Nicole's Story

I am writing to share that a wilderness therapy program saved my child’s life, and her therapeutic boarding school is helping her thrive.
She was a high school sophomore struggling with depression when I made the heartbreaking decision to send her to wilderness. Regular therapy wasn’t enough… her therapist recommended that she be in a place where she couldn’t escape from the issues she needed to face (she was adopted at age 1 and my husband died of cancer when she was 5… lots of unresolved grief).
We saw breakthroughs within weeks in wilderness. Her therapist was loving and kind, and she felt safe to express her feelings. For the first time in years she was able to cry and express the grief she’d been pushing down for so long. The time in nature, the therapy, and the self-sufficiency needed to live in the woods were all healing for her. The staff was phenomenal in helping her shed her negative core beliefs and start to build up a positive sense of self.
While in the woods she had a full neuropsych evaluation which uncovered high functioning autism. With that information, we were able to make a plan for her return to school. She has been in a therapeutic boarding school for junior year where she’s continuing therapy with amazing practitioners, learning tools to help her understand and work with her autism, and develop life skills. She’ll be returning to her former school for senior year.
I’ve seen her go from a muted shell of a kid to a thriving young adult. She is able to identify, articulate and process her feelings. She has told me multiple times that going to wilderness saved her life. She has said that therapy is “hard work but good work.”
Please don’t let the stories of celebrities and influencers sway your opinion of quality wilderness programs and therapeutic boarding schools. These programs have been a lifeline for my family and so many others.