The health experts at Trails Carolina recently discussed the mental and physical benefits of outdoor therapy.
Trails Carolina is an accredited treatment center focused on providing wilderness and adventure therapy. The goal is to heal young people and entire families through the many mental and physical benefits nature can offer.
The Outdoors and Mental Health
Numerous studies have shown that the outdoors can positively affect mental health. Time spent outside in green spaces and the sun can reduce symptoms of depression, strengthen mental capacities, and improve focus.
Adventures in the outdoors via Trails create a sense of community. The social connection young people feel with their peers while on these adventures improves self-esteem, boosts mood, and provides many other benefits.
The following are a few of the most common benefits young people see from venturing into the outdoors at Trails Carolina with:
- improved self-confidence
- superior coping mechanisms
- better interpersonal communication skills
- healthier relationships
- superior physical health
- improved mood and reduced depression/anxiety
The young people who venture outside with Trails discover the importance of working together as a team to achieve goals. They learn how to succeed despite all the challenges. The skills these youth acquire in nature are used after graduating the treatment program when they return home to their families and schools.
The Wilderness Therapy Program at Trails Carolina
Trails’ wilderness therapy program is unlike any other in the country. The team uses a family systems treatment approach because the ultimate goal is to return children home as integral parts of healthy and happy families. The treatment program includes guided wilderness expeditions, interventions, group work, academics, and powerful equine therapy.
The holistic treatment approach offered at Trails is geared toward healing the individual and the family unit. Each child and family gain access to numerous professional perspectives.
A Strength-Based Approach to Treatment
The experts at Trails Carolina believe young people heal best when experts notice their strengths and support them. This is not a military-style treatment center where residents are shocked into good behavior. Each young person is supported and treated in a trauma-informed fashion that safely and effectively expands their emotional tolerance.
Trails staff learn each individual’s strengths and expand on those strengths to help young people make long-term, positive changes. These are the changes they take with them when they return home to their families, schools, and lives.
Sources
https://www.healthline.com/health-news/spending-two-hours-a-week-in-nature-can-help-your-health
