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Trailhead Wilderness
School
Joan Rieger, Admissions Director
Georgetown, Colorado
303-569-0767, ext 211
twsjrieger@azwest.net
www.trailheadwildernessschool.com
Visit by: Loi Eberle, M.A., IECA, on March 11,
2005
loi@woodbury.com
After meeting Joan Rieger, program therapist and Admissions
Director, at the Trailhead Wilderness School office, we headed
to the field to observe their wilderness therapy program.
On the way, we passed a "fourteener," a 14,000+-foot
mountain peak, similar to the one their students and instructors
hiked the next day. Peak ascents, backcountry living, and
therapeutic games and initiatives are some of the ways this
program teaches effective communication, teamwork and conflict
resolution to 12-18 year olds. They use excellent gear, highly
trained Wilderness First Responder certified instructors,
radios, cell and satellite phones, daily GPS communication,
and annual Flight For Life Helicopter evacuation training.
The "fourteeners" have well traveled and maintained
trails, and the group hikes with snowshoes and crampons.
We rendezvoused with Program Director, Dave Ventimiglia, who
drove us on snowy back roads to the base camp. The scenery
became even more spectacular as we walked toward the boys'
tents. A girl and a younger boy had their tents a little further
away, in the same area. On our way in, Dave explained he needed
to discuss "business" with the group; I could participate,
or speak privately with students elsewhere. I chose to observe
the group "business," and I became moved by their
level of communication and caring as they discussed an infraction.
Some students, who had been through many programs because
of their oppositional behaviors, demonstrated true regret
about violating the trust they had built. They suggested appropriate
and compassionate service-based consequences for their (relatively
minor) infraction by adding an infraction-specific project
to their 4-6 hour weekly community service commitment. The
group appeared to value trust and the relationship, they seemed
to regret their lapse in integrity, and wanted to rebuild.
They seemed sincere, and I felt hopeful about the prognosis
for these youth.
Trailhead is a "therapeutically intense" program
that uses Systemic, Gestalt, and Developmental models to encourage
students to express their feelings in relationships, and be
validated, rather than minimized. Any form of expression is
tolerated as long as they cause no harm to themselves or others.
They emphasize staying "connected" by listening
and looking in each other's eyes, instead of shutting down.
When I spoke with students, they told me they were happy to
be there, giving an overwhelmingly positive recommendation:
"Kids would benefit from this program, it's different."
Three adolescent males told me they were beginning to build
relationships with their fathers for the first time, through
the "powerful workings" (two-day parent intensives).
They also said the wilderness allowed them to see a bigger
picture and reduced their over-stimulation. A student of two
months said he learned to recognize when he was about to lose
his temper and would speak up, in contrast to how he used
to "snap;" becoming violent without warning. He
said the program will not allow violent kids to stay. Early
in the program, he'd spoken with the deputy sheriff Dave called
in after he made a verbal threat to another young student.
Dave said, "Though he assured me he never intended to
carry it out, it gave him the wake up call to start dealing
with his anger." Trailhead facilitates students in understanding
the source of their anger, which often is fear, and helps
them embrace and integrate it. Although these emotions are
not comfortable, they provide the clarity the student needs
to avoid feeling trapped within them.
Compared to what I often observe, these students seemed more
relaxed, caring and considerate. After settling "group
business," we romped in the snow and played catch. Dave
explained that during the coldest winter months, they load
the van and head south to their permit areas in Arizona and
New Mexico. They had recently returned from Moab, UT, and
the Grand Canyon. Often longer than many wilderness programs,
the students length of stay at Trailhead is determined on
their individual needs. Students may earn transferable academic
credits year round.
Trailhead believes parent participation is so important that
they are considering making it a requirement. Although parents
may participate in as many as needed or requested, currently
Trailhead asks parents to attend at least one 2-Day Family
Intensive with their adolescent at their office. Two of the
program's four Master's level therapists work with the family
during an intensive. These therapists use experiential techniques
to bring to the surface any unfinished business the family
needs to address. The Trailhead office is upstairs from the
Post Office in Georgetown, a charming town at the edge of
the Rocky Mountain National Park. Trailhead also has a lovely
Victorian-style townhouse nearby for lodging during Family
Intensives, with a sufficient number of bedrooms and bathrooms
for the child's family. Inside, on the coffee table near the
rocking chair, is a guest book signed by parents praising
the program and their recent family work.
Partially due to the exquisite scenery, high-end equipment,
and gender and age ratios of its students, Trailhead appears
different from other programs. The age and gender differences
create some challenges, yet seem to help in bringing the emotional
problems that often exist in the family system, to the surface.
This focus on the family system and relationships is exactly
what excites me about this program. With definitely clear
boundaries and mutual respect, there is honesty, integrity
and compassion between Trailhead students and staff. There
is also a sense that these students feel safe and cared for,
which allows them the environment to actually begin working
effectively on the reasons their behavior led to their enrollment
in this unique program.
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Copyright ©
2005, Woodbury Reports, Inc.
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