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What I knew of wilderness camps before I started researching this article, could have fit in two sentences. "I know they exist." and "I've heard good and bad things about them." I know slightly more than that now, but certainly not enough to actually recommend any particular camp. Therefore, if you are here looking for a specific recommendation, read no further. If you are looking for some of the pros and cons, read on.

There are many types of wilderness camps for troubled teens. Some are the harsh, para-military style boot camps, some are getting back to nature style, and some offer vocational guidance and counseling as part of their curriculums.

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What are some of the bad things? In the worst case scenario injury or death. These incidents are rare, but must be mentioned. Many of the severe abuse problems ocurred in the para-military style boot camps and to my knowledge most of these were in the early to mid 1990's before such programs were regulated. Currently, all wilderness treatment centers must be acredited and must follow strict guidelines. Such measures have certainly helped, but as we all know, bad things can happen in the best of places.

As a parent considering placing my child in any wilderness program I would first send my child through a COMPLETE physical, testing every organ and gland in his/her hormonal little bod as well as a drug screening. Use and or abuse of legal or illegal medications can have a profound effect on your child's health while undertaking the rigors of wilderness camp. Many physical problems can be exacerbated by the high level of activity required in most of these camps. In fact, if the camp you are looking into does not explain these health risks to you, look for a different camp. Also, I'd make sure the camp had adequate medical staff on hand, not just an on call paramedic. I've read of two instances in which children died at these camps and in both cases, the untrained staff misdiagnosed their symptoms as laziness or refusal to cooperate, and neither child had been thoroughly screened for health problems before entering the camps. Both camps have since closed, and both were operating before regulation of this industry began.

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Other problems I have read about pale in comparison to the health issues. Sometimes these camps work, sometimes they don't and there are hundreds of theories concerning why. The programs are too long, the programs are too short, too harsh, too soft, or the kids learn that the best way out is to mime the words and actions they know the instructors want to hear, etc.

You don't have to read very far on the internet to find all the wonderful things these programs can do. All you have to do is look up the providers and you'll find that these programs can teach kids how to depend upon themselves, increase their self-esteem through success, learn about themselves through self-reflection, and be dependable to others through the teamwork necessary to their survival in the wilderness.

Do I believe wilderness camps can help turn a troubled teen around? Yes, but I believe it depends upon the camp, the staff and the teen. I know what wilderness camps can do for a willing mind. I spent a single week in a college class known simply as "Encampment". During that week my class lived and learned about the life of our earliest Americans, by living in teepees we constructed, making tools, and in general making the most of everything nature provided. It rained the entire week and late Montana springs are still cold for us "softies". I learned that misery truly does love company, I learned the wonders of a society knit closely by need and adversity, I learned that no one needs a grump when things are already bad enough, and I learned that pine needle tea can effectively rid your mouth of the taste of deer tripe.

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My voluntary week at Encampment was "soft" compared to the boot camp style wilderness camps for troubled teens. Common sense tells me that a teen with emotional/behavioral concerns may not benefit from being constantly yelled at in a camp environment anymore than they benefit from this at home. I believe I would look for a camp in which the main focus is educating teens about the workings of the natural world and their place within that world. Not about marching them up dune down mountain in the desert unless there is a realistic reason for the march, ie. to find water or food to help themselves and their group. I'd look for a camp which provides counseling to help the teen through the issues they will find as they reflect on themselves and their lives. Again, I would not place my child in any camp which did not offer adequate health care.

To read more about wilderness camps check out these sites:

http://www.strugglingteens.com/mconnorar... Why these programs sometimes fail and what parents should look for. By Dr. Michael G. Conner

http://www.cjjohns.com/c_law/wilderness1... An article by Dr. Christina Johns about a specific camp which shows what good working programs can accomplish.

http://www.cjjohns.com/c_law/boot_diff.h... A thought provoking article, also by Dr. Christina Johns, on "boot camps" which focuses on the para-military style training of delinquent children.

http://crime.about.com/newsissues/crime/... This is an article on wilderness boot camps, from the viewpoint of the author who participated in an excursion.

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