Reviews of Blue Ridge Therapeutic Wilderness - Wilderness Therapy Programs (Psychologist)

236 File St, Clayton, GA 30525, United States

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Here we offer you the information of people like you who are buying the products and services of Blue Ridge Therapeutic Wilderness - Wilderness Therapy Programs (Psychologist) in North Carolina area.

To this day the firm has a rating of 4.0 stars out of 5 and this score is based on 34 reviews.

As you can see it has an average rating is really high, and it is based on a high number of feddbacks, so we can conclude that the evaluation is quite reliable. If many people have bothered to leave their score when they are pleased with the business, it works.

You know that we do not usually stop to place reviews when they are positive and we usually do it only if we've had a problem or incidence...

This Psychologist corresponds to the category of Mental health service.

Where is Blue Ridge Therapeutic Wilderness - Wilderness Therapy Programs?

REVIEWS OF Blue Ridge Therapeutic Wilderness - Wilderness Therapy Programs IN North Carolina

Jupiter Adam

Blue Ridge was a Huge help to our Daughter and our Family Our 14 year old daughter attended Blue Ridge’s wilderness program for 12 weeks. She came away a changed young adult, with tools to help her deal with her emotions and life’s difficulties. She is using the tools that she was taught and, as a result, her relationship with us (her parents) and her sister, has improved immensely. The program provided her a safe place, with supporting staff, to help her mature, reverse inappropriate behaviors and learn to deal with her emotions. Her therapist, Ashley, provide her with great tools and kept us fully informed during our weekly parent update calls. Ashley also provided us with ideas, tools and guidance in dealing with our daughter upon coming home and going forward (including, transitional family therapy, books to read and activities/strategies to implement at home). The staff at Blue Ridge also assisted us with photos, letters and a welcoming environment during a parent workshop and during a visit to the field to see our daughter during her stay. Although sending our daughter to a therapeutic wilderness program was a very difficult decision, it turned out to be one of the best gifts we could give our daughter and ourselves. We highly recommend this program.

Drew Talarico

My daughter spent 78 days at Blue Ridge and if you ask her she will tell you it was the happiest she had ever felt in her life. Starting with the admissions counselor Danielle to her incredible therapist Emily and all the field staff, I can tell you they collectively gave me my daughter back. My daughter went in an anxiety ridden, broken, obstinate, selfish, angry, lost soul and came out an empowered, confident, happy, loving and beautiful person. I will never be able to fully articulate the sheer magic that is BRWT. All I can say to any parent considering this amazing place is to trust that your child will be safe, nurtured and enlightened and will return to you the person you always knew he/she could be.

mitzie wheeler

It was only a matter of weeks ago that I was looking at the posts about Blue Ridge Wilderness while narrowing down choices for our child whose life was out of control. There is no way to ever know with complete confidence that you are making the right choice. Blue Ridge was the right decision for our family. Jeff Scott, our child's therapist, was the first professional to break down the walls that our child had built around himself. Our family support therapist, Kayla, and the entire staff at BR were there for us. We never felt alone or left to wonder what was happening there with our child. There is a loving and supportive family connection among parents as well. We are now moving forward.

Burman Family Office

My daughter started at Blue Ridge Wilderness Therapy a month before her 14th birthday and was there 13 weeks. She then returned after a few months for 4 weeks. The reason my husband and I sent her to BRWT the first time is because we could not keep her safe at home; the second time because the therapeutic boarding school (TBS) in which we placed her couldn't keep her safe. BRWT: 1. kept our child safe - emotionally and physically; 2. gave our entire family a chance to breathe and reset; and 3. through a deliberate program of individual and family therapy taught us all invaluable lessons of communication and awareness. Whatever your teen's needs or issues, BRWT provides compassionate and professional care. My daughter is extremely proud of the work she did in the woods and grateful to the staff that helped her re-build her self esteem. BRWT differentiates itself in its engagement of the family in the process of growth. Our family and our daughter are extremely satisfied with our experience.

Grady Magill

Russy and Jed you guys are the homies stay safe

Harper Jewell

this place is hell

Dumuzi Sheppard

The challenge is finding a way to tell you how bad it is and keep you from doubting me. I've been through this program twice. They might not tell you that students future is their last concern -they want to glue broken families back together - but I'm walking about 60 steps a day at best these days. I have early-onset arthritis from many days carrying an ILEAGALLY heavy bag provided by this place, and my ambitions to have a life as an aircraft mechanic were sorely abandoned. I couldn't even sit for 45 minutes during class periods because my body has to hit the ground and reset my tendons that became like bones years after programs. They're making us into wounded veterans, yet the government isn't paying for our rehabilitation after battle. We have to act normal with the body of a wounded warrior and no one leaves any better than they came sice when a soul comes to earth it is free if restriction and a beautiful creative force as it is. The program destroys a part of you that never grows back, and I had fester into a debilitating wound. I wake up every day with curses on my lips and a hole in my chest as I walk one step closer to the grave with them at the forefront of waking moments. The damage done grows larger with every passing year. I cannon tell you how I survived, but rarely do I remember a day I wish this case was true. Honestly, stranding children in the woods is the choice of parents who have failed. Your decision could result in a death sooner or later after completion and I assure you I have seen the road you consider end-to-end, and you do not want to go that way. Wash your hands of this toxic proposal, and be grateful you have running water.

Janet Smith

We sent our 15-year old son to the Blue Ridge Wilderness Program this past fall. We were extremely happy with the program, the approach, and the results. Under the skilled guidance of Jeff, his therapist, and the field staff, our son learned to be able to identify his emotions, discuss and work through them productively, and contribute positively to the group. We began to reset our communication patterns through writing letters, visiting him at the half way point, and camping out with him up at the end. We now are able to have honest discussions, enjoy our time together, and hear him laugh – nearly giggle- with us freely. The biggest difference we now see in our son – he has his joy back and he is proud of himself for his hard work and progress! I am forever grateful for the team at Blue Ridge for providing the guidance and support to my son for him to get his life back on track and find purpose.

Kayla B

Amazing.

Paul Smith

I have sent two of my sons here. I am so thankful for BRW, the staff and Jeff S. for treating my sons with respect, care, safety and compassion throughout their stay in the woods. It is a great first step to help kids get a baseline of what they are dealing with. The woods gives you what you need. Truly an amazing experience for the kid and the family support is awesome.

Karen Westbrook

Our son is well on his way to finding his happy, stable self after spending time at Blue Ridge. So is our family. The combination of wilderness and therapy provided by the excellent staff resulted in dramatic change for all of us. Thank you!

marlee meltzer

I have attended this program three times since 2010. Once when I was 13, then again at 14 and then when I was 18. I was forced into going to this program at 13, then I asked to go back at 14 but got kicked out and then decided to go back as an adult last summer. Even after my second stay and getting kicked out, I still give this program five stars. Especially because of the care and love that I received even after getting kicked out. Getting welcomed back with open arms almost five years later saved my life in a way I can never explain. There will always be bad reviews for places like Blue Ridge, but for any parents who might come across this in a desperate hope to find a place for your struggling child, I hope you take into account that programs like these are places one must make of their own. Having a "good" or "bad" experience is completely up to the student. I know because I have have had both "good" and "bad" experiences at Blue Ridge. The bad one came from my own doing though. That summer I was angsty and defiant and did anything I possibly could to push people away, and yet, both staff and therapists loved me through it and that love was a very certain type of love I still haven't found anywhere else. So to the parent or consultant wondering if Blue Ridge is a good program, I, a former student can tell you from the bottom of my heart that it is. exceptional and beyond in so many way. Catch me as a staff in a few months. <3

Seth

This program changed my life. I went to Blue Ridge at 17 and worked with Jeff Scott, Matt, and Ann an amazing group of people who really care about each and every one of their patients. This program changed me from being a selfish, depressed, and worthless addict into a man of honor and passion, and helped me to discover who I truly am. I loved it so much I even want to go back as a field staff! I recommend this program from the bottom of my heart as a way to help anyone who is struggling in their current lifestyle and home situation. Parents, just make sure that you put in work too, because the problem is never just with the child, but also with the parents too. Good luck on your adventure sending your son/daughter to this amazing place!

Billy Bowers

I know what you as parents are thinking. You are desperate for help. But once your have signed your child over, you are giving up on them and allowing this horrible, torturous program to abuse them however they see fit. The staff and employees here will make every effort to cover up the horrible conditions that your children live in. This is NOT therapy, this is mental, physical, and psychological torture. None of you will understand how it is to live in cold forest for 15 weeks straight. You sleep under a tarp, in freezing temperatures, eating the same rice every week. Bathrooms are a hole in the ground. You bathe with freezing cold water once a week. You spend hours aimlessly hiking and slaving away to cook in rusty pots and pans. You are sending your child to hell. They will paint a picture of a positive life during and after. But it's fake. No part of this horrible hell taught me anything "positive". It taught me to resent my parents for taking the advice of some worthless educational consultant (Yeah you, Robin Bullington) who had never even met me and makes the decisions to send me to live in a forest for over 100 days straight. "We're professionals, trust us" they'll say. In reality they're greedy scum who want to milk you out of hundreds of thousands of dollars. I still have lasting effects of diagnosed PTSD from this place (know formerly as Second Nature Blue Ridge). I came out with more problems than I went in with. This is a business. They will rob you blind and treat your child however they want too (and it's not good). If your child complains, they will simply write it off as an attempt to manipulate the parents. And the kid's very real cries for help fall on deaf ears. These programs are corrupt, immoral, and unethical. They are HIGHLY unregulated and often get "licensed" by their own company, under a different name or department. So if you want to sign on the dotted line and permit your child to be put through torturous hell, that will certainly leave them scarred for life, and resenting you, then you can't say you haven't been warned. Go to hell Second Nature.

Blue Brick

It's a cash grab. I spent nine weeks in the woods living under conditions that aren't even acceptable in our prison system. One highlight of the experience is when I got sick with dystentary and they forced me to march with a seventy pound pack. When I keeled over to vomit they had me bag it up in a plastic bag and carry it due to their "leave no trace" policy. We were constantly under physical and mental strain, and if we didn't smile and pretend to be "learning" or "healing" they would punish us with isolation from the group or no food. When I finally got through their program there was a transition camp for two days with my parents. The difference between the quality of life at transition camp and the regular program were night and day. These people do not care about helping kids. They want money.

Holly Stovall

Hamilton Holland

Wilderness therapy saved my life. I went to the blue ridge wilderness at 16 at a desperate time. Jeff Scot and the staff at blue ridge supported and inspired me in a way that empowered me to take my own life back. I now work at a wilderness program as an instructor...I believe the wilderness heals and changes lives in a way that no inpatient treatment "center" can facilitate. Getting back to our roots in nature, slowing down, turning off the screans and really looking at ourselves is what wilderness therapy does best. Without this connection we are all lost from what makes us human. I recomend this for any youth especially those who are struggling, parents will learn much about thenselves through the experience as we accept that everyone has stuff to work on.

Ever Unfolding

Cheryl Mignone

As a parent if you are even at the point of reading this your family life and that of your child's has been in chaos for quite a while. Our child had an extraordinary therapist, who sadly is no longer there, he helped seek out the inner issues in our child that seemed to evade other skilled professionals in the traditional setting. I do have to comment that most of the "questionable" reviews are from former students, and or siblings. Kids who really want to change see the good in what happened to them. My son and every child I have met since, and there have been many from this program and others who have said, they didn't like what their parents did to them, but they understood the need for it, and now look back on it as a true adventure and the start of their new lives. Make no mistake, shipping your child to BR or any other wilderness program is not the quick solution. Your child is not the problem, the problem lies in the entire family network and it is that network that needs to be looked at with a fine tooth comb. BR does a good job at treating the identified patient (your child) and simultaneously supporting the family structure so everyone works toward the common goal at the same time, self care for the individuals, healthy relationships within and out of the family , and the ability to see that if done right there is future that is attainable if the work has been put in. My son spent 88 days at BR and then another 11 months in a residential setting. He is now home with us, and our family is so much better. Perfect, no, nothing is perfect, but we now communicate and we look and feel like a typical family with a child in high school. I encourage any person who reads this review to take it with a grain of salt and speak to each program, ask for references, and then make an informed decision. To rule in or out a program based upon a Google review only, would not do any program or your family justice.

Quinn Metcalfe

As someone who has gone there, I wouldn’t wish this program on anyone. Litteral nightmare, a place of hopelessness and depression can destroy anyone, waking up each morning was a reminder or where I was and how much I wanted to die being there. If just one parent sees this and doesn’t send their kid here I will be so happy. Being sent there with transportation I still have to set an alarm at 4:30 every morning because I was taken at 5, and promise myself to never be allowed to be taken again, I am successful now, not because of the program, but because of the fear I have of even seeing the woods

A

Making the decision to send our son to Blue Ridge was the most difficult thing we have ever done. But it was also the best decision we ever made. Of course he was not happy the first week or two but by the time we visited him at 5 weeks he was a different person - more like the son I remembered but a mature and responsible version. He loved it and completely embraced the program. At 5 weeks he actually said it felt like he'd only been there 1 week. That's when I knew that he was happy and thriving in wilderness. Our son had great respect and admiration for the field staff and bonded with his group peers. As parents, we were most grateful for Jeff Scott, the therapist working with Will and communicating with us each week. He guided us through every step and we were able to make great progress with our son. The office staff was also very helpful and responsive.

Martha Clinton

My son went to Blue Ridge at age 16 for eighty days. It was a terrifying experience as a parent; I used a transport team. But I can only say good things about the experience, the staff and especially our therapist, Jeff Scott. My son was of course, miserable at first, but by the end, he had grown emotionally and gained self-confidence. As he would tell you, "it was great, but I don't want to do it again." It was the perfect reset that we needed to figure out what to do and exactly what was wrong. He went in late spring and I was worried about the weather, but they gave him everything he needed. I highly recommend. I think most teenagers would benefit from a wilderness program. And this one is not punitive. Very caring. Your child will be taken care of here.

Sean Grover

Best adolescent wilderness program in the northeast!!

W C

My son had suffered serious digital addiction and depression, after he stayed at Blue Ridge Wilderness Program for eight weeks, he learned a lot and changed a lot. Blue Ridge experience was really a turning point in his life. Both his mother and I believe our son will have a better future with more confidence and self-reliance ability. I want to say many thanks to Jeremy, Jeff, Kayla and all Blue Ridge staff for their professional, well-organized, detail-oriented, warm-heart, effective and excellent work. It was a super valuable experience for both our son and his parents.

Leah Maltz

Raquel Schneiderman

During his last two years of high school our son went from being a bright and creative young person to being a self-destructive substance abuser. Along with several arrests and a suspension, his previously strong academic work deteriorated into apathy, and a year of therapy with a very good psychologist was not showing any signs of helping. Luckily, this psychologist recommended Blue Ridge Therapeutic Wilderness to us, and the 11 weeks our son spent there were key in turning his life back in a positive direction (which took an entire year including a residential transition program after BRTW). The staff at BRTW predicted and anticipated every step of our son’s transition, and provided just the right balance of support and challenge for him to break out of his cycle of negativity. Our son’s BRTW therapist showed amazing stamina and insight to help him face and start to work through the inner issues that were causing him to want to escape from reality. At the same time, the inclusive structure at BRTW provided us with the support we needed to help our son help himself, and the transition of us going from being at our wit’s end to understanding how we can contribute constructively has been incredibly valuable. Helping young people deal with their own difficult problems is an honorable calling, and we have nothing but good things to say about the folks at BRTW and their excellent programs.

Y.A. Elsayed

My son just left Blue Ridge to a boarding school after spending 10 weeks in the wilderness program. We have seen a transformational change in him. It is a remarkable program with extremely experienced clinicians and excellent and caring field and office staff. They were able to understand my son’s primary issues far much better than anyone before them and provided the environment and the guidance for him to see the problem and then act to fix it. They have always been available to answer questions and guide us through the process. It has been a life changing/saving experience and I would recommend it to any family with an adolescent problem.

Jacqueline Gerwels

The realization that my son needed professional help was debilitatingly paralyzing. I didn’t know where to go. I toured three facilities. And met with administration teams. Blue Ridge gave me a confident comfortable feeling. We had struggled for years with my son. With behavior issues. And with the pressures of high school entered drinking and smoking pot. Blue Ridge gave us our son back. And skills for a lifetime. They truly changed my son and our family. The family support is Unbelievable. I would never believe it unless I lived through it. But the best way to describe our experience at Blue Ridge is a letter my son wrote and asked me to post to the Blue Ridge staff. Dear Blue Ridge, I never thought change was possible in my life before I went to blue ridge. I was drinking, smoking pot, and smoking electronic cigarettes. Blue Ridge helped me step out of my substance abuse, ODD, ADHD, and depression and transform from a boy to a man. G3 will always be in my heart. The environment of Blue Ridge was the definition of a safe place for emotional growth. Jeff helped me unlock parts of me that i thought would never be resolved and helped me come to peace with my family and me. You grow a new sense of appreciation to the simple things in life and learn to be present in the moment. I honestly can say that Blue Ridge has changed my life forever. Thank you Blue Ridge for the memory’s and helping me face my demons head on and beating them. I will never be able to fully express my gratitude. Yours Truly, Baylor

chromerton

My brother is here right now and 3 weeks in he has ran away 3 times for multiple hours and the most recent time he was with another teen and they actually were out in the middle of darkness and search and rescue was needed to come find them. this is only making his situation worse if i can help a family send their child to somewhere else then i would be successful. many sucidal letters have been sent home. if you think that letting your child use a spoon for 3 days then making them throw it out and either create one or use a stick is ok then something is very wrong here. do not let your kids go here there is better options

Karen Beyler

Blue Ridge Therapeutic Wilderness changed my daughter's life for the positive. Within 6 weeks she thanked us for sending her there and told us "she loved us". We had not heard those words for the past 2 years. The therapists and staff are professional, caring, and dedicated. Both our family and daughter were treated with the most respect. We are forever thankful!

Wise Crops

Absolutely horrible. And there is so much detail behind that claim. It will all be released in court. . With real doctors and real therapists that dont just sit in a hick town and act like they have degrees. that little voice telling you they helped you is a lie. You helped yourself, and you still are to this day. Thats your choice. The staff were nice but its not an excuse for their buisness model. They steal money, and now were going to take it back

Tami Kneidinger

I can't possibly write all of the points I would like to make, in just a few paragraphs but I will do my best. We had been parenting in crisis mode for 2+ years and I searched the internet endlessly, spoke to countless family resources, tried several intervention tactics, etc., tirelessly trying to find SOME kind of help for our son and our family to get back on track but nothing was working and navigating through the few good (mostly negative) comments online were exhausting and too unsettling to make a jump. Finally, after sharing our struggles with close friends and family, we were given 2 recommendations (from people we actually knew and trusted) and they shared their personal experiences with us about Second Nature in Utah and Blue Ridge. Their personal testimonies and those of their children (whom I still keep in touch with because a special bond is formed through suffering and helping support one another) are what helped guide us in making our decision. Our son was a habitual runner and we knew we could not get him to Blue Ridge cooperatively, so we hired Safe Youth. This was one of the most difficult decisions in our lives and it definitely takes somewhat of a leap of faith but do your homework and ask for references and then talk to as many parents as you can. These guys were wonderful! They were respectful to our son throughout the trip and made him feel comfortable (although, let's be real - 99.9% of the kids aren't going to like going to a program, regardless of how "nice" the people are that are taking him). Thankfully, our son likes to camp, so being in the wilderness was actually enjoyable for him and the new skills he learned only increased his confidence and self-esteem (especially learning to make a fire with a bow-drill!). We wrote and received letters each week but when we went to visit him in the woods (5 weeks later), we were stricken with awe. It was so incredible to witness the genuine care and support the boys provided for one another. The boys that had been there the longest were mentors to the new ones coming in and the respect they had for one another's life experiences their personal struggles and the way they supported (and challenged) one another to think and consider different perspectives, was remarkable. We also participated in a 2-day parent workshop while we were there and I HIGHLY recommend participating and then staying connected with the other parents. There is SO much to be gained by sharing experiences & resources with one another and feeling less alone in this quest to create a better life for your child (and your family). The field staff were all very caring, down-to-earth and easy for the boys to connect to. They always ensured the students had what they needed to endure Mother Nature's elements, ensured they were emotionally stable, safe and cared for (I think this is one of the reasons our son never ran while he was there his 86 days). Our son's therapist was Jeff Scott and I can't express how grateful we are to have had him work with our son and our family. Jeff was always attuned to our son and was able to create an environment where our son could honor the work he was doing in himself, he allowed him to move through his old patterns, (even as painful and uncomfortable as they were at times) and create new (healthier) ones. Our son grew in countless ways, as did we. This has been an emotional journey, to say the least but an intervention program like this, is only the beginning. Now, we need to create "change" and put the new skills and tools in to practice at an RTC. Bringing him home, is not an option yet (read the books "The Parallel Process" and "Not by Chance" and you will understand better). There is not a doubt in my mind, if we hadn't made this decision, our son would have been on the death spiral (he already was) and either ended up dead, or in prison. Feel free to contact me directly if you want to discuss more. This kind of decision is gut-wrenching and you don't need to do it alone.

Student.George Brewer

Blue Ridge Wilderness was the most challenging thing that I have ever accomplished. I was 16 years old and deeply depressed with had a handful of emotional problems that were expressed through numerous negative coping methods. The hardest struggle looking back was that It challenged my ability to stay present in the moment and not lose hope. Physically it was extremely challenging for me, though after every hike I had a since of accomplishment. The staff did not come off very understanding at first, but after graduating the program and looking back, they were great mentors and challenged me in almost every choice and decision I made. After attending BRW, I attended a boarding school - at first this created a lot of tension between my parents and I as I was told id be attending until I graduated the boarding school which could be anywhere from 18-24 months. Looking back, there were a few kids that went strait home from BRW. Personally, I would have fallen strait back into the same boat I was in. Wilderness is designed to take adolescents out of their environment and place them in a very uncomfortable environment to immediately change their everyday motions. I would personally recommend going to a boarding school. It would be too hard to cope going strait home; as most of the emotional problems exercised extensive therapy, it would be hard to continue therapy with a normal therapist. Wilderness saved my life. I was on the edge of committing suicide I was hurting so much. I truly believe I would have given up hope if I would not have been sent to Blue Ridge Wilderness.

Kingcole715

My stay at second nature was an experience I wouldn't give up for anything. I learned there that my life was on the wrong track and that if I didn't change I could end up alone or worse. It was hard in the beginning, I felt lost, uncomfortable, afraid, and lonely, But I soon learned to trust in my fellow students and became a part of a group. I grew through group and individual therapy, this was helpful because I knew I had someone to fall back on if I was feeling down or depressed.

Business Hours of Blue Ridge Therapeutic Wilderness - Wilderness Therapy Programs in North Carolina

SUNDAY
OPEN 24 HOURS
MONDAY
OPEN 24 HOURS
TUESDAY
OPEN 24 HOURS
WEDNESDAY
OPEN 24 HOURS
THURSDAY
OPEN 24 HOURS
FRIDAY
OPEN 24 HOURS
SATURDAY
OPEN 24 HOURS

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Blue Ridge Therapeutic Wilderness - Wilderness Therapy Programs en North Carolina
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