A large portion of Trails Carolina’s Wilderness Therapy Program participants’ success depends on their family’s engagement, support, and willingness to help. If students return home to a challenging environment, there’s a higher chance of falling back into patterns they learned to get rid of.
To help prevent these situations and strengthen familial bonds, Trails Carolina supports students and their families throughout the program. The staff at Trails work alongside students and their loved ones to promote growth and continued success.
After all, they wholeheartedly believe in the ethos, “when students help families, and families help students, their relationship will flourish.”
How Trails Carolina Incorporates Family and Students Into Their Wilderness Therapy Program
From workshops to weekly check-ins, Trails Carolina involves families with regular updates throughout their children’s stay in multiple ways.
Weekly Calls With Therapist
To ensure any positive changes continue well after the Trails Carolina’s programs, the staff update students’ families and express how they can maintain these positive changes when they graduate.
The parents’ weekly calls with expert staff members focus on setting big-picture goals. Like examining how their actions can affect the overall success of their loved one participating in the Wilderness experience.
These check-ins are used to further the family’s understanding of their child’ss challenges and learn healthy communication strategies for when they return home.
The primary therapist working with a specific student keeps parents updated with the latest happenings. It’s the perfect chance for parents to hear about their child’s latest progress and remaining obstacles to ensure they support them through potentially challenging times.
These calls have proven highly beneficial for parents to learn new techniques to utilize with their children once they leave the Program. They’re one of the most fundamental ways Trails keeps families involved with the students’ progress.
Skills Workshops for Parents
The parent workshop led by the Family Services Team at Trails provides participants with the necessary toolkit to ensure long-term positive change. Within the workshop, parents can learn skills to reinforce their relationship with their children.
Alumni Support Calls
On the second and fourth Mondays of every month; Trails Carolina alumni join Zoom support calls. They aim to check back in with the community, share recent news, and acquire support from other alumni and households.
So, even when students graduate from the Wilderness Therapy Program, they (alongside their family members) are offered continued support. It works as a great motivator to continue succeeding upon leaving the program and offers the sense of community some students miss when they leave.
Weekly Zoom Classes for Parents
From yoga to meditation to combining them all in a mindfulness session, Trails Carolina offers a weekly Zoom meet-up classes alongside these activities.
But it’s not simply about meditating or practicing yoga. Instead, the classes help families set goals for the week and allow parents time for self-care.
Participating in these Zoom classes gives those not in the Wilderness Therapy Program a chance to learn some of their children’s skills throughout the course, such as breathing techniques and guided meditations.
The schedule is as follows:
- Mindfulness Classes — They run twice a week on Mondays and Fridays from 10 am to 11 am.
- Yoga Classes — They start at 8 am. The flow is gentle, designed to start your week on a positive, tranquil note.
Ultimately, the sessions bring parents and children closer after and during the program. Students are told by staff that their families are working with them, which gives them hope that their efforts are moving toward positivity and peace.
Even once students leave the Wilderness Therapy Program, their families can still use the techniques taught in the mindfulness and yoga classes.
Family Graduation
Whenever a student’s time at Trails Carolina is nearly over, families attend a graduation ceremony alongside fellow graduating students and their families to finish the Program. It’s led by expert staff to help set the tone for a healthier, calmer family dynamic.
It’s an opportunity for parents to reunite with their children and celebrate how far they’ve come. It’s also a fantastic time to practice the skills learned throughout the course and start a positive, successful transition back to home life.
Common Ground: A Four-Day Stay to Strengthen Familial Relationships
As discussed, Trails Carolina incorporates families into their students’ programs in many ways to help them reconnect and build a healthy bond. But they don’t stop there.
Trails Carolina offers the chance to participate in a four-day stay for the whole family!
Students and their families stay in a beautiful home surrounded by nature, which the Program attendees have come to know and love. The long stay provides the perfect opportunity for households to practice their new communication strategies and conflict resolution.
Through experience, staff members have noted that Common Ground is incredibly effective at helping students ease back into everyday life with purpose and intention.
Contact Trails Carolina Today to learn how to help your family reconnect and build solid bonds.
Trails Carolina’s parallel approach ensures parents learn similar skills to their children in real-time. While the program progresses, both parties benefit from this mutual understanding, which promotes a successful transition into regular home life and a strengthened bond.
