SUWS Articles

How the SUWS Wilderness Program Helps Kids with ADD / ADHD Get “Green Time”
Jon Worbets has been taking children with Attention Deficit Disorder camping in the wilderness for thirteen years. Based on his experience, he believes that being outdoors “profoundly impacts these kids.  They seem calmer, more focused, and more able to follow through, rather than just acting on their impulses.”

Male Rites of Passage
There are no cell phones, computers, televisions or automobiles. A boy learns how to sit and be still, and to become present emotionally. This helps him center himself so that he can change his life from the inside out.

SUWS Wilderness Therapy Programs Empower Girls
Counselor Megan Lynott works with teenage girls who do not want to be in counseling, much less camping in the desert wilderness of Idaho.

A New Approach to Asperger Syndrome - Wilderness Therapy
Since teens with Asperger Syndrome may have already experienced social rejection in the past, I work to insure that their experience here at SUWS is positive and friendly. I will hand pick your child’s placement in a group tailored to his or her needs, based partly on your child’s age, gender and abilities.

Team Support Helps Teens Transition After Their SUWS Wilderness Experience
Most SUWS students undergo profound and meaningful life changes during their brief weeks in the Idaho wilderness.  In order to survive and stay comfortable outdoors, a SUWS teen learns to cooperate and form friendships with his team members. 

Safety as Number One Concern of SUWS and SUWS Parents
All parents worry about their children’s safety: SUWS parents are no different.  A parent may like the idea of using nature as a challenge and healing agent for his troubled teen, but he wants his child to come home in one piece. 

Substance Abuse Groups in the Wilderness
"A lot of neat things happen in the wilderness. When students are away from drugs and other substances, they are away from the influence and out in the wilderness. Exercise and fresh air helps their minds to heal."

Learning Trust and Creating Meaning Through Serving Others
Through teaching the skills needed to survive in the wilderness Mark Lauer hoped to help students learn to persevere and become self-reliant, as well as to create meaning rather than just pleasure in their lives.

Struggling Teens helps celebrate SUWS' 25th Anniversary