True North Wilderness Program

About Our Facility

True North Wilderness Program is located in the Green Mountains of Vermont. Our goal is to provide opportunities that inspire and empower our students and their families to reach their full potential. True North students typically present with mild depression, anger, anxiety, oppositional defiance, learning differences, academic difficulty, problems with peer and family relationships, and experimentation with substance abuse. Our single gender groups are carefully structured to be a safe and supportive environment for our students to establish strong foundations for the future.

Philosophy

True North's therapeutic process is grounded in the wilderness environment. As our students become adept at living and taking care of themselves in the outdoors, they begin to build the confidence and sense of capability that will sustain the learning and emotional growth process. Our caring and dedicated staff members support students as they explore core issues and develop new tools for a healthy and successful future. The challenges and rewards of outdoor living and group dynamics create opportunities for students to improve communication skills, accept more personal responsibility, build success and self-esteem, and establish positive and supportive relationships with others. Students use the landscape around them to explore their personal strengths and skills and address limiting behaviors.

Our base camp is a stunning mountain retreat surrounded by gardens, orchards, and protected forestland. Students will participate in a variety of educational and recreational activities designed to take full advantage of the Green Mountains and Vermont. Students will complete a personal portfolio that will help them to stay connected to new skills and confidence as they transition to the next step. We work closely with families, schools, and referring professionals to support a successful transition process. Parents and families can expect professional guidance and support from our clinical team and will have the opportunity to complete weekly parent curriculum assignments. The parent curriculum offers parents insight into their child's True North experience while allowing them to explore family dynamics. True North offers two-day intensive parent workshops designed to increase each family member's awareness of family patterns and support positive growth within the whole family. Our master's level therapists work together with field guides, students, and families to create individualized treatment plans. Our field guides are chosen for their experience and their ability to be positive role models and all of them carry wilderness medicine, CPR, and related therapeutic certifications.