Wilderness Therapy Ventures

Work in some of the most beautiful outdoor spots in America. Make a difference in the lives of others. Develop your own talents and skills. Hiking, camping, backpacking, beautiful scenery and dynamic interpersonal relationships all come with the job. Sound good great?

In this job channel, you'll explore opportunities as outdoor field instructors, wilderness therapy guides, field mentors, adventure therapy support staff, and residential outdoor youth counselors. You'll become a teacher. You'll become a healthy role model. You'll teach outdoor and survival skills. You'll play an essential role in mentoring and guiding youth and teens looking for healthier and higher trails through physically and demanding challenges.

Do what you love while providing insight, direction and hope to those who need it!

Providing challenge and change through remote wilderness adventures, Alaska Crossings offers 51-day experiential programs for youth (ages 12-18) with behavioral health issues. Field Guides play an essential role in mentoring and guiding participants through physically and mentally demanding land and water-based expeditions. These adventures provide the framework for the field team to deliver a curriculum of behavior modification, social and life skill development and mentorship to elicit positive change in each client. Staff must work the entire fifty-one days, so experience and familiarity with backcountry travel is essential. In general, February is the only training month, so potential guides should be available to begin work at that time. Most guides will also need to make an initial one-year commitment. Benefits include compensation of $130-$300/day, pro-deal purchases, medical clinic discounts and retirement after one year. Qualifications differ for each guide level; however, all applicants should ideally have experience working with youth (especially those with behavioral issues), and be skilled in alpine environments, canoeing, mountaineering, multi-day backcountry tripping, and WFR/CPR certified. Flexibility, adaptability and strong interpersonal and communication skills are essential. If you have what it takes to be the change, email your resume and cover letter to Lucy Robinson or call (907) 874-2371 for more info. View current job openings »

• Do you have what it takes to venture to rugged remote environments while mentoring and guiding 12 to 18 year-olds? Alaska Crossings field guides lead 51-day therapeutic wilderness expeditions in the Tongass National Forest in Alaska and on the Stikine River in British Columbia, Canada.

Pine River Institute is a residential treatment center and outdoor leadership experience for youth between the ages of 13 to 19 struggling with substance abuse and the cluster of behaviors often associated with it. The campus is located on a 200-acre site northwest of Toronto, Ontario, and includes a residential program, a wilderness program near Algonquin Park, and an aftercare program. Strong, experienced Outdoor Leadership Experience Field Instructors will help deliver exciting wilderness programs in Algonquin Park, ensure group safety, teach basic wilderness skills, solidify course logistics, and through facilitation, maintain focus on the therapeutic elements of the wilderness experience. Applicants must have a bachelor's degree, WFR/WFA certification, and experience working with at-risk youth and young adults in a wilderness setting. Based out of Shelburne, Ontario, Residential Youth Counselors will organize, lead and participate in daily student academic, recreational and therapeutic activities as well as provide exceptional leadership, mentoring and positive relationships with students. Applicants must have demonstrated sound judgment, integrity, patience, sense of humor, and a commitment to outdoor & environmentally focused activities. Counselor wages start at $18/hour; instructors earn $175-$180/day (8 days in the field, 6 days off rotation); and all permanent full-time staff receive 3 weeks paid vacation and a benefits plan after 3 months. Explore all job openings or to begin the application process, email your resume to hr@pineriverinstitute.com.

• Are you ready to make a difference at a place where kids and families can start to feel whole again? The innovative and highly structured family-centered program at Pine River Institute creates opportunities for troubled teens to engage in a focused transformation process through a fusion of education, therapy, recreation, and life skills.

Explore Hawaii as a Wilderness Therapy Field Instructor! Come work with at-risk youth on one of five organic farms on the Big Island of Hawaii. Pacific Quest facilitates an environment for teens and young adults to recognize a desire for change. In addition to working with a counseling and treatment team to achieve weekly outcomes for students, a typical day consists of working the land, role modeling, teaching and helping facilitate learning about sustainability, basic living skills, and emotional growth. Advanced students go on day outings once a week. The staff team consists of a Lead Instructor, a Health & Safety Instructor, a Support Instructor and/or an Apprentice. Each staff member will work eight-days on, six-days off from Thursday to Thursday. Compensation includes a salary as well as room and board during the working period (on your week off, accommodations are not provided). At minimum, applicants must have a bachelor's degree preferably in psychology, farming or outdoor education. If you can make a one-year commitment and have experience and enthusiasm for working with teens in an outdoor therapeutic setting, apply with Pacific Quest! Now seeking a Staff Supervisor, Solo Supervisor, Field Supervisors and Field Instructors.

• Blending a wilderness therapy model on an organic farm, Pacific Quest facilitates an environment for students to recognize a want for change while learning about sustainability, basic living and problem solving skills, health and nutrition, emotional growth and Hawaiian culture.

Soltreks, Inc. is an owner-directed therapeutic wilderness program fostering personal growth and development for teenagers and young adults seeking to make changes in their life, relationships, and relationship to life. Soltreks is best known for its custom designed individual treks, family work and attention to each student's process within small groups. Support is provided with learning/attention challenges, loss/grief, depression, anxiety, family/relationship problems and low self-esteem. Programs include: One-on-One Treks, Specialty Treks, and a Summer Adventure Program. Wilderness Instructors will deliver technical and therapeutic programming, with activities that include backpacking, rock climbing, ropes course, canoeing, and service learning facilitated in Minnesota during the spring/summer and seasonally in New Mexico. Instructors will also teach a variety of outdoor living skills and facilitate emotional growth learning through effective communication, problem solving, and relationship building. Positions are contract based, varying between 21-54 days in length. Multiple contracts may be available throughout seasons. Competitive pay and outdoor industry perks provided. Applicants must have a bachelor's degree, be at least 21 years of age, WFR certified, and have documented field hours in wilderness therapy and technical skills of trek area. Additional job openings include logistical support staff, therapeutic recreation internships and seasonal therapists. To begin the application process, email your resume to Ian Rosa.

• Working with Soltreks will provide you with the opportunity to share your skills, experience and your self with teenagers and young adults who need structure, boundaries, guidance, and support. As the name suggests, Soltreks truly provides treks for the soul.

Do you have an intense desire to help troubled youth along with a passion for being in the outdoors to the point where seven days in a remote wilderness area sounds like heaven? Eagle Quest is recruiting Field Specialists to empower disadvantaged youth in becoming happy, healthy and productive citizens. You will empower your group to reflect on life without adverse distractions in remote areas of southern Nevada. You will provide intense physical activity and outdoor skill development through backpacking, hiking, climbing, knot tying, orienteering and first-aid skills. You will teach a rigorous academic curriculum in writing and reading through journals, creative writing, stories and articles. You will assist students to shed their old identity and begin to build a new one by teaching lessons in choice, accountability, teamwork, trust, responsibility, decision-making, self discipline, leadership and more. This is a full-time position paid at $180 per day for days in the field; and a one-year, or longer, commitment is preferred. Applicants must have a love for working with troubled, disadvantaged youth. A bachelor's degree or higher in a human services related field (education, counseling, recreation therapy, psychology, social work) is required; a military background is helpful. To begin the application process, email your resume to Sarah Hopcia. EagleQuest.us.com

• The field staff at Eagle Quest drive its success, and they're always looking for the right people to join their team. People who are talented, smart, committed to excellence. Is that you? Explore the opportunities and discover why Eagle Quest is the right career choice.

Are you willing to challenge yourself physically and emotionally? Flexible and adaptable to changing situations? Comfortable in a wilderness setting? Eager to guide students down a path of increased self awareness? As a character development wilderness program for troubled teens, Adirondack Leadership Expeditions (ALE) promotes personal growth through a focus on insight-oriented experiences. Seasonal and year-round Wilderness Field Instructors assist the lead instructor in carrying out therapeutic outcomes for each student while using primitive survival skills, 4-5 day backpacking expeditions and outdoor experiential education techniques as tools for emotional and spiritual growth for their group. Instructing for ALE is not only a wonderful opportunity to help change the lives of teenagers, but also a chance to challenge your self and grow. Field instructors work 8-day shifts, with 6 days off in between, spending 24 hours a day with the students while on shift. In addition to a competitive wage and outdoor gear pro deals, you'll have continuous opportunities for personal and professional growth. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis; detailed information can be obtained by connecting with Heather McClean.

• While helping to change lives in a beautiful Adirondack mountain setting, wilderness field instructors with Adirondack Leadership Expeditions also have a chance to professionally and personally learn and grow in new ways.

With three unique programs in North Carolina, SUWS of the Carolinas, Phoenix Outdoor and SUWS Seasons empower at-risk students to rediscover their strengths while preparing them to become more self-reliant, sustain meaningful relationships and possess a higher level of personal integrity. Using the outdoors as an alternative to conventional treatment environments, Wilderness Field Instructors co-lead groups of adolescents in the backcountry, accounting for 24-hour safety and supervision. Duties include teaching primitive outdoor skills, facilitating therapeutic activities and treatment goals and empowering students to take responsibility for their actions and make healthy choices. Positions are offered year-round, during the summer or seasonally, and most staff works an 8-day on, 6-day off rotation (although there is flexibility in scheduling). Competitive wages start at $116 per day, with benefits that include a $300 signing bonus, health insurance, paid time off, 401k and pro deal purchases. Applicants must be at least 21 and have comfort in the backcountry and working with adolescents. A college degree in the outdoor or psychology field is a plus; WFR or WFA is recommended but not required. To begin the application process, email your cover letter, resume and references to Pam Ritchie or call (828) 668-7590, ext. 210.

• Teach primitive outdoor skills in the Pisgah National Forest. Facilitate wilderness therapy activities. Empower students to make healthy choices and become more self-reliant. This and so much more working as a wilderness field instructor for SUWS of the Carolinas, Phoenix Outdoor or SUWS Seasons.

Set amid the scenic Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina, Trails Carolina a challenging therapeutic wilderness program designed to promote positive change, fostering feelings of accomplishment and self worth while developing new patterns of behavior for youth and adolescents ages 10-17. A dynamic combination of therapeutic strategies includes a complete equine program, academic classes and backcountry living. The integration of experiential activities offers opportunities for peak experiences, key psychological moments of self-actualization and breakthrough insight. Field Instructors are responsible for ensuring the safety of their group, providing positive role modeling, teaching backpacking/backcountry living and wilderness survival skills, and promoting a positive environment for growth to take place. An 8-day-on, 6-day-off work schedule is required. Pay starts at $137 per day, with performance based increases thereafter. After 90 days you will also have the option of full health insurance, which includes vision and dental. Applicants must be at least 21 years of age, able to pass a physical exam/drug screen at the time of employment and be CPR/first aid certified (preference given to those with Wilderness First Responder certification). If you are motivated, creative, passionate, and want to help change lives, email your resume to employment@trailscarolina.com.

• Equine therapy is a key component to the Trails way of working with adolescents. Horses are dynamic, powerful creatures, able to innately sense emotions and instinctively react to their environment. Youth are naturally drawn to these beautiful animals, quickly becoming engaged and invested in the therapeutic process.

Located in Southern Oregon within the shadow of Mt. Shasta, Dragonfly Transitions is home away from home for young adults who are struggling with the transition to healthy, productive independence. Transitions offers a customized program, supportive peer group, strong accountability and calming, manageable surroundings. Working with a dedicated treatment team, Mentors will serve as role models and support students in their quest for independent living skills, personal growth and emotional maturation. In addition to being responsible for the direct, primary care of young adults, Mentors will provide a safe and supportive environment; monitor and write treatment summaries and goals; plan, lead, and facilitate daily activities, monthly overnight trips, workshops and group meetings (there is room to use your strengths, interests and creativity in planning activities!); and model healthy and appropriate interactions, conflict resolution, and life skills. Applicants must have a Bachelor's degree, a background working professionally with young adults struggling with diverse issues; a willingness to supervise, enforce boundaries, provide role modeling and leadership to students; and experience with outdoor skills such as hiking, rock climbing, paddling and skiing is preferred. Starting pay is based on experience; increases are possible based on performance at quarterly reviews. To begin the application process, email your resume to Rebecca Carlin.

• Dragonfly Transitions is looking for bright, self-confident and motivated people to be mentors and role models for young adults in transition to healthy living. If you enjoy working in a professional and fun atmosphere and being a positive influence in the lives of young adults, then check out their full-time mentor position.

Ready to begin your journey with a unique wilderness therapy organization while shaping the lives of adolescents in the outdoors? With a field area located in Utah's spectacular Manti-La Sal National Forest and the San Rafael Swell region, Elements Wilderness Program is looking for dedicated, hard working, passionate, caring, and eager-to-be-challenged Mentor Instructors. With the help of the great outdoors and a licensed therapist, you will support, endure, join, and guide students through a safe, stable and healthy environment for each to find a safer, healthier and enriching life. You will live, eat, and work together as a group and also help process and guide the students to more appropriate decisions in their life. While in the field, you will teach outdoor living skills, use problem solving techniques to maneuver through environmental challenges and lead daily personal reflective activities. A commitment of six months to one year is preferred (8-day-on, 6-day-off shift); the pay rate begins at $127/day, with most mentors earning $145-$165/day. By joining Elements in its infancy stage, you will have the opportunity to help structure and mold both the program and organization while developing your professional skills in the outdoor field. ElementsWilderness.com

• Elements Wilderness Program mentor instructors blend the four key elements of community, nature, well-being and therapy into every wilderness experience for students seeking a better way of life.

Camping. Backpacking. Bow drill fires. Oh yeah, and teenagers. All in southern Utah's spectacular backcountry. With RedCliff Ascent you'll make your living helping troubled teens and conquering yourself while you do it. You'll get paid for being outside with a whole bunch of people who love the outdoors as much as you do. RedCliff is unlike anything you've ever experienced. It's work without walls, without limits. This job makes you better, stronger—more sure of who you are and what you want. It's an experience you'll never forget. If you're tough enough to take it, call 'em. Prospective Field Instructors must attend a 1-week training session in the field, which are scheduled just about every month. WildernessWork.com

• Few roles are more fulfilling in life than the role of mentor, and few jobs offer the wide range of opportunities which RedCliff offers to its field staff. Hiking, camping, backpacking, beautiful scenery and dynamic interpersonal relationships all come with the job. Add to this the chance to tone up the physique and improve your level of self confidence and personal character, and you have a job that is hard to beat.

Looking for an office with a view, a meaningful career in the outdoor industry, and being part of a community that cares? Share your outdoor passion and skills with Second Nature Entrada in the Red Rocks of Southern Utah! As a year-round licensed therapeutic wilderness program, Entrada uses the wilderness to assist adolescent and adult clients in their journey toward healthy behaviors and rewarding relationships. Working in a group with three to four other staff members, Field Instructors keep eight to ten clients safe while backpacking in the high desert of Southern Utah. In addition to implementing the Entrada program philosophy, other responsibilities include role modeling as well as teaching backpacking, communication, and wilderness survival skills. Instructors work a rotating schedule of eight days on and six days off, and a 1-year commitment is necessary. Pay starts at $127/day and progresses up to $195/day, plus bonuses. Benefits include full health and dental insurance, medical and professional training stipends and a variety of professional gear deals. Instructors must be at least 21 years of age; preference is given to applicants with a Bachelor's degree in a related field or an equivalent amount of relevant experience, with certification in Wilderness First Responder, EMT or WEMT. Prospective field instructors must attend a week-long training session in the field, which is generally scheduled every month. SNEntrada.com

• Wilderness Field Instructors for Second Nature Entrada become teachers and positive role models for adolescents and adults looking to build their confidence and self-esteem in the Red Rocks of Southern Utah. Energetic, fun and creative individuals who love the outdoors are encouraged to apply.

Are you flexible, patient and have a desire to help today's youth? As one of the industry's most sophisticated wilderness therapy programs, Second Nature Uintas provides insight, direction and hope to troubled teens and their families. With the aid of the wilderness, licensed therapists and experienced staff, adolescents from the ages of 13-17 embark on a journey to make healthy choices and rewarding relationships. Second Nature Field Instructors will develop clinical qualities unrivaled in therapeutic wilderness care. Creativity, affinity for outdoor living, sensitivity, compassion, flexibility and patience along with the desire to help young people lead healthy and productive lives are all prerequisites for the Field Instructor position. You will work eight days on, six days off; the eight-day shift is spent in the Uinta Mountains and high desert of Utah, hiking and camping with students and helping to keep them physically and emotionally safe. Pay is competitive, with benefits that include full health and dental insurance, performance bonuses, participation in a 401k plan and a variety of professional gear deals. Applicants must be at least 19 years old, have a high school diploma or equivalent, current CPR and first aid certification, and make a minimum commitment of one year. Prospective applicants must attend a week long training session in the field. Upcoming trainings are scheduled throughout the year and are posted at SNWP.com.

• Did you know? Most Second Nature Uintas staff live in Salt Lake City or Park City, which puts you within an hours drive of eight world class ski resorts. Skiing or snowboarding not your thing? The area also offers great hiking, climbing, and mountain biking along with a great live music scene. Imagine living in a world-class vacation destination that you call home!

Be a part of an incredible adventure with a wilderness therapy company in Utah's pristine red rock territory. With a stunning landscape of southern Utah providing a powerful backdrop for life-changing experiences, WinGate Wilderness Therapy is always looking for top quality individuals to work as field staff members. Commonly known as Wind Walkers to the students, you will use the principles from your in-depth training on the trail by modeling it, living it and teaching it to them. By using the wilderness and primitive living skills as metaphors, you will enable an environment that invites change out of each student as opposed to telling him or her that they need to change. You will also have the opportunity to walk a path that promotes growth in your own life. Preference will be given to those who have wilderness first responder certification and can commit to one year. Compensation starts at $105/day, with the opportunity to make up to $195/day (daily rates will gladly be matched if you are coming from another company with wilderness experience). Health and dental benefits are also provided after 90 days. If you're looking for a unique opportunity to build something great, check out WinGateWildernessTherapy.com.

• WinGate Wilderness Therapy uses the wilderness and primitive living skills as metaphors to enable change of heart in the students.

Would you love being surrounded by endless mesas, spiraling canyons, and breathtaking sunsets? Expedition Therapy is a unique, creative, experiential therapeutic program set in the vast desert topography of southern Utah. Now seeking self-motivated individuals who have a genuine desire to mentor and emotionally support adults age 18+ who are struggling with depression, low self-esteem, identity issues, substance abuse, and want to learn life skills, time management, organizational tools, and how to adapt to the emerging young adult life stage. Field Instructors will lead a series of expeditions that include canyoneering, rock climbing, backpacking, orienteering, cultural exploration, archaeology, service, first aid, and family systems. The curriculum emphasizes mastering skill sets such as high-level processing, creative problem solving, self-awareness, expedition planning, and engagement in group dynamics. After your initial training, you will receive additional education in technical skills, therapeutic initiatives, leadership mentoring and more. Applicants must make a minimum commitment of six months, have a college degree, be at least 23, possess a minimum of 2-3 years of wilderness therapy experience, and hold a current WFR certification. Pay is commensurate with experience. To apply, email your cover letter and resume to expeditioncareers@gmail.com.

• Become empowered by joining the Expedition Therapy team of highly skilled professionals who share a passion for helping others through engagement in self-awareness, technical skills, group dynamics, and leadership.

Blending the best of ancient cultural systems with a wilderness therapy program, Outback Therapeutic Expeditions provides a powerful setting for real change in troubled teens. The elements of a wilderness experience, individualized treatment, family counseling, and peer interaction combine to help students turn negative habits and behaviors into positive change. Wilderness Field Guides empower adolescents by focusing on their self-esteem, team building and positive decision-making skills. They act as mentors in building relationships of trust as well as teachers of primitive and survival skills. Guides work an eight days-on/six-days-off schedule. Pay starts at $127/day and progresses up to $190/day. Health benefits kick in after 90 days. Applicants must be at least 21 years of age and CPR/first aid certified (WFR preferred); preference is given to those with at least six months of experience working with teens. If you are a person who can establish relationships fast, enjoy working with teenagers, loves adventure, is outgoing, active, and can work well in a team environment, check out OutbackTreatment.com. Watch the online video, and if you are interested in applying for the most rewarding job you will ever have, email your resume along with three work-related references and a cover letter to Sara Troutman or call (801) 319-3981 for further information.

• Working for Outback Therapeutic Expeditions is not just a job, it's a journey. It is an experience that will challenge and reward you in countless ways as you touch the lives of the students in your care. It is emotionally, physically and mentally challenging—and will probably become the most memorable and most fulfilling job you'll ever have.

New Vision Wilderness therapy programs combine canoeing and backpacking expeditions with psychotherapy in order to assess and intervene with 13-17 year old struggling teens. While allowing structured wilderness excursions to physically challenge clients, master's level clinicians intensively challenge patients in one-to-one and group therapy sessions. This mixture of wilderness excursions and therapeutic contact helps promote the personal growth of each client. Full-time and contract Wilderness Instructors are responsible for the day-to-day facilitation of programming, including risk management, implementation of program philosophy, student supervision, leadership and responsible decision-making, communication, and the overall care and welfare of up to 8 students in a wilderness context. Duties also include direct care and supervision, completion of daily paperwork, weekly planning of group activities, and logistical duties. Full-time Instructors start at $24,000/year and must commit to at least one year; Contract Instructors work a flexible schedule based on programming needs and will earn a $95-$165 per diem rate. Applicants must be at least 21 years old, have a bachelor's degree, minimum one-year experience working in the field with at-risk youth, and have strong leadership, communication and problem solving skills; WFR certified preferred. To apply, email an application, resume, and cover letter to Adam Eader.

• Wilderness Instructors are the front line staff that are responsible for ensuring a safe and therapeutic milieu. You may work up to 21 days in the field in all New Vision Wilderness programs, including expeditions, family, school and 1:1 excursions.

The National Association of Therapeutic Schools and Programs (NATSAP) serves as a national resource for programs and professionals assisting young people beleaguered by emotional and behavioral difficulties. Members include therapeutic schools, residential treatment programs, wilderness programs, outdoor therapeutic programs, young adult programs, and home-based residential programs.

As one of the largest and most comprehensive network of therapeutic schools and programs for struggling or underachieving young people, Aspen Education Group services range from short-term intervention programs to residential treatment, and include a variety of therapeutic interventions including boarding schools, wilderness therapy, residential treatment, special needs summer camps, and weight loss programs.

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