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Clean your room. Do your homework. Be home by 10. Wipe that look off your face. These are the commands adolescents hear from their parents all day long. On top of the list of home rules, teens must abide by society’s dictates to attend school, wait until age 16 to drive, follow city curfew laws, and on and on.

We all live according to a set of governing rules, and it’s important that children learn early on that life is full of guidelines and restrictions. Even though these rules are necessary, it’s easy to understand how a teenager who is inexperienced in the ways of the world can feel completely powerless over his own life. These feelings of powerlessness can lead an otherwise well-behaved adolescent to act out and rebel, and can lead an already struggling teen to lose interest in life and fall deeper into despair.

Some programs for troubled teens, such as therapeutic wilderness programs, have discovered a powerful way to teach teens the importance of following the rules while offering them some influence in deciding how they will choose to live their lives. For example, Outback is a progressive wilderness therapy program for adolescents ages 13 to 17 struggling with problems such as oppositional defiance, academic underachievement, low self-esteem, depression, substance abuse, and other behavioral and emotional issues that operates under the philosophy that we all have a choice as to what we’ll make of our lives.

“Most of our students are not happy with where their choices have taken them,” notes Phil Scoville, a field therapist at Outback. “We’ll give them the reason and rationale for making a change, we’ll invite them to set responsible goals and boundaries, and we’ll support them the whole way through. But it’s up to them to make that choice.”

A Philosophy Shared by All

Outback’s core philosophy is present in every aspect of the program, and is embraced by all staff members at every level, as part of their approach to working with adolescents and also as part of their personal approach to life. From admissions counselors to field staff to management, all staff members participate in the “Choice” seminar, and work as champions for the power of choice. They then impart this knowledge to students and their parents as part of a broader approach to parenting, interpersonal relationships, and life.

“Outback is the only wilderness program I’ve worked at where all the staff functions from the same philosophy, the same core set of principles,” says clinical director Neal Christensen. “The message to students is clear: You are an individual with a responsibility to make the best decision that’s good for you and others. If you do that in an honest, principled way, you’re walking away with the more important lesson of all.”

An Invitation to Change

Rather than coercing young people to commit to the program or make changes in their lives, Outback’s approach is to invite the students to re-evaluate their “way of being.”

“We cannot make people change,” says Andrew Powell, the field director at Outback. “We can only invite them to see the need for change for themselves and to affect that change in their own lives. And the only way to invite change is to show the students that we believe in what we teach and live it in our everyday lives.”

One way the Outback field instructors invite the students to participate is by introducing primitive skills like building backpacks out of a wooden frame, making flutes and moccasins from natural materials, and creating fire. According to Powell, these skills help adolescents take an interest in something outside of themselves and open their minds to the magic of what they can learn in the wilderness. Most importantly, primitive skills set the groundwork for students to establish a relationship with their field instructors, who know how to survive in the wilderness and make the experience fun and rewarding.

“Even among wilderness therapy programs, Outback has a unique philosophy and a diverse group of professionals with a lot of different talents who are all constantly trying improve themselves in the same way we’re asking our students to improve,” states field therapist Ryan Anderson. “Combined, these pieces create an environment in which there’s nothing to resist against. There are only people willing to push with you.”

Welcoming Natural Consequences

As part of the philosophy of empowering youth to make their own positive choices, Outback field instructors rely heavily on natural consequences. The program is not punitive in nature; for example, if students take a long time to pack their backpacks, the staff doesn’t force them to unpack and repack multiple times as punishment. Rather than trying to push students in a certain direction, the field instructors are there primarily to guide them through the experience and help them process the many lessons that can be learned in the wilderness.

“Our goal is not to force compliance,” says Powell. “We don’t need to, because there already is a consequence. If the students take a long time getting ready to hike to the next campsite, there is plenty of structure in nature – the sun will go down, clouds may form, it may rain, and the kids will learn for themselves why it’s a good idea to wake up early and get moving.”

As the natural consequences set in, young people realize that they need to affect change in their lives to make things better, which promotes self-sufficiency and empowers them to take control of their own happiness. A lesson learned from direct experience is far more valuable than a rule established by an authority figure, explains Powell.

Finding One’s Own Path to Success

In order to reinforce and encourage students, Outback uses a token system that recognizes positive character traits and efforts. Instead of applying an external structure like a level or rewards system, Outback students learn to create their own structure and make progress for themselves. When they succeed, it’s because they are living the program’s philosophy, not because they want to check off the boxes and go home as quickly as possible, says Christensen. Sometimes when a level system is in place, students can fake their way through the program and reach the highest level, even if they didn’t make any real progress.

“Outback is a strength-based, client-centered program where kids can be themselves,” states Christensen. “We don’t ask them to change who they are, but to become the best of who they are by reinforcing their strengths and working toward success in their own way. The therapists are there to meet them where they’re at, guide them through the obstacles, and point out the things they weren’t seeing. It may take some time for an initial breakthrough, but our approach has proven highly effective in bringing about a true awakening in the long term.”

Taking Responsibility for Today, and Tomorrow

Adolescents are facing a critical time in their evolution. As they approach age 18, they will soon be asked to make their own decisions and accept the consequences, both positive and negative. These are not decisions that come naturally to everyone; some young people need help preparing to make responsible decisions as they transition into adulthood. Wilderness therapy programs like Outback play a vital role in teaching future generations that they can control their own destinies.

“To some extent, happiness is the degree to which you live in harmony with your conscience,” advises Anderson. “Living at odds with your conscience invariably causes distress, whether or not you see yourself as the source. By making different choices that align with your vision of right and wrong, healthy and unhealthy, you can start to experience genuine change.”

Source: Aspen Education Group