Trails Carolina wilderness therapy program offers an innovative solution for troubled adolescents. Combining outdoor activities with group and individual therapy sessions to assist healing, this unique solution is becoming increasingly popular with parents seeking alternatives to residential treatment centers.
Trails Carolina wilderness therapy program has achieved remarkable results; yet has received some criticism in response. Allegations against it have sparked state and federal investigations to ensure it operates within legal limits while providing safe conditions for its participants.
Founded in 2022
Trails Carolina’s innovative program blends wilderness therapy, clinical theory and evidenced-based psychotherapies into one unique offering for students of all ages and genders. Students join single-gender age-appropriate groups led by experienced licensed therapists that allow them to focus on personal growth while addressing academic difficulties as well as learn new skills that may lead to healthier, more fulfilling lives.
Staff in this program has over 10 years of combined wilderness therapy experience. Their therapists utilize an holistic approach to healing, creating personalized treatment plans with holistic strategies. They strive to empower families by teaching them responsibility for their behaviors while encouraging them to reclaim life outdoors; sessions for families, midpoint parent workshops and Common Ground experiences all help bring sustainable changes within family systems.
Licensed by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS)
Trails Carolina “Investigation” provides troubled teens with a transformative wilderness therapy experience designed to get them back on track academically while teaching new ways of self-care and caring for themselves. Individual therapy and family systems work are also provided.
Graham Shannonhouse has over two decades of wilderness therapy experience. At one Idaho wilderness therapy program she served various roles such as hands-on field instructor and director of clinical operations.
Despite these troubling allegations, the program has pledged its cooperation in ongoing investigations as well as to implement changes that prioritise participant safety and emotional well-being. Furthermore, they have promised that their staff-to-participant ratio meets industry standards.
Founded by Cathy Meyer
Trails Carolina is an outdoor therapeutic program for troubled teens located in South Carolina. Renowned for its beautiful scenery, peaceful location, and strict adherence to clinical best practices, Trails Carolina has garnered an excellent reputation in adolescent behavioral health. Unfortunately, recent allegations regarding physical restraint, emotional manipulation, and lack of supervision have cast a dark shadow over its past which have raised serious safety concerns for its students.
Cathy Meyer is an enthusiastic coastal naturalist and writer who takes delight in exploring North Carolina’s beaches and parks. Recently she completed a 425-mile walk along its coast with her late husband that she documented in the book Coastwalk North Carolina; additionally, she enjoys chasing waterfalls and hiking up ridgetop views in Triangle parks.
Dedicated to helping troubled teens
Trails Carolina provides teens with the support and guidance to break self-defeating patterns and achieve positive change in their lives. This process requires collaboration between student and parent; parents learn healthy boundaries to communicate more effectively with their teens while building stronger bonds based on unconditional love and support between themselves and their teen(s).
Many youth have an incorrect sense of control; they believe their actions are not their own fault, and that any issues are caused by external factors. Boot camps for troubled youth frequently reinforce this notion, often without producing lasting change in a teenager’s life.
Trails Carolina provides long-term healing processes and assists students to make sustainable changes after graduation, using practice, preparation and multiple systems approaches.
Dedicated to alums
Recently, allegations of abuse in wilderness therapy programs have received much scrutiny and require thorough investigation. While these incidents may be upsetting, they also serve as an alarming reminder of the need to choose programs which prioritize safety and adhere to ethical practices.
Trails Carolina encourages feedback from parents and students, which gives potential families an understanding of what life at Trails is really like on-site. They also feature videos from alumni that give prospective students a visual of how Trails has helped change lives before.
Trails Momentum is a co-ed adventure-based therapeutic wilderness program located in western North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains. Their innovative program integrates adventure programming, clinical services, community living, education and service-learning into holistic transformation for its students.
