Treatment Philosophy

“Wonderful. We were recommended to Second Nature Footsteps because of its sophisticated and clinical therapy approach, and our expectations were fulfilled.”

Richard, Parent

Footsteps’ treatment model focuses on three main areas: the student’s, environment, the student’s experiences in the group milieu, and the internal processes the student uses.  Leaving the familiarity of home and entering the wilderness provides an environment free of negative outside stimuli and full of the richness and inherent lessons in nature.  Footsteps’ personnel create a family-like microcosm with appropriate structure, boundaries, feedback, stimulation, relationships and challenges.  Within this structure students are able to build awareness of their current/previous relationships, behaviors, and coping skills, and learn to make different choices for themselves.

Students learn through wilderness living, positive peer culture, therapy groups, activities, and living in the moment with nature, that they have strengths, resiliency, and inner knowledge, and can empower themselves to find solutions for the difficulties in their lives. Using the purity of the wilderness environment, unplugged from a frantic and over-stimulated culture, accepting natural consequences for choices made, all within a community that cares for and challenges each other, students at Footsteps have an opportunity to ground themselves, come to understand the path they are on, and seek their own solutions.