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RIDGE CREEK WILDERNESS
PROGRAM
Dahlonega, Georgia
Nicole Fuglsang, MA, NCC, LPC,
Admissions Director
706-867-1720
Admissions@ridgecreek.org
www.ridgecreek.org
Visit by: Larry Stednitz, January, 10, 2005
Larry@woodbury.com
Ridge Creek is an easy two-hour drive north of Atlanta, GA.
I toured the base camp with David Jordan, MTS, MA, LAPC, Director
of Counseling, and Admissions Director, Nicole Fuglsang, MA,
NCC, LPC. While attending Prescott College in Prescott, AZ,
David designed his Counseling Psychology degree by combining
clinical and experiential/ adventure therapy, which makes
him unique in wilderness programming. I noticed that David,
a member of the initial design team, is enthused about the
program, outdoor programming for adolescents and that the
program reflects his varied training.
Ridge Creek is a base-camp model that provides a unique approach
to wilderness programming. Significantly different than the
trekking programs of the west, Ridge Creek operates out of
a well ordered base-camp that includes a boy's and girl's
dormitory, an extensive ropes course, climbing tower and administrative
offices. The base-camp resembles a traditional residential
campus and provides all the comforts of residential programming,
including personal hygiene facilities and warm, comfortable
sleeping quarters, as well as a place to prepare for the one-to-six
day expeditions.
My initial uncomfortable reaction was that this was not a
“trekking” wilderness program like I was used to in the west.
It didn't take long to acknowledge that experiential/ adventure
programming combined with traditional clinical approaches,
offers more than a strenuous trek in the woods. Experiential/
adventure programming takes many forms, and the base-camp
model of Ridge Creek allows for flexibility and creativity.
The licensing and accrediting Ridge Creek chose to achieve
typifies their programming efforts. David explained that they
were the first therapeutic wilderness program in the country
to become accredited by the Joint Commission for the Accreditation
of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), as a Residential Child
and Adolescent Mental Health Service Provider, and are licensed
by the State of Georgia as an Outdoor Therapeutic Camp.
While I was on campus, a small group of students and staff
were working on the climbing tower, learning leadership and
decision-making skills. The group wore all the necessary safety
gear and was obviously engaged in the work at hand. The climbing
wall and other ropes course work gives the program flexibility
to hone in on specific skills the staff is trying to impart
to the students. At Ridge Creek, these specific activities
are designed to enhance learning, prepare students for a specific
trekking adventure and as a tool to reinforce what the students
learned in the field. In this sense, it is a multi-sensory
approach to treating adolescents.
Ridge Creek believes that all behaviors are outward manifestations
of underlying psychological issues. All negative behaviors
are secondary to the causal factors. They believe the students
are engaging in self-defeating patterns because they are caught
up in a cycle of negative reinforcement and trapped in a pattern
of ineffective coping skills. When the adolescent identifies
and understands his/ her underlying motivation, they are able
to make better choices and work their way out of the downhill
spiral by having their needs met in a more productive way.
To address these underlying causal issues, Ridge Creek uses
a cognitive-behavioral clinical approach to their therapeutic
interventions, integrating tools like psycho-educational approaches
and behavioral re-direction into the program. Licensed psychotherapists
conduct daily individual and group therapy sessions throughout
the student's stay in the program. Ridge Creek also offers
psychological and psychiatric services at an additional cost.
Formal counseling is integrated into a wilderness intervention
model and coupled with an intense leadership component. Ridge
Creek strives to provide the student with understanding, hope,
and the ability to cope more effectively in life.
Most students at Ridge Creek demonstrate oppositional defiant
behavior with authority and adolescent adjustment difficulties.
They avoid adjudicated boys and girls, students diagnosed
with conduct disorders and Antisocial Personality Disorders.
I think it is safe to say, the Ridge Creek student is a “softer”
child in the context of aggressive acting out behaviors. However,
because of the base-camp model, they do work with clinically
complicated students who may present a risk in remote areas.
Though most students stay 26 days in the program, Ridge Creek
will work with students who need extended stays. Along with
the climbing wall, ropes courses, expeditions and therapy,
the students participate in mountaineering, rappelling, community
service projects, CPR training/ certification and traditional
education. Because of the structure, this program is one of
the few that will accommodate a student by allowing them to
bring their home school curriculum to keep current with their
home school classmates.
All wilderness programs stress safety and Ridge Creek is
no exception. Their base-camp model is capable of assuring
a very high level of safety. For those parents who concern
themselves with safety issues in wilderness programming, I
feel this program is one of the safest. First, all staff are
trained to understand the protocols for safety normally found
in wilderness programs. Emergency procedures and equipment
are standard. Furthermore, the wilderness treks are close
enough to the base-camp that a group in the field is always
in 24-hour communication with the base-camp. All trails and
expeditions are accessible by four-wheel drive vehicles and
easily reached within 45 minutes.
Finally, Ridge Creek conducts on-going research into the
results that students demonstrate. This research is comprised
of surveys completed by parents addressing issues such as
reduced arguing, improvements in self-confidence, motivation,
accountability, respectfulness and drug use. Parents take
these surveys at one-, three- and six-month intervals, and
at one year, allowing for objective information for prospective
clients.
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