The term adventure therapy applies to a wide range of experiential outdoor therapy modalities. It works well with other treatments in improving self-esteem, empathy, and overall mental health. Imagine spending an afternoon hiking through the mountains: Beautiful, vibrant trees and plant life are all around you and the smell of pine is in the air. You see a couple of squirrels scampering up and down a tree trunk. You hear the light chirping of birds in the distance and recognize the crunch of gravel and dirt beneath your feet as you walk.
Immersing oneself in nature is very much romanticized and for good reason. When you’re out in the wild, you can’t help but feel lighter, relaxed, and more at ease with the world.
The outdoors offers the same effect during residential treatment programming, plus so much more. While Red Mountain Colorado is so much more than an adventure therapy program, we incorporate adventure therapy into your teen’s treatment to increase the effectiveness of all modalities. Your child will experience mountain biking, hiking, rock climbing, fly fishing, and other exhilarating activities that will teach him valuable life lessons and skills he’ll take with him after treatment.
But one thing many parents wonder about adventure therapy is its safety. Let’s take a deeper dive into how our adventure therapy program operates and how we keep your child safe.
What Your Teen Will Experience in Adventure Therapy
Twice a week, your teen will participate in recreational activities out in the mountains. No matter what activity he’s doing, the primary focus is getting him to do something with a certain level of challenge and risk.
The challenges he faces will help him develop healthier ways to cope with stress and new self-efficacy skills. They’ll also teach him how to trust those around him.
Let’s take rock climbing as an example. From the moment your teen puts on his gear and gets strapped in, he’ll be challenged both physically and mentally. Throughout his climb, he’ll have to learn to address his frustrations and stress in more productive ways that help him keep going. He’ll also have to rely on the individual belaying him, which starts to rebuild the trust in others he may have lost at some point either during or leading up to his challenges.
And when your teen successfully finishes his climb, he’ll experience a sense of pride and accomplishment he either hasn’t felt in a long time or hasn’t ever felt before.
How We Keep Your Teen Safe
No matter if it’s rock climbing or another recreational activity, we take your child’s safety extremely seriously. Your teen is closely supervised during every adventure therapy session and is coached by professionals who are certified experts in the outdoor challenges he’s participating in.
Besides supervision and expert guidance, we always make sure your teen is equipped with the proper gear for the activity we plan to do. We check our gear and equipment regularly to ensure its safety to use and teach your teen how to use the gear properly.
We also make sure your teen is involved in his own safety, giving each teen in the adventure therapy group their own task that they’re responsible for. From acting as the group leader to managing the gear or first aid kit, your teen will learn important safety skills and develop greater leadership. Learn more about our adventure therapy program here.
Healing from Mental Health Issues with Adventure Therapy at Red Mountain Colorado
At Red Mountain Colorado, your teen will have incredible experiences during adventure therapy. These recreational activities will challenge him in ways he’s never before been challenged, build his confidence and strengthen his mind, body, and spirit.
This is where your teen heals and develops new and mature skills and behaviors that he’ll continue using for the rest of his life. Contact us today to learn more about our program and find out how to get your teen started.