Mentoring for children

What is Therapeutic Wilderness Mentoring?

Mentoring develops trust, respect and fun. Building that type of relationship allows emotional freedom to reinvent yourself.

Activities include, hiking, canoeing, rock-climbing, orienteering, stream walks, rustic furniture making, outdoor cooking, emergency shelter construction etc.. Therapeutic Wilderness Mentoring is for individuals and families. Parents and schools that are concerned for particular children contract with us to provide 1:1 counseling that occurs in the wild outdoors.

Wilderness Therapeutic Mentoring Model

We work primarily outdoors, hiking, canoeing, kayaking and talk as needed. We build a trusting relationship that draws from the shared experience of the adventure. The adventure is both physical and emotional. Discussions become simple and honest with no judgment. Sometimes we build rustic furniture learning to use hand tools. Occasionally we work indoors to track progress, concerns and options on paper so we can revisit that image in the near future.

Family Systems Model

We create a cycle that starts with current self-awareness simply by being honest within a safe, non-threatening environment. Ed sets the tone for this safe space.

Apples don’t roll far from the tree! Rarely do I work with a child who is not a reflection of home - even the home two-three generations before them!

Creating an emotionally safe environment is the objective.

Parents are supported to make adjustments in how they run their home, how they manage themselves, how they choose to react or not react to stress. The child sees this and responds, reacts and adjusts as well. A family is like a mobile, tweaking one part and everything adjusts.

This process generates self-awareness and provides more choices and options to choose from. The new choices make us feel better so we keep doing them and establish the new norm.

Ed works with children starting with age 4 through adolescence and young adulthood. In addition, Ed works with the parent(s), by providing regular follow-up and parent counseling specific to their child and family history. It is understood that for this “intervention” to be effective, we become a team that communicates, explores, experiments with responsible remedies, assesses success and makes adjustments that work. This model is a family and extended family systems model.

Fees: 2-hour session for $200.

A wilderness Therapeutic mentoring session is two-hours long. The first 90 minutes is spent directly with the child, young adult or parent. The remaining 30 minutes will provide follow-up within a week or so via email, phone or in person. Fee is $200. Per session.

Assuming the first session is successful, clients are encouraged to schedule additional 6-10 sessions. This agreement can be stopped at any time but the commitment to several sessions builds positive momentum.