Wilderness Therapy – Not Just for Boys

Boys are tough, and girls need to be protected – at least that’s what gender stereotypes lead us to believe. And though we all know that these stereotypes are untrue, they are still lurking in the back of our minds as we make decisions for our children.

Many parents are influenced by these gender-based assumptions when choosing a therapeutic program for troubled teens who are struggling with substance abuse, defiance or other emotional and behavioral issues. When they think of enrolling their child in a wilderness therapy program, for example, many parents mistakenly assume, “Not for my daughter.”

In reality, outdoor programs are just as effective (if not more so) for girls as boys.

Building Girls’ Self-Esteem

During adolescence, girls face a number of unique challenges. They begin to feel pressured to look and act a certain way based on society’s idealized standards, and may begin to act out through substance abuse, eating disorders, promiscuity, cutting and other destructive behaviors, often as a result of low self-esteem.

“We live in a society that values females for superficial reasons,” says Kirsten Bolt, CMFTI, a therapist at Aspen Achievement Academy, a therapeutic wilderness program for teens in Utah. “Girls aren’t encouraged to be leaders, there aren’t many great role models out there for girls, and the overall message is that girls aren’t as capable as boys.”

By shielding teenage girls from challenges, parents deprive their daughters of the opportunity to succeed. This “protection” fosters dependency and low self-esteem, as girls wonder how they’ll ever believe in themselves if even their parents don’t believe in them.

At Aspen Achievement Academy, teen girls figure out who they are and what they stand for, without the influence of negative media messages, cultural standards or peer pressure. They develop a strong sense of self by overcoming the challenges of living in the wilderness. Girls endure the same weather, cross the same rivers and forge the same mountains as boys – and they do it every bit as successfully.

The Aspen Achievement Academy wilderness program is designed to build healthy self-esteem based on meaningful challenge and genuine accomplishment. Most girls are out of their comfort zone in the outdoors, which makes wilderness therapy highly impactful for troubled teen girls. Discovering that they can make fire using sticks, build a shelter, live outdoors in inclement weather, cook meals over a fire and carry everything they need on their backs is extremely empowering for teenage girls.

“Because girls don’t think they can live in the wilderness, the experience is particularly rewarding for them,” says Bolt. “After a couple days in the wilderness, girls realize, ‘I can do this – and I can do it without the support of a boyfriend or being rescued by my parents.’”

Establishing Healthy Relationships

Healthy peer relationships are one of the most important aspects of a teenage girl’s life, but they are also one of the most difficult to cultivate. Girls often mistreat other girls by teasing, bullying or manipulating each other, and boys sometimes mistreat girls by objectifying them or pressuring them into difficult situations. As a result, their relationships aren’t authentic and may even become abusive.

At Aspen Achievement Academy, girls have no choice but to “get real” in their interactions with others because they are living and working through challenges with them 24 hours a day. With guidance from their therapists and field instructors, the girls learn how to set healthy boundaries, trust other people and work as a team while holding each other accountable.

“Living and working together as a group is significant because the girls receive constant feedback about their actions and interactions – they can’t hide from themselves out here,” explains Bolt. “The group structure replicates the family system so that teens can apply what they learn in the wilderness at home.”

In the peace and solitude of nature, girls connect with their spiritual side and concentrate on what is truly important in their lives. Rather than worrying about how they look, who likes them and owning the right material possessions, their focus is on their health, their relationships and setting goals for the future.

Rite of Passage into Adulthood

Rites of passage are an important part of wilderness therapy. In many cultures the traditional “rite of passage” was to honor a boy’s coming of age and initiation into manhood. But girls benefit from marking their transition into womanhood in much the same way as boys.

Being a teenage girl in today’s society can be stressful and riddled with obstacles. Girls must learn healthy ways to cope with emotional pain and communicate their needs, set goals for themselves and take on responsibility in order to grow into confident, self-sufficient young women.

Wilderness therapy provides an opportunity for girls to learn skills they may not develop in any other context and encourages girls to assume leadership roles and take calculated risks, which are essential for them to be successful in their careers as well as their personal lives.

“As the gender barriers have begun to come down, many of the ailments that stereotypically affected males have become female problems, too,” says Larry Bray, the program director at Aspen Achievement Academy. “The inequity is that there haven’t been therapeutic programs equipped to deal with both male and female issues, and girls have paid the price.”

Girls’ emotional and behavioral issues tend to be more acute before parents look to wilderness therapy as an option for their daughters, notes Bray. People tend to discount the challenges young women are facing and assume they’ll work through them on their own. Even though girls may show less aggression and engage in less destructive behaviors than boys, they are still in pain and will direct that pain inward, with devastating consequences.

It’s unfortunate, Bray says, because “wilderness therapy is an incredibly powerful experience for young ladies.”

After living in the wilderness for a few weeks, girls realize they can take care of themselves, overcome their fears and achieve more than they ever thought possible. They return home, not broken down by the intensity of the challenge, but empowered to set even bigger goals and embrace further change.