Stories from the Field: Mental Health and the Outdoors

York Ast is the parent of a wilderness therapy student and the membership ambassador for Other Parents Like Me (OPLM.com), an online parent support platform. York shares his family's story of how they learned about wilderness therapy after their son had entered his second inpatient psychiatric stay and continued to struggle. His son would enroll in a wilderness program in Georgia in March 2020. York reveals that everything in their family's life changed due to the timing of the enrollment as the pandemic started and his son began his treatment journey. York shares the story of his son's battle with anxiety and addiction and how going to two wilderness therapy programs and a therapeutic school helped his son get healthy. York shares how he tried to do all he could to help save his child's life, including leaving his career and becoming active in the recovery community. He has chosen a different path in life by connecting with other parents through York Ast Coaching and becoming the membership ambassador of OPLM.

Season 15 of Stories from the Field is focused on parents' stories and is underwritten by Other Parents Like Me (OPLM.com). We are grateful for OPLM.com does to support parents and sponsor this season.

Liz Reitman is the parent of a wilderness therapy student and co-founder of Other Parents Like Me (OPLM.com), a subscription-based online platform for parents of young people struggling with mental health and substance abuse challenges. Liz shares information about the support platform and her personal story about wilderness therapy. Liz reveals how having her son attend a wilderness therapy program changed her life and what she recommends for parents whose teens are in a wilderness therapy program. Liz educates as to how the OPLM platform works and how parents can connect with other parents online. She shares how OPLM.com provides daily support groups, weekly speakers, and peer-to-peer education and why she became involved in the parent support groups.

Season 15 of Stories from the Field is focused on parents' stories and is underwritten by Other Parents Like Me (OPLM.com). We want to express our gratitude to OPLM.com for sponsoring this season.

George Grinnell is the author of "A Death on the Barrens: A True Story of Courage and Tragedy in the Canadian Arctic" and a retired history professor. George shares the harrowing tale of how, in 1955, at the age of 22, he took part in an epic canoe expedition in the arctic that resulted in a tragedy, redemption and personal transformation. George reveals how the intensity of this rite of passage journey became a spiritual odyssey that changed how he viewed himself and the world.

George shares that late in his life when his eldest son was diagnosed with schizophrenia, they went on a 40-day canoe expedition that seemed to have cured his son's mental illness. He dives into how psychology is a relatively new science and time in the wilderness as a healing tool and rite of passage has been used since ancient times. George dives into the theories behind the changes he and his son experienced and the tragic canoe expedition that resulted in the passing of two sons, a cousin, and a friend in 1984.

We thank the underwriters of Season 14, Brightstone Transitions, Point School, and Wisdom Ranch. Season 14 focuses on young adult programs and young adults sharing their stories.

In this special episode, Will White, one of the co-founders of Summit Achievement, a hybrid wilderness therapy program in Maine, and host of the Stories from the Field: Demystifying Wilderness Therapy podcast, reveals why, in some ways, he is leaving wilderness therapy. Will hands the hosting duties to long-time friend Patrick McAvoy, the admissions director at New Visions in Wisconsin. Patrick interviews Will about his recent decision to step away from wilderness therapy and his thoughts on the field. Will shares a history of Summit Achievement, how the program evolved over the years, why Summit does not take young people by transport, and other unique aspects of the program. Will reveals why he is stepping away after 26 years as a co-owner and employee of Summit Achievement and what he is doing at his new behavioral healthcare consulting practice, WMAI.org. Will also addresses some of the controversies in the wilderness field, how the death the tragic death of a Summit co-founder in 2015 changed him, and what he sees as the future of wilderness therapy.

We thank the underwriters of Season 14, Brightstone Transitions, Point School, and Wisdom Ranch. Season 14 focuses on young adult programs and young adults sharing their stories, as well as this special episode.

Lisa Sutton is the founder and director of Sutton Enterprises. Lisa provides advice and outreach services for several young adult programs, including Bodhi Casa and Passages Alaska. Lisa is an elder in the field with a long list of different organizations she has been part of her over thirty years working in the field.

Lisa shares her journey into wilderness therapy, from being raised in New Jersey to working with adjudicated youth on wagon trains in Arizona, where she would work for twenty-one days in a row, and how she liked being a field guide. She shares why she ended up working at a therapeutic school in Idaho and what made her a program marketing consultant. Lisa shares her thoughts about transporting young people to wilderness programs when they are unwilling to go to treatment and shares some advice to those who want to pursue a career in wilderness therapy.

We thank the underwriters of Season 14, Brightstone Transitions, Point School, and Wisdom Ranch. Season 14 focuses on young adult programs and young adults sharing their stories.

Daniel Rogers is the Director of CityScape Therapy in New York City, Alumni Coordinator of Legacy Outdoor Adventures in Utah, and a former wilderness therapy client. Daniel shares his journey into the field, from growing up in New York to attending the University of Michigan while struggling with substance use disorder and anxiety. Upon graduation, he worked for a couple of years in New York City and tried to get help at an inpatient treatment program but could not maintain sobriety. Daniel decided that wilderness therapy may help him and enrolled in Legacy Outdoor Adventures, and his life took a dramatic turn to a path of connection with others through service. He shares how he decided to pursue a Master's in Mental Health Counseling at New York University to help others. He reveals how CityScape Therapy provides adventure therapy for clients in New York City and shares a story of a young person he helped with the assistance of an indoor climbing center.

Stories from the Field would like to thank the underwriters of Season 14, Brightstone Transitions, Point School, and Wisdom Ranch. Season 14 focuses on young adult programs and young adults sharing their stories.

Evan Oppenheimer is a young adult therapist at True North Wilderness Program in Vermont. Evan's journey into the field began at a young age while living on Long Island, N.Y., and heading north in the summers to attend camp. Evan shares why he was drawn to wilderness therapy, his time as a wilderness guide in different parts of the world, and why he decided to leave his busy practice as a psychotherapist in New York City to become a clinician at a wilderness therapy program in Vermont.

He shares why he feels wilderness therapy is effective with young adults and explains how he uses the Internal Family Systems model and Narrative Therapy. Evan also shares a story about working with a young adult and the time he used Primal Scream Therapy with two clients in the woods.

Stories from the Field would like to thank the underwriters of Season 14, Brightstone Transitions, Point School, and Wisdom Ranch. Season 14 focuses on young adult programs and young adults sharing their stories.

Mark Oerther is the Chief Development Officer at Balance House, a young adult dual-diagnosis treatment program in Utah. Mark is a person with a purpose: to help young people and their families start the healing process. Mark shares his unique journey into the field, from being a troubled young man following a jam band across the country for over two years to becoming sober and pivoting to follow a path of service to others for over 20 years. Mark tells stories about his time working at various wilderness therapy programs across the country, including SUWS of the Carolinas, Wilderness Treatment Center, Adirondack Leadership Expeditions, and many more. Mark dives into why he believes so much in the Balance House program, how he helps young men start the healing process on the first phone call, and reflects on how wilderness therapy has changed over the years.

We thank the underwriters of Season 14 Brightstone Transitions, Point School, and Wisdom Ranch. Season 14 focuses on young adult programs and young adults sharing their stories.

Mona Treadway is the Co-founder of Dragonfly Transitions located in Oregon. Mona is an insightful leader in the field and helped Dragonfly grow to have three separate locations where struggling young adults can pursue life goals with support and guidance. Mona shares how she and co-founder Glen White started the program in June 2000, then named Dragonfly Adventures, and that it was initially a wilderness therapy program for adolescents and young adults. Mona shares why they decided to change from helping young people in a wilderness therapy program to becoming a community-based young adult transition program in 2008. Mona reveals her continuous drive to evolve and change, including achieving her doctorate in leadership and change in 2017 and how her research influenced the Dragonfly Transitions program model. Mona also dives into why she and Glenn decided to have Dragonfly Transitions join Embark Behavioral Health in 2018. She also shares her thoughts on the field and where it is going.

We want to thank the sponsors of Season 14 Brightstone Transitions, Point School, and Wisdom Ranch. Season 14 focuses on young adult programs and young adults sharing their stories.

Bob Hennen is a primary therapist at Blue Ridge Wilderness Therapy's Emerald Arrow, a young adult wilderness program in Georgia. Bob shares his unusual journey into the field, how wilderness therapy helps young people struggling with substance use disorder and how he approaches treatment from a relational perspective. Bob reveals that he initially had concerns about working in wilderness therapy and how those concerns changed after working in the field. Bob discusses why wilderness therapy is so effective for young adults and shares a story about a recent young adult graduate of Emerald Arrow.

We want to thank the sponsors of Season 14 Brightstone Transitions, Point School, and Wisdom Ranch. Season 14 focuses on young adult programs.