Overview

“Truly one of our industry's premiere programs! The proficiently skilled staff along with their tenure and passion to serve certainly set them apart from other programs. Time and time again, I can count on them to not only facilitate the journeys of my clients with great care, but to do so with extraordinary competency. ”

Educational Consultant, Georgia

Each Footsteps student has a Ph.D. or Masters level clinician as the leader of his/her treatment team. Second Nature's clinical team is unequaled in the field of wilderness therapy. Therapists are often trained in the field for a year or more before they assume their own groups. Beyond simple intuitive or narrative descriptions of your child's progress, your therapist will provide sophisticated yet accessible psychological theory to assess behaviors, make family assignments, and create recommendations for aftercare planning. Families often attest that their Footsteps therapist was able to ascertain the problems and create interventions far more effectively than previous experiences allowed.

For 48 hours each week, a clinician is in the field with students, conducting individual and group therapy sessions, meeting with Field Staff, directing group and individual treatment interventions, and spending time with students in the Footsteps group. Every week each student is paired with one Field Instructor who attends the student's therapy session and works with the student toward his/her therapeutic and personal goals. For the rest of the week, students are "on trail," working together as a group, experiencing the inherent lessons of the wilderness and pursuing their individualized treatment goals. The therapist, when not in the field, is in communication with the group and base camp regularly. Parents have a phone session with the therapist each week after the therapist has met with their child in the field. Parent calls provide a chance for the therapist to update the student's family on his/ her progress and help facilitate family therapy goals and the creation of an aftercare plan for the student and his/her family. The therapist will also be in contact with home therapists, educational consultants, and other members of the treatment team.

Footsteps' exceptional Field Instructors have extensive experience in wilderness education and working with at-risk students. At least one senior Field Instructor is trained as a Wilderness First Responder or Wilderness CMT and is always present in every group. At the beginning of each week, all Field Instructors attend a three-hour training session regarding various topics designed to enhance clinical understanding and professional development. Competence in medical training, de-escalation training, clinical services, and primitive living skills are part of the curriculum. Creativity, affinity for outdoor living, sensitivity, compassion and a desire to help young people lead healthy and productive lives are all vital prerequisites for the Field Instructor position.

Each Second Nature Wilderness Program has a medical director who monitors psychotropic medications. Access to a psychiatric assessment and visits may also be provided as directed by the primary therapist. Along with providing the highest level of clinical work, all Footsteps employees adhere to an unparalleled commitment to customer service. This means your family receives the best clinical care without compromise.