayed or obscured, the wilderness delivers a direct cause-and-effect relationship:
If you pack your backpack poorly, you’ll feel the discomfort on the trail.
If you neglect to build a sturdy shelter, you may wake up cold and wet.
If you don’t ask for help with tasks, like tying knots, you might struggle unnecessarily.
These experiences build an understanding that actions have outcomes—both positive and negative. This is a critical developmental skill, particularly for teens who may struggle with impulsivity, emotional regulation, or a sense of accountability.
The power of cause and effect in wilderness therapy lies in its immediacy and clarity. However, this process can become muddied when programs unintentionally send mixed messages. If teens learn that voicing discomfort or offering feedback leads to negative consequences—being labeled as “difficult” or dismissed entirely—it can undermine the very lessons wilderness therapy seeks to teach. While the natural environment offers straightforward lessons, the human dynamics within a program can complicate this process. For example:
If a teen voices that they feel unwell, they may be assumed to be lying or avoiding responsibility.
If they express frustration with an exercise, they may be labeled as oppositional rather than seen as someone advocating for themselves or needing support.
If they question program rules or decisions, they may be met with punitive measures rather than a conversation.
These responses risk teaching teens that speaking up leads to negative consequences, undermining the very lessons wilderness therapy aims to teach about self-advocacy and accountability. Instead of learning that their choices shape their experiences, teens may internalize that their voice and needs are unsafe or unwelcome. This can create a painful paradox: the intention of helping them reconnect with their authenticity and agency can, at times, require the suppression of those very qualities to succeed in the program. For cause and effect to truly foster growth, it must be rooted in collaboration. Programs should aim to help teens build internal resources and strengthen their connection with themselves, not diminish them. This means creating an environment where teens feel safe to express themselves, including their discomfort, emotions, and needs.
The Challenge of Agency
Agency—the ability to make choices and have a say in one’s experience—is fundamental to healing. Yet in many therapeutic programs, teens are forced to participate without their consent. The question becomes: how can something be healing if a person has no agency? After all, a lack of agency is a hallmark of trauma. It’s the feeling of being powerless, of having no control over your circumstances. When teens are placed in a program against their will, this can inadvertently echo those same dynamics, even if the intention is to help.
I remember saying during my own inpatient experience, “I’d rather live in a shack under my own rules than a castle under someone else’s.” Ironically, I ended up at a therapeutic boarding school in an actual castle. While my wilderness therapy program helped me in many ways, the powerlessness I felt at times was infuriating and agonizing.
For many parents, enrolling their child in a therapeutic program feels like an act of desperation, a last-ditch effort to save their teen’s life. The decision to take away their child’s freedom and agency isn’t made lightly—it’s often driven by love and fear. And in some cases, that decision truly does save lives. I can say this from personal experience: my time in wilderness therapy helped me immensely, and I am grateful for it. But even with that gratitude, I still carry the memory of feeling powerless and voiceless, especially in the early weeks of my program.
This dichotomy creates a complicated question: How do we balance the need for intervention with the equally important need to honor a young person’s autonomy? While it’s true that many teens aren’t using their agency to help themselves—something I struggled with as well—this doesn’t negate their need to feel respected and included in their process.
This begins with transparency. Teens should not be tricked or forced into attending a program without understanding why. They deserve a conversation that explains the decision, outlines the process, and invites their questions. While this won’t eliminate resistance, it establishes a foundation of trust and respect—key ingredients for meaningful healing.
The Challenge of Reintegration: Bridging the Gap After Treatment
Wilderness therapy often serves as a rite of passage—a transformational journey that challenges teens to shed old patterns, build resilience, and discover their inner strength. It’s a beautiful and powerful experience. But the journey doesn’t end when they leave the woods.
Reintegrating into daily life—school, family, friends, and the pressures of the modern world—can be incredibly disorienting. Many teens struggle to apply the insights they gained in the wilderness to environments that often remain unchanged. Without ongoing support, they may feel like strangers in their own lives, unsure of how to navigate relationships, routines, and expectations with their new sense of self.
I experienced this firsthand. After my time in wilderness therapy, I found it difficult to bridge the gap between who I had become and the world I returned to. I didn’t have anyone who understood what that transition was like or could guide me through it. That’s where mentorship comes in. I now strive to be the person I wish I had during that transition—a steady presence who understands the complexities of re-entering life after treatment. Mentorship provides a bridge between the wilderness and the real world, helping teens navigate this critical stage with guidance, compassion, and tools to sustain their growth. It’s about ensuring that the wilderness experience isn’t just a moment of transformation, but a foundation for long-term healing and success.
For teens leaving treatment, it is crucial to help them find communities and resources that can support the integration process. Additionally, engaging them in environments or activities that align with their newfound strengths and values can help them maintain a sense of purpose and belonging—this might include joining outdoor clubs, creative groups, or volunteering opportunities that reflect the wilderness therapy experience.
The Healing Power of Nature
At its best, wilderness therapy offers something truly extraordinary: the opportunity to heal in the presence of nature. There’s a reason so many ancient traditions turn to the natural world for renewal and growth. Nature reminds us of our place in something larger, of our capacity to adapt and thrive, and of the beauty and resilience within us. It is, in many ways, a mirror for the healing process itself—quiet yet powerful, challenging yet restorative.
For adolescents, who often feel disconnected or overwhelmed by the noise of modern life, nature provides a refuge. It’s a place where they can strip away the distractions and reconnect with their core. Wilderness therapy taps into this power in a way that few other modalities can.
A New Chapter for Wilderness Therapy
Nature is a wonderful and powerful setting for healing, not only for adolescents but for all of us. It offers lessons, solace, and renewal that are unmatched by any other environment. Wilderness therapy, with its blend of challenge and beauty, has an incredible role to play in the world of mental health care treatment. It is a model that has the potential to evolve and grow, to better meet the needs of teens while honoring their voices, agency, and humanity.
As we move forward, let’s hold onto the best of what wilderness therapy offers—its transformative power, its ability to teach through natural consequences, and its connection to something ancient and universal. Let’s also commit to improving the parts that need care and attention, ensuring that every teen who steps into the wilderness feels respected, valued, and supported.
