Skip to main content

There is hope for treatment resistant teens!

By Stephen C.  Schultz


I fondly recall a conversation I had in the car with an Educator as we were visiting treatment programs for troubled teenagers. RedCliff is one of the original founding members of the Outdoor Behavioral Healthcare Council (OBH) and I mentioned some of the recent research that had been done. This Educator made a comment based on her perception of RedCliff.

She stated, “… RedCliff has the reputation for working with the clinically complicated cases…and you should embrace that reputation.” That comment started me thinking.


Why does RedCliff have that reputation? Is it a reputation RedCliff has fostered and promoted? Is it a good thing or bad thing being known for your ability to work with “Clinically Complicated” kids? What does that say about the clinical expertise of the therapists? If RedCliff really does excel with these families, why is that?

So, I traveled to RedCliff and started asking questions. I made a point to meet with the clinical team of RedCliff Ascent. It was apparent, through cards, letters and emails from families that RedCliff really does an excellent job with the students as well as the families. Families’ lives are changed…but why? As I started asking questions and attending some of the family seminars for the parents, it became clear that all of the old wilderness stereotypes don’t really apply to RedCliff. (For example; if you don’t build a shelter and it rains you get wet…Wilderness programs are about Natural Consequences… that type of stuff.) RedCliff Ascent was not about natural consequences or hard survival skills training. Yes, students did participate in some of those activities, but over the years, RedCliff has actually established a clinically sophisticated treatment model based on research and best practices that reinserts these teens back into the adolescent stages of development.

The students RedCliff accepts to the program are Developmentally Delayed in any number of ways. They are stuck at a certain point in the process of developing into healthy, well-adjusted, productive members of society. This can be a result of depression, anxiety, adoption issues or substance use. There are usually family and relationship issues as well. The student stuck in this situation lacks the coping mechanisms, competencies and discipline necessary to manage their life at an age appropriate level. The reasons for this are as varied as the diagnosis and family dynamics they come to the program with. However, all the therapy in the world won’t do a thing until the treatment program can “disrupt the pattern” of thinking, manipulation and family dynamics that enable the student to continue in this developmental rut. Once the patterns of destructive thinking, manipulation and attitudes are disrupted, it takes a skilled clinician and staff to assist the student in “interpreting” and internalizing healthy ways of dealing with life. This is done through helping the student identify the thoughts and actions that keep them emotionally stuck and assist them in acquiring the competencies necessary to continue their developmental process.



Many Wilderness Treatment programs pride themselves on “High Adventure” activities or they claim to have a “diagnostic” approach and their main goal is to “prepare” the student for further residential treatment. The idea is that these students will replace the negative behaviors with a more healthy “thrilling” experience or that the wilderness will be a “Wake up Call” to assist the student in realizing they do need help.

While these are all secondary benefits of RedCliff Ascent, it is not the main emphasis. A student engaged in treatment at RedCliff Ascent does not struggle with a lack of entertainment or thrill in her life. What she lacks is the ability to master the mundane responsibilities that come with school, work and family relationships. At RedCliff, the goal is to assist students in finding meaning in those daily activities, rather than search for an outside “thrill”. It is through the disruption of manipulative and dependent patterns; the skillful, sophisticated therapeutic efforts of clinicians; and personal accomplishment and insight by the students themselves that changes start to take place. Students who attend RedCliff Ascent begin taking those steps that put them back on the path to healthy adolescent development.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Young Boy and the Rattlesnake

By Stephen C. Schultz (Editors note: This is a story used in a Wilderness Treatment Program for Young Adults . Many come to this program having struggled with substance abuse and interacting with unsavory friends.)   Many years ago there was a young Native American who lived in the very land you are residing in. He decided to seek wisdom by journeying to the top of Indian Peak. As he approached the base of the mountain he came across a rattlesnake that slithered beside him. The snake coiled as if to strike and the young boy moved back quickly in fear of being struck by the snake’s deadly venom. At that instant the snake spoke to the boy saying, “Don’t be afraid of me, I mean you no harm. I come to you to ask a favor. I see that you are about to traverse to the top of Indian Peak and was hoping that you may be willing to place me in your satchel so that I don’t have to make the long journey alone.” The young boy surprised by the snake’s request quickly responded b

Navigating the Highway of Healthy Communication

By Stephen C. Schultz “I was on the road in my car last week. It was a long stretch of highway where it is easy for your speed to creep up. I looked in the review mirror and saw blue and red flashing lights. I watched as the right hand of the officer extended to lift a microphone to his mouth. He was obviously running my plates. I glanced at my driver’s side mirror and observed as his door opened and he stepped around the edge of the door and closed it with a single, fluid motion. In a cautious and calculated manner, with his right hand resting about hip high on his revolver and his left hand carrying some paper, he was at my door in ten easy strides.” Ok…now that you have read that first paragraph, what are you feeling? Did reading that stir any emotions? Could you relate to my experience? How many of you are smiling? You’ve been there…right? You know the feeling. Often there is dread. Sometimes there is fear. Most times there is frustration because you were just goin

Video Games, Anxiety and ADHD - Free Family Resources

 By Stephen C. Schultz Video Games, Anxiety and ADHD - Is there a common theme? Aloft Transitions Home for Young Adults This is simply a complimentary resource guide for parents of teens and young adults who struggle with ADHD, Anxiety and Gaming. ADHD:   • Russell Barkley,  Taking Charge of ADHD • Hallowell & Ratey,  Delivered from Distraction • Harvey Parker,  The ADD Hyperactivity Workbook for Parents, Teachers, & Kids • Bradley & Giedd,  Yes, Your Teen Is Crazy!: Loving Your Kid Without Losing Your  Mind  • Gurian, Michael,  The Minds of Boys Saving Our Sons from Falling Behind in School and  Life, 2005. • Hanna, Mohab,  Making the Connection: A Parents’ Guide to Medication in AD/HD • www.CHADD.org  (Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) • www.help4adhd.org • www.aap.org (American Academy of Pediatrics) • www.aacap.org (American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry) Young Adult caring for new baby calf Anxiety: The following websites