Wilderness Therapy Programs for Troubled Teens in Virginia

The Unfortunate Truth About Some of the Nation's Wilderness Therapy Programs Near Virginia

Some Wilderness Therapy Programs are Exceedingly Expensive

According to a March 2020 survey conducted by the website, All Kinds of Therapy, there are currently 28 industry-recognized wilderness therapy programs in the United States. The average cost of these programs is $558.00 per day, while the average enrollment fee is a steep $3,194.

According to the site, the average price of a wilderness therapy program has gone up 9% since 2017 while the enrollment fee has skyrocketed over 28%. What makes these prices so steep, however, is the fact that most wilderness therapy programs operate as a preliminary treatment facility that primes its campers for residential treatment upon finishing the program - leaving parents to pay for two separate programs and transportation services (from a transport agency) to safely transport their child from one program to another. After all is said and done, parents might end up paying several thousands of dollars just in transportational fees.

(According to the latest data, the only type of programs most insurance companies will give coverage are residential treatment centers, namely, therapeutic boarding schools.)

Thanks to Neglegent Programs in The Past, The Industry Has Been Viewed As Dangerous and Harmful by Critics

Since its emergence in the field of residential therapy for troubled teens in the 1980’s, wilderness-oriented programs have proven that, if poorly ran and understaffed, can be highly dangerous. In some cases, even fatally so.

In fact, thanks to a few poorly staffed and criminally mismanaged programs in the late 90's and early 00's, three teens have died due to mistreatment, negligence, and abuse. The parents of the deceased teens subsequently sued the guilty wilderness programs, claiming they had been “duped and swindled” by the program’s owners. Due to their litigation, several programs lost their state licenses, or decided to shut down before they could be litigated.

That said, thanks to congressional oversight, systemic change, and a rise of new, well-funded and properly staffed wilderness programs, the industry is still back stronger than ever.

Elk Mountain Academy: A New Kind of Wilderness Therapy Program for Troubled Girls in Virginia

Elk Mountain Academy is a wilderness therapy and residential treatment program for troubled girls rolled up in one dynamic and reputable facility. We offer troubled girls from Virginia a unique treatment opportunity in participating in both wilderness therapy and residential treatment. By providing both forms of treatment in one destination, we guarentee our students will receive the most effective and consistent care that no two separate programs could possibly provide.

At Elk Mountain, it is our mission to provide excellent behavioral, emotional, and spiritual balance to teen girls whose lives have become unmanageable due to out of control behavior.

While our residential treatment center is located in Idaho, we have proudly served families from all over the country (including those from ~region) for over 20 years.

Elk Mountain Provides Innovative Therapy, including individual, group and family counseling to troubled teens from Virginia.

We also provide specialized help for students dealing with trauma and/or abandonment issues. Whatever the underlying issues may be, our goal is to uncover the psychological factors contributing to our student’s unhealthy behavioral choices.

"The Elk Mountain Academy students learn therapeutic tools that will assist them for the rest of her life... to be a healthy young woman."

Students at Elk Mountain Academy live together in our beautiful lodge and meet regularly with their therapist, who helps them confront fears and gain confidence in a safe, nurturing and structured environment.Elk Mountain Provides Innovative Therapy, including individual, group and family counseling. We also provide specialized help for students dealing with trauma and/or abandonment issues.

Girls who are having emotional and behavioral problems tend to be failing in school. So, our on-site, accredited academic program is intentionally computer-based and assisted by a licensed teacher, so that girls get caught up and even get ahead in their schooling.

Regular academic progress reports are available at any time.

For more information regarding our treatment program, please call us today at (208) 266-1122.