Therapist’s Healing Work with Children Hits Close to Home

Urging Others to Donate Blood

by Colleen McGee, MA, Lead Field Therapist (Wisconsin)

As a wilderness therapist, it’s probably no secret to most that my career in wilderness is a life guided by activism and advocacy for children and the environment. I am witness to healing and transformation every day and I take great pride in my work as a helping professional. Today’s teens are a misunderstood population to say the least, and in a world further complicated by technology and increasing demands it seems the need to get back to basics in nature couldn’t be more urgent. This philosophical foundation, among others, has guided my journey in this field and the rewards it has brought me has enriched my soul and strengthened my commitment to see the young people I work with heal the wounds of their body, mind and spirit. Recently, my sense of the necessity of helping and healing professionals has hit close to home for me in a very different and unexpected way; when I learned that my 13 year-old nephew and godson Christopher had cancer.

Initially, I was consumed by grief and paralyzing fear, my sense of powerlessness rendering little other than the words “Why?” and “How?” constantly ringing through my head. As the dust eventually settled on this seemingly earth-shattering news, I found myself humbled and hopeful, and at the mercy of the dedicated medical staff and their commitment to healing and helping children. Turns out, Stage 2 Hodgkin’s Lymphoma is a treatable cancer with a high recovery rate and I’m not so powerless in this process after all. I am reminded in some ways here of what families go through when they enroll their child at New Vision Wilderness. And just like my relationship with the families who have entrusted their child to me and the capable staff at NVW, I could hear my own advice popping up in my head when I reminded myself to trust the process. I wished the medical staff could make the same guarantee to me that my families ask me to make to them when they urge me to promise this intervention will work and their child is going to get better. Just like the families I work with there is more I can do than just sit and wait for the next bit of news.

I have learned that cancer patients, like any other human being going through a period of distress, thrive on the support, guidance and well wishes of others. I have been moved and inspired by the outpouring Christopher and his family have received through neighbors, friends and even a few professional athletes! In addition to support and encouragement, part of Christopher’s treatment includes several blood transfusions; an especially touching piece considering this part of his healing is contingent on the kindness of absolute strangers who are willing to endure the discomfort and time associated with this process. In the spirit of paying it forward, I have happily signed up and donated. Now I’m asking you to do the same. Did you know that according to the American Red Cross, one blood donation can save the lives of up to three people? And in the U.S. someone needs a blood transfusion every two second? This adds up to almost 44,000 needs per day! And although only 38% of the population are actually eligible to give blood, most of the people who don’t cite excuses such as “I never thought about it” or “Needles are scary” to avoid a measure that saves millions of lives. Just knowing these transfusions are helping my godson heal are enough to take my advocacy skills in a different direction. One of the tenets of NVW’s model includes placing a high value on giving back and being part of a community and from one community member to another. I ask you to do the same. Donating blood and volunteering are just a couple of the ways we can take action to fight this disease and play a larger role in the betterment of self, others and the world.

In closing, I want to take a moment to tip my bug-sprayed, campfire smoke-infused hat to those medical professionals who have dedicated their careers to heal children fighting this horrible disease. From one helping professional to another, I am inspired by your commitment and your kindness. Most importantly, I am inspired by your love. In the spirit of humility and hope I thank you for the lives you save.

Celebrating Our First Adolescent Graduates

New Vision Wilderness – West Coast (Oregon)

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.”