Celebrating Our First Adolescent Graduates
“Inspiring
Change… by Nature.”
In early
2013, New Vision Wilderness’ highly successful wilderness challenge program in
Medford, Wisconsin, deemed “North Woods,” was expanded to a new region. The
Pacific Northwest was long-researched as a supreme location to conduct our
wilderness therapy and mental health intervention programming. As Summer 2013
approached, West Coast was granted a license allowing the intake of preteens
and adolescents. As the program evolves into a larger force, it permits us to
continually increase the daily census.
The first
three clients have completed and graduated from New Vision Wilderness (West
Coast)! These three graduates emerged from the
wilderness successfully, and ready to move forward into a productive life ahead
of them. We memorialize this event as the culmination of the hard work our
program has put forth in the mental health of our countries’ youth, and for the
blood, sweat, and tears that our staff has given in the name of progress.
Thank you
for reading and keep following New Vision Wilderness social media for more
news, updates, and events.
A Parent Speaks Up
“I am
sure many parents feel the same apprehension when sending their child to a
wilderness program. Did I do the right thing? Will my child resent me?
When I picked my son up from his graduation he said to me ‘Mom, thank you
for making the decision I needed, not the one that I wanted.’ Having my
son back, seeing him smile, the clarity in his eyes, his sense of humor
coming back to life is all the assurances I needed. Having the time to focus on
the things I needed to work on without the worry of wondering if my son
was ok and knowing he was in good hands allowed me the time I needed to work
parallel on being ready to start a new relationship with him when he came
home and it also allowed me the opportunity for the first time to see that
I wasn't alone and that many other parents had gone through what I had,
made the mistakes I had made, felt confused and lost as to what to do.
That in itself allowed me to put my own defenses down and look at not only
myself but my family as a whole and see how we can all work together towards a
peaceful and happy home again. I also learned to hear my son in the way that he
needs to be heard by me. I gained immense insight into who my son is and what
he needs in order to live a happy sober life from working with his therapist
who gave me the tools that I needed to be there for him without rescuing him
and allowing him to take responsibility for his own life.” – (mother)
A Word From Our Clinical Team
“They were the pioneers in our program and
took that to heart. Within the beginning growth of the West Coast program they
were able to transform, grow and be an integral part in the culture of the
group. Through the development of the group, they too developed as young men
with direction, excitement and meaning for their future. Their journey at NVWC
showed strength and an inspiring ability to look for insight. They showed what
it meant to challenge themselves and what you receive from that challenge
physically and emotionally. They were able to gain insight and be able to
exhibit the insight via with artwork, peer feedback and modeling how to take
the opportunities to move forward and find that new path.” – E. Deardorff, APSW
MSW, Assistant Clinical Director
“It is such a great feeling to see my first
NVW-West Coast graduate feeling proud and ready for the next step of his life.
What a thrill to be able to bring the magic of NVW to the Pacific Northwest, my
home. It has been an exiting, challenging and a very fulfilling endeavor to be
a part of the clinical team responsible for getting the West Coast program up,
running, and thriving. The amount of energy, commitment and pride that the West
Coast Program and staff bring to the New Vision philosophy has been inspiring
and makes me proud to be a part of the most clinically intense and effective
wilderness therapy out there!” – R. Becker, MSW, Lead Field Therapist
“Inspiring Change… by Nature.”
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