Blue Ridge Therapeutic Wilderness

Our daughter attended Blue Ridge Therapeutic Wilderness about 2 year ago. It was a scary decision for us. When we first read about wilderness programs like Blue Ridge, we were scared to go forward. Some of the reviews we read about some programs scared us to death. So, instead, we tried a couple of residential treatment programs. These programs provided some benefit, but clearly did not meet our daughter's needs. So, we decided we had to try a Wilderness Therapeutic program. It was truly the best decision we ever made. Our daughter spent about 90 days with Blue Ridge, and it changed her life. We continued to provide her with mentoring support when she returned home, but Blue Ridge made a huge difference. Today, she is as happy as she has ever been. She's making good grades, she has a part-time job she loves, she is responsible, she is always honest, and she's proud of herself and her work. And, we have a great family relationship. She has thanked us for sending her to Blue Ridge, even though she would have done anything to avoid going at the time. I can't speak for other wilderness programs, but Blue Ridge was truly a transformation for our daughter and us. We will be forever grateful for the love, caring, compassion, support, and counseling they provided.

We had to have our daughter transported to Blue Ridge when she was just14 years old. She and we believe that the program saved her life. It was a challenging experience and she knows now that she can do hard things. It started our entire family on a journey of recovery and connection that took a few years. Now at 19 we have a strong bond and she is using the transport and her wilderness experience for her college essay. We were so grateful to the field staff and the therapists at Blue Ridge. She still talks about those relationships and how it shaped her. The parent pathway is such a critical part. Allowed us to take responsibility for our role and to have a positive influence for the kid she is as she grows.

blue ridge SAVED MY LIFE i went in October 2023 at the age of 13. This program taught me how to provide for myself, be independent, love myself, and grow into the person I am now. SOBER. Pressure makes diamonds and i would recommend this program to any struggling adolescent.

Our son attended Blue Ride Wilderness (then called Second Nature Blue Ridge) 10 years ago (13 yrs old and turned 14 in wilderness). This program saved our family. Not only did this program reach our child but it did the same for our whole family. We learned how to parent our son differently than we had been. As parents we learned new tools to use and it gave us a whole new perspective on how to communicate with everyone in our family. To this day my son will share his experience in wilderness. We have met with other families considering wilderness. Our son will tell people “I had to go to wilderness to get right with myself and my family.” My son is currently going through Law Enforcement Training to become a Police Officer. This program takes a lot of patience, trust, honesty, listening, openness and dedication. As parents you have to fully commit and trust the program, even more during after care. I highly recommend this Wilderness Program. Its not easy but it is totally worth it!

Going to therapy now for PTSD from this place eight years ago. Programs like these need to be permanently shut down.

BRTW was a really great choice for our daughter. The staff is wonderful. Each and every touchpoint helped us through the whole program. We sent our daughter reluctantly after reading so much bad press about Wilderness Therapy Programs and while wrestling with the fears associated with sending your angry, depressed, emotionally unregulated teen into the care of strangers in another state in the woods! Our first touchpoint was Erin, an admissions director. She was so responsive and compassionate and answered all of my questions in the days that lead up to our daughter attending the camp. The therapist assigned to our daughter, Regan, was so so wonderful. She had a way of connecting with our daughter and with us. We had a call with Regan every week to discuss our daughter's progress and it just put us at ease. We also noticed our daughter's letters to us reflected her growth and her work with Regan and with the group. Our parent coach at BRTW, Sarah, was incredible. She helped us through the letter writing, learning to communicate in more healthy ways -which was a game changer for our family. It slowed down our communication and just made it possible to really understand each other and get past the disconnects. Our daughter's time at wilderness really gave her a chance to build emotional fluency, coping skills, leadership, relationship skills and gave her nervous system a total reset. When I went to pick her up she was crying because she was going to miss the people at BRTW. She came home with a calm and confidence we had not seen from her before. The home planning was excellent and my husband and I highly recommend the Parent Workshop with Tony and a visit to the field. Last but not least, Heather, the student coordinator who also worked with the kids on their night at basecamp is kind, caring, communicative, helpful and so supportive. I wish our daughter could have stayed a little longer or could have a chance to reset at BRTW from time to time. Life ebbs and flows and we have seen things go wrong again from time to time since she has been back. However, the fact is that she now knows what it feels like to be at peace. We all now know when we need to all stop and consider more support. We are all better equipped to handle all of this. BRTW wilderness changed our lives. And while it was the hardest decision we ever made to send her there, we are so grateful to all those who helped us do it. If I had one suggestion for BRTW, it would be to create a program, visit or zoom for siblings. They also are affected by this but it does not seem appropriate to only have them in family therapy. It would be great if there were a few coaching sessions or a visit or something for them. Over all - we could not be more grateful!

I live near it and I always hear the screams of kids there

My experience with Second Nature Blue Ridge in Georgia was not therapeutic; it was traumatic and has left me with deep wounds that persist into my 30s. This review is not just my story, but a warning to any parent considering entrusting their child to the wilderness therapy industry. My ordeal began not with compassion, but with terror. I was 14 years old when I was woken in the middle of the night. I had no shirt on. I was tossed a zip-up hoodie and handcuffed. No explanation was given, other than that my mother had said it was okay. I was put into a car and driven to the airport. The humiliation was magnified during security, where I was nearly violated. As a handcuffed 14-year-old, I was forced to stand in front of a line of staring strangers while a TSA agent ordered me to unzip my hoodie. I was naked underneath. I pulled away just in time, but the violation of that moment, of being exposed and powerless, is burned into my memory. I remained handcuffed for the entire flight to Georgia and for the drive to the program itself. Upon arrival, the dehumanization continued. I was strip searched in front of both a man and a woman. It was the first time I had been so violated by people I didn't even know, let alone trust. The program’s methods were built on shame and control. We were forbidden from communicating with anyone until we read our "impact letters" aloud to a group of strangers. These letters, filled with our parents' biased and often inaccurate feelings about situations they likely caused themselves, served as our introduction to the group. "Nice to meet you, here's the worst and most biased image of me." Life in the program was designed to strip us of our identity. I slept in a sack between two other people. Most of the time, I wasn't called by my name, but by a number. As girls left the program, my number would change. A therapist told me I had lost my humanity. As an overly empathetic child, this statement was traumatizing and cruel. Physical safety was nonexistent. I am a disabled person, and my needs were completely ignored. Another girl in my group intentionally injured my ankle. It swelled up grotesquely, but she received no punishment or reprimand. I was still forced to hike on it, carrying my heavy pack. After days of this, I was finally taken to a doctor, who confirmed I had a bad sprain. The staff who took me were the same ones I had gotten the cellphone past. On the way back to the group, they stopped at McDonald's and ate it in front of me. This was after I had been surviving on nothing but cold water, hydrated rice and beans, and oats with water—no sugar, no milk. We were systematically punished with food and labor, and this act was just another layer of psychological torment. The trauma I experienced is not unique to me. In 2016, police investigated allegations that a counselor at Second Nature Blue Ridge had forced a 14-year-old into a sexual act. This program, which operated as Second Nature Blue Ridge until 2017 before rebranding as Blue Ridge Therapeutic Wilderness, has a documented history of abuse and allegations of mistreatment. It is part of a for-profit industry that preys on desperate parents and vulnerable children, using isolation and humiliation under the guise of therapy. This program did not heal me. It broke me. The wilderness therapy industry, as exemplified by my time at Second Nature Blue Ridge, is a deeply flawed system that causes lasting trauma. I am now in my 30s, and the experience remains a source of profound pain. Parents should look elsewhere for help. This is not therapy; it is abuse.