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Wilderness Therapy Assists International Students


Guest Blogger
Steven DeMille, LCMHC, PhD 
Executive Director – RedCliff Ascent


Wilderness Therapy provides many opportunities for teens and young adults to have life altering experiences. With an increase in international students attending school in the U.S., RedCliff Ascent has seen an increase in international students over the years.


These students come to RedCliff because they are struggling in their current academic setting or suffering from some emotional concerns that are getting out of hand. Please find below some helpful points associated with international students and RedCliff Ascent


·         Wilderness therapy has a strong history as a character building intervention, which supports academic success.

·         Emotional distress is a major contributor to failure in school.

·         OutdoorBehavioral Healthcare (OBH) originally emerged as an intervention for struggling university students. It assisted in the development of the student’s emotional growth, resilience and self-discipline.

·         Wilderness therapy is also a good intervention for mental health concerns such as anxiety, depression, self harm and substance use.

·         OBH can be an effective intervention for struggling students so they do not fail or get withdrawn from school.

·         RedCliffAscent has a long history of working with international students. Up to 18% of the RedCliff student population has been internationally referred.

·         The trend is on the rise as demonstrated by the above graph.

 You can read a letter from a parent in the UK here.
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