The Role of Staff Through the Implementation of a Wilderness Therapy Program

Treatment of Addiction or Mental Health conditions through Wilderness Therapy involves a three step process that starts with a Cleansing phase and ends with a phase where the patient is fully absorbed in the society.

Wilderness Therapy is not just a cure by itself. One cannot prove that only through Wilderness Therapy will an individual be totally cured of his mental illness or that the Wilderness Therapy is just a go-to treatment for any kind of behavioral problems. Wilderness Therapy is a process that's applied together with other therapeutic treatments.

Individuals undergoing Wilderness Therapy programs usually follow it up with counseling on a periodical basis. Individuals are required to be under prescription as per the assessment of this program after the individuals leave because of their home.

Staffs at wilderness guide certification are compassionate and patient by nature while dealing with individuals who're experiencing addiction. As opposed to forcing change on the patient, they allow the natural consequences to influence the responses of the client. Staffs are viewed as role models and not authority figures that are there to facilitate and not force their ideas on patients. They encourage an environment for discussion where in actuality the patient can slowly open up and discuss everything with the staff.

The Wilderness Therapy process is split into 3 different phases:

Cleansing PhasePersonal Responsibility PhaseTransition and After care phase

a. Cleansing Phase: Bringing an Individual to Wilderness might not be sufficient to remove the toxins, traces of that will be in the patient. Flushing out toxins can be carried out by the usage of medicines, promoting healthy diet and intense physical exercise. Teaching of basic survival skills and self care skills are also a number of the activities taken on during this phase.

b. Personal Responsibility Phase: After the cleansing phase, the patients are then forced to use up personal responsibility of the actions. With the background setting of Wilderness, the patients are forced to consider how exactly to take care of themselves in the face area of unforeseen circumstances thrown up by nature. The entire idea behind this phase is to construct Social Skills which is a key ingredient in getting the in-patient back to the society.

c. Transition and After care Phase: The patients having realized their potential and responsibility are now actually fit to return to their family. The staff has to teach the individuals the various ideas they learnt and how they are likely to adhere to those ideas. This phase usually comprises of one-on-one counseling and group sessions with peers. The staff also looks at various goals that the patient has created for themselves and helps them to produce strategy to accomplish those goals.

Wilderness Therapy process involves an individual to go from a washing phase via a phase where they've to take responsibility to a phase where they're taught the basic life skills.