Benefits of Wilderness Therapy

• Self-Confidence
• Teamwork
• Communication
• Leadership
• Respect
• Gratitude
• Patience
• Compassion

Life in the Utah wilderness is one of the greatest challenges teens can face and also one of the greatest rewards. Students at Outback live in small groups and hike five days a week through four mountain ranges located within our 900 square mile course area. Groups carry all they need with them and make their campfires with bow-drill fire sets, learning the balance between self-reliance and interdependence in the process.

Teens wake up and go to sleep every night in tents with the mountains as their backyard. Through campfire meetings under the stars, invigorating hikes across breath-taking landscapes, a hands-on outdoor classroom and a series of group challenges, teens develop close bonds with their peers and staff. With assistance and feedback from their field instructors, students learn how to care for themselves, their belongings and their fellow group members to become a "wilderness family."

Each day at Outback is different depending on the therapeutic needs and goals of the students. Because the program at Outback relies heavily on natural consequences, students' attitudes and decisions influence the way the day unfolds. Whatever is in store, all of our daily activities are geared toward helping teens develop communication and life skills that will help them succeed.

• Hike 2 to 8 miles through the scenic mountains and valleys of our course area
• Complete therapy assignments designed by therapists to help students achieve their goals, resolve challenges and develop communication skills
• Work on their Ngarna Wukas, academic curriculum books designed to enhance student progress in the program while earning academic credit
• Practice primitive skills such as fire-building and making gourd drums, wood flutes, moccasins, bowls, baskets, and various other leather, clay and wood crafts
• Play games like the traditional Native-American game of double ball
• Maintain their campsites and set up and break down camp according to "Leave No Trace" principles and practices
• Attend Gatherings each evening, led by field instructors and at times by the students themselves, which are loosely structured conversations designed to increase self-awareness and understanding
• Participate in group initiatives led by therapists and staff designed to foster teamwork, leadership, trust and a sense of interdependence in the group
• Enjoy one hour of personal time, which teens may spend journaling, writing letters to family, working on academic projects, or completing therapy assignments
• Engage in hands-on learning about the flora and fauna surrounding them, including the value of respectful coexistence with our environment

Two days a week are designated as "therapy days" in which students do not hike but participate in many of the above-listed activities, meet with their therapist for an individual therapy session, and participate in two group therapy sessions.