Dr. Joanna Bettmann :: Open Sky Wilderness
Aired March 1, 2010– 11 am PST
www.latalkradio.com
TITLE: OPEN SKY WILDERNESS
SPECIAL GUEST: Dr. Joanna Bettman, Research Director, Open Sky Wilderness
http://www.openskywilderness.com
There is no “typical” teenager because adolescents express themselves in such a variety of behaviors. However, there is often one common theme that runs through the lives of teen students: difficulty coping with life’s challenges in a healthy and effective manner.
Dr. Joanna Bettman joins Allen to discuss what kinds of teens are served by wilderness therapy and the studies that have been conducted that compare this method with other conventional therapies.
____________________________________________________
TEENS
Open Sky is an appropriate fit for a wide range of teens, ages 13 to 17. There is no “typical” teenager in the Open Sky program because adolescents express themselves in such a variety of behaviors. However, there is often one common theme that runs through the lives of our teen students: difficulty coping with life’s challenges in a healthy and productive manner. Utilizing an individualized and strengths-based approach, Open Sky effectively addresses a wide diversity of issues teenagers are often dealing with, such as self-esteem, anger, defiance, anxiety, substance abuse and depression. According to our empirical research, on average, our teen students depart Open Sky with coping skills equivalent to those in the normal community range.
YOUNG ADULTS
Open Sky works for a wide variety of young adults between the ages of 18 and 28. In most instances, transitioning into adulthood brings liberating freedom and potentially frightening levels of responsibility. Many of our young adults are motivated to make this full-fledged move into the maturity of adulthood and yet are hampered by self-doubt, lack of motivation, substance abuse, depression, addictions, or anxiety. Others of our students have found themselves in early adulthood stuck with deeply embedded ineffective coping skills or personal challenges and traumas preventing them from becoming healthy and successful people. On average, Open Sky young adult students leave with substantial gains in their emotional and mental health and demonstrate a readiness to recognize and change their own problem behavior.
FAMILY
The family is the centerpiece of the Open Sky program experience. We believe that it is crucial for family members to fully participate in the program while their teen or young adult is enrolled with us. Research studies suggest that a parent’s emotional health and well-being has substantial influence on that of their children. Open Sky’s program provides multiple opportunities for the family’s involvement over the duration of the program. These include: weekly treatment planning sessions, weekly phone calls with the therapist, weekly written correspondence, weekly parent support group teleconference, written therapy assignments, the Parent Wellness Weekend, and the Family Reunion and Graduation as well as optional Family Quest outings
