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There is hope for treatment resistant teens!

By Stephen C. Schultz


I fondly recall a conversation I had in the car with an educator while 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 conducted. 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 got me thinking.


Why does RedCliff have that reputation? Is it a reputation RedCliff has fostered and promoted? Is being known for working with “clinically complicated” kids a good or bad thing? What does that say about the clinical expertise of the therapists? If RedCliff truly excels 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 at RedCliff Ascent. It was apparent—through cards, letters, and emails from families—that RedCliff does an excellent job with both students and their families. Families’ lives are changed—but why?

As I started asking questions and attending family seminars for parents, it became clear that the old wilderness stereotypes don’t really apply to RedCliff. For example, the idea that “if you don’t build a shelter and it rains, you get wet” or that wilderness programs are purely about “natural consequences” doesn’t reflect what RedCliff is about. RedCliff Ascent is not focused on natural consequences or survival skills training. Yes, students participate in some of those activities, but over the years, RedCliff has established a clinically sophisticated treatment model based on research and best practices. This model reintegrates teens back into the adolescent stages of development.

The students RedCliff accepts into the program are developmentally delayed in various ways. They are stuck at a certain point in the process of becoming healthy, well-adjusted, and productive members of society. This delay may result from depression, anxiety, adoption issues, or substance use. There are usually family and relationship issues as well. A student 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 diagnoses and family dynamics they bring to the program. However, all the therapy in the world won’t be effective until the treatment program can “disrupt the pattern” of thinking, manipulation, and family dynamics that enable the student to remain in this developmental rut.

Once destructive patterns of thinking, manipulation, and attitudes are disrupted, it takes a skilled clinician and staff to help the student “interpret” and internalize healthy ways of dealing with life. This is done by identifying the thoughts and actions that keep them emotionally stuck and assisting them in acquiring the competencies necessary to continue their developmental process.

Many wilderness treatment programs pride themselves on “high-adventure” activities or claim to have a “diagnostic” approach, with their main goal being to “prepare” the student for further residential treatment. The idea is that these students will replace negative behaviors with a healthier “thrilling” experience or that the wilderness will serve as a “wake-up call” to help the student realize they need help.

While these may be secondary benefits of RedCliff Ascent, they are not the primary emphasis. A student engaged in treatment at RedCliff Ascent does not struggle with a lack of entertainment or excitement in life. What they lack is the ability to master the mundane responsibilities that come with school, work, and family relationships. At RedCliff, the goal is to help students find meaning in these daily activities rather than seek an outside “thrill.”

It is through the disruption of manipulative and dependent patterns, the skillful and sophisticated therapeutic efforts of clinicians, and the personal accomplishments and insights of the students themselves that change begins to take place. Students who attend RedCliff Ascent start taking the steps that put them back on the path to healthy adolescent development.

To learn more, check out the website here: www.RedCliffAscent.com 


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