Stories from the Field: Mental Health and the Outdoors

Have you ever thought about starting a wilderness therapy program? Have you ever wondered how and why the field of wilderness therapy went from being primarily dominated by non-profit programs to currently being inundated with for-profit programs? This episode focuses on the business side of wilderness therapy and the different models of operating in the field. This story explores the history of the business of the field including how the for-profit Aspen Education Group emerged in 1989 and collapsed after 2008.

Miriam Miller is a new field guide at Trails Carolina and former wilderness therapy student. Miriam grew up in South Carolina and faced many challenges during her childhood. By the time she got to college she became overwhelmed with issues related to trauma that she reached out to her mother to get her into a wilderness therapy program. Miriam shares her treatment journey and why she choose wilderness therapy. She shares the difficulty of paying for wilderness therapy treatment and how she was helped along the way and why she has decided to work in wilderness therapy.

Emma Stein is an undergraduate student in Outdoor Education at the University of New Hampshire. When Emma was young she suffered a great deal of loss as her father died when she was 9 and her mother died when she was 16. Emma shares the story of challenges related to the pain she was suffering and how traditional mental health treatment had limited impact. At 16 she went to Summit Achievement a wilderness therapy program in Maine and it changed her life forever. She shares her story of grit and resilience and why she now wants to work in the field.

Kaiumati Roche is co-founder of Sojourn Consulting which supports and consults companies and individuals in Experiential Education and Outdoor Behavioral Healthcare. Kai shares his story of struggling in college and going to a wilderness therapy program in Utah which changed the course of his life to pursue a career in wilderness therapy. He has been a field guide or director at Wingate, New Visions, BlueFire, and Evoke. Kai shares his thoughts on the field and how Sojourn Consulting helps field guides.

To find out more about Kai check out his Linkedin page:

Tom Whalen is an undergraduate student at Plymouth State University in Plymouth, N.H. Tom grew up in Fairfield, Connecticut, and really struggled high school. Tom shares how outpatient and inpatients interventions did not help him. While in a residential treatment center a clinician recommended wilderness and he decided to give it a try. Tom shares his transformational story of being a student in a wilderness program, how it changed his life and why he is interested in pursuing a career in the field.

Sarah Stusek of Stusek Studios has worked in the film and television industry since childhood. When she was 17 years old she was brought to a wilderness therapy program in Montana called Three Rivers. The transporter told her, "You should write a book about this" and now, 13 years later, she has finished the book and it will soon be a motion picture. Sarah shares her challenging journey into the wilderness and how it changed her life. She shares her thoughts about the field, her book, and the film.

Bio from Stusek Studios Website: Has been in the film and television industry since 1995, working on Emmy award-winning projects like HBO's VEEP and NETFLIX's HOUSE OF CARDS.

Bio from Three Rivers Section of Stusek Studios:

Wilderness-based therapy has helped so many, how many more can we reach through film?

Growing up today in this chaotic society is tough. Taking a break from the noise that surrounds us would be beneficial to anyone. No noise, cell phones, internet or connection to society.

I am Sarah Stusek, the filmmaker behind Three Rivers. Producer Wendy Geary and I met while working on the hit EMMY award winning HBO's VEEP seven years ago and have worked toward making this film together ever since. More about us in a minute, let's get back to THREE RIVERS!

When I was seventeen-years-old I attended a wilderness program that completely changed my outlook on life -- I lived in the backcountry of Montana in the middle of winter for three months. I was in a co-ed group of other teenagers labeled "troubled or at-risk youth" that had to work both together as well as independently to literally survive the program-in-the-woods.

I learned not only lessons about nature and survival skills, but the importance of communication and cooperation. However, by far the most important lessons I learned were about myself. These were not always easy lessons to learn, but I kept at it. After I learned to confront my feelings I began to understand them.

I learned what my strengths were and how to rely on myself. I learned where I had weaknesses and what I needed to do to work on them. I learned about teamwork and that I can rely and trust other people. I learned to let go of little things and live more. I learned that the most important relationship in my life is the one I have with myself. Although it was one of the most difficult things I have accomplished, my experience was an unforgettable one, and one that I know I will continue to lean on every day of my life and I want the world to be able to have this experience as well.

The picturesque backdrop of Montana is almost a character in itself. With the beautiful mountains and the frozen snow, the nature leads the story.

I went to wilderness therapy in 2007 and its taken me 12 years to get to a place where I could separate myself from this story. So this is a story of Stella. A teenager of today, way more famous and cooler than I will ever be. We hope you join us on this journey.

Bryce Bauer is a relationship coach in Utah. Bryce shares his story of mental health and substance abuse challenges as a teen and young adult which eventually led to a traumatic car accident. After a family intervention, he reluctantly enrolled in a wilderness therapy program. He shares how his journey into the field and the challenges of being a student that shifted the course of his life. Bryce would later work as a field guide in several wilderness programs. He is committed to service to others.

Bio from BryceBauer.com website: Bryce completed his first coach training in 2009 with The Coaches Training Institute in San Rafael, CA and went on to work for several drug treatment facilities in Utah, New Mexico, and Hawaii. After receiving his PCC from the International Coaches Federation in 2016, he moved into private practice and found that relationship struggles were often the common denominator in many people's life problems. He joined The Relationship School in 2018 and received his Relationship Coach Training Certification in 2019. He is now an Assistant Course Leader for the Deep Psychology of Intimate Relationships course through The Relationship School. When he isn't geeking out about relationships or coaching, he is traveling with his wife, playing basketball, hiking, mountain biking, meditating, playing volleyball, and connecting with friends. He is deeply devoted to self-development and he seeks out the top experts in the areas of life where he wants to grow the most. Some of his direct mentors include Jason Stein, Tej Steiner, and Jayson Gaddis.

Judith Sadora, Therapist at Evoke Cascades. Judith shares her story of being the first black woman therapist in a program that is part of the Outdoor Behavioral Healthcare Council, and perhaps, the first-ever black woman therapist in wilderness therapy. She shares her challenges in the field and how she connected with allies who encouraged her along the way. Judith also educates the listener on how racism should be seen through a mental health lens and how she works with teens of color in wilderness.

Judith's bio from Evoke Website:

Judith has worked with those who struggle with trauma, depression, anxiety, racial identity, substance abuse, attachment, suicide or self-harm, and process addictions (i.e video games, technology). Judith has the ability to find and help develop strengths that each individual and family possess. She then builds on these strengths to help families create new patterns of individual and relational success. She works to create change and build healthy perspectives and attachments in teens that strengthen family and parent/child relationships.

Judith has experience identifying cultural differences and contextual factors in individuals and is passionate about providing counseling for multicultural and diverse populations in adolescents and families. Judith is a strong advocate of 12-step recovery and uses a combination of CBT, Trans-generational, Existential, and Narrative interventions.

Judith was born and raised on the east coast in New Jersey and New York until she moved to Las Vegas, Nevada in 2009 where she completed her bachelor's in Psychology and her master's in Marriage and Family Therapy. Judith is now a doctoral student of Marriage and Family Therapy at North Central University with a primary focus on applied research in outdoor adventure therapy and diversity inclusion.

Prior to joining the Evoke team, Judith worked with adolescents as a Middle School Counselor and at a Residential Treatment Center in Nevada. Judith is a family therapist that has experience facilitating family & parenting workshops while also balancing a full caseload.

Judith's hope is to help change and build healthy perspectives towards self, others, and life's challenges. She encourages her students through her work, to think for themselves and embark on a journey towards self-understanding and self-actualization by constructing their own narrative that promotes health. Judith's passion for primarily working in an outdoor therapeutic environment is driven by her belief that nature provides opportunities that motivate individuals towards health in their mind, body, spirit journey.

Judith lives with her husband in Redmond, Oregon and when she is not working, she enjoys outdoor adventures such as camping, hiking, backpacking, and kayaking. Judith enjoys weightlifting and CrossFit as a personal challenge and physical hobby. Judith and her husband also love being involved in their church community.

This episode will delve into the history of wilderness therapy and how the field responded to five pandemics (crisis) during its long evolution. Will White will share the story of how different national and global calamities were catalysts for the evolution of wilderness therapy including a viral pandemic in 1901, global strife in 1941, the civil rights movement in 1968, the great recession of 2008 and how wilderness therapy is best suited to address the mental health crisis of 2020.

Alex White is an adventure therapy outpatient clinician. His journey into the field began as a child as his parents were mental health professionals. In college, he led outdoor orientation trips for incoming students and fell in love with the work. He went onto be a field guide at Red Top Meadows a state-funded wilderness therapy program in Wyoming. He shares his journey from field staff to clinician to outpatient adventure therapist. He shares why he believes that the future of the field is outpatient.