Wilderness Therapy Programs: Why Is This Even An Option?

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This topic is a tough one to dissect because there are two very valid perspectives involved. First, the parents of troubled kids who have tried their best to help put their children on the right path to no avail. And the so-called troubled kids who are being sent into these programs and are coming out all the more traumatised and resentful towards their parents.

A Troubled Teen is a term used to describe teenagers/youths who are exhibiting behavioural issues. I.e being rebellious and lashing out, hanging around the wrong crowd, getting into drugs, etc.

In Paris Hilton’s recent documentary, The is Paris she narrates how she has constant nightmares, which alludes to some childhood trauma she experienced. She eventually names this trauma at the latter part of the YouTube documentary, as Complex Post-traumatic Stress Disorder or CPTSD from being sent to a wilderness program in Utah, over twenty years ago when she was a teen. According to her younger sister Nicky, even Paris herself attests to this, Paris was a boisterous child who constantly got into trouble. Her parents seemingly had enough and one day in the middle of the night as Paris slept, two heavy-set men walked into her room at her parents’ house and took her away. “I thought I was being kidnapped,” Paris explained in the documentary. Though unclear how, she ended up at the Provo Canyon School, Utah, where she would remain for the next eleven months. And in that time, according to Paris they were fed pills that made them weak. Paris figured out a way to avoid taking them but she was found out and reported by one of the girls in the program. For this, Paris was made to sit naked in solitary confinement for hours. These are the types of treatments teenagers experience in wilderness programs.

More recently, Danielle Bregoli, popularly known on the internet as Bhad Bhabie called out famous television host, Dr. Phil McGraw for his participation in her traumatic experience at the Turn-About Ranch wilderness program. Bregoli had gone viral in 2016 after appearing on Dr. Phil. when she was thirteen; her mum had brought her on the show because of her behavioural issues. It was also during her appearance on the show that she would coin the popular phrase “Cash me outside, how bout da?” In 2021 Bregoili called out Dr. Phil in a YouTube video, for sending her to the Wilderness program where she experienced in-humane treatments. Bregoili, who is now eighteen, described the torture she went through and the violence she witnessed; from her friend being sexually assaulted to one of the participants killing a member of staff. Like Paris Hilton she described being picked up by two people in the middle of the night, she called them “Transporters” as the name implies they are responsible for picking up a child enrolled in a program and taking them in. They could either be two men or a man and a woman. Bregoli described being sleep deprived for the first three days of her arrival, as part of the on-boarding process. According to her, it was a tactic to break her down to a vulnerable place so they could “Transform” her. Bregoli described the staff as “Mean,” people who didn’t always operate by the books. She and the other kids were made to do manual labour and were often made to sit outside in the cold. Bregoli subsequently accused Dr. Phil of sending her and other kids to reformation camp, knowing that type of environment isn’t conducive for kids.

What are Wilderness Therapy Programs?

A Wilderness Therapy Program is a form of therapy that is performed out in the wilderness, away from what is familiar to the participants. It is used to treat behavioural, mental, or substance issues in adolescents. All research points to Kurt Hahn, a German Educator, as the pioneer of experiential learning; the idea that children need to learn by doing. It was this idea that birthed the first Wilderness program called Outward Bound. Founded by Hahn himself and Businessman, Lawrence Holt, to facilitate outdoor learning. Outward Bound is still in operation today with locations around the world. Yet this program welcomes everyone and isn’t specifically aimed at fixing troubled teenagers.

Why Do Parents Send Their Children Into Wilderness Therapy Programs?

Being a parent is not only a lifetime commitment but it is imagined that it requires a lot of hard work in order to raise a well-functioning member of society. A parent will send their child into wilderness Therapy for several reasons but it mostly comes down to the parent feeling defeated in their effort to raise their child due to the child exhibiting “bad” behaviour. Teens can be a dreadful time for both parents and children; that is the age where children mostly feel like their lives are in motion and anything they do in high school could either make or break them. It is also a time when they become aware of themselves as well as the opposite sex, and this could bring about them being self-conscious which could create anxiety in them. That anxiety could lead to teenagers being rude to their parents or getting into drugs in order to cope. It could lead to them keeping to themselves, therefore, being labeled anti-social. Of course, It could also be deeper than that. Some children could come from abusive homes, where they are being neglected or where their parents fight all the time, and in some situations, the parents are divorced. These could be a factor in them acting out. So a parent

Do Wilderness Programs Actually Help ‘Troubled’ Children?

Whether or not these programs help teenagers is up to the teens involved to tell. A quick Google search will lead you to stories from people who were sent on these trips; a couple of stories have been picked up by online magazines such as Vox, The Atlantic, and The LA Times. Many wilderness Therapy Alums, Now older, have also taken to Tiktok to share their story under the hashtag #BreakingTheCodeOfSilence. A large majority say they suffered abuse at these programs and still have nightmares of being snatched from their beds in the middle of the night by strangers, while their parents looked on and said nothing. As was the case with Paris Hilton and Danielle Bregoli.

On the other hand, parents have a different perspective. According to a mother who granted an interview with her daughter to the LA Times, “She will do it again in a heartbeat.” This was in response to her daughter saying she had nightmares for six months after being taken from her bed. Paris Hilton’s mother, Kathy had a similar response to her daughter’s trauma, she said in the documentary The Real Paris Hilton, “I always take what people say with a grain of salt; I think, it did bother her but it was our way of saving you.” This sentiment is shared by a lot of parents who tend not to believe their children anymore, most likely due to having been lied to by their children in the past.

As much as the parents might have their minds in the right place, the traumatic experiences of the people who actually participated in these programs can not be ignored, regardless of if they came out acting better or not.

There are stories of children being bitten by poisonous insects, getting hypothermia, dealing with abusive staff members, and the like. One thing these stories have in common is the fact that they are consistent with each other. One TikToker who goes by the handle yungkendee gave a detailed recount of her experience at a program. She had email transcripts between her mum and a therapist at the program she was enrolled in and contracts they had her mother sign. The details are horrific and beg the question; why on earth will a parent sign that kind of contract, knowing fully the organisation you entrust the life of your child assumes zero responsibility said child while in their care? Is any child ever so bad to the point where parents are willing to risk their children’s lives in the hope that they develop good manners? No one should be subjected to such situations, especially not vulnerable teenagers.

Why Do Teenagers Rebel?

The real question we should be asking is why do teenagers rebel or more specifically encourage parents to find time to sit with their teens and ask about their lives. A lot of parents think they know their teens because they birthed them or because they live under their roof, this is simply false. And because of this idea parents tend to be quick to dismiss their teen’s problems as inconsequential. But the truth is that life hits everyone at every stage. What feels irrelevant to an adult can be what drives a young teen to harm themselves; for instance, teenagers aren’t aware that they would lose contact with most of their friends from high school. They don’t know that there is a big probability they won’t marry their high school sweetheart. They don’t even know that as they age they will develop new perspectives and meet new people. All they know is where they are and parents should try to meet them there. Parents also need to understand that their struggles as teens are not the same as the struggles of a teen growing up in today’s digital world. Teenagers need reassurance as much as they need reinforcement; they need to know that they are doing fine and they will be alright, as much as they should know that their actions have consequences. We cannot teach one and leave out the other, they need to know that their opinions and feelings are valid. This way if a teenager has any problem, they feel comfortable opening up to their parents.