When do you begin working with clients?

We like to begin our work with clients 1-2 weeks before their wilderness graduation date. At this point they are close enough to graduation to really be thinking forward, and we want to record their thoughts and state of mind before they leave the wilderness.

If my child has already left wilderness, will you work with him/her?

We are willing to work with clients that are already living at home. However, if you are asking this question it is probably because things are not going as well as you had hoped. Most of the families that we deal with in this scenario do not have a child that is willing to engage in coaching. This is a simple matter to determine; just set up a free telephone interview. We’ll figure out quickly whether we have a chance to help.

I think I want to wait and see how it goes. If we need some support later will you be available to work with us?

Definitely, we will be available to work with you.  However, every month I get at least one call back from a family that was going to “wait and see.” Since 2005, none of the program graduates that fall into this category have been willing to start coaching after having been back at home. Chances are you have a good idea whether or not your child could use some coaching. If you think aftercare support is necessary, please do not wait and see.

Do you work with girls as well?

We sure do. But people frequently ask. Some of our best clients are female. Females make up around 15-20% of our client base. They add a refreshing variety to our usual work with boys and make use of our past experience of working with girls in programs.

I have a unique situation and I need some help with a challenging teen/young adult. If the help that I need doesn’t fit your normal program can I ask for a custom plan?

You aren’t the first to ask.  Please contact us to discuss the specifics of your case. We may be able to develop something that works well for you.

You are located in Utah and we live in New York/Florida/Michigan/California, etc. How will you work with my child?

After the initial face to face work (CIPI), which we travel for, our coaching takes place via telephone. Our approach to planning, learning, and accountability has developed over time to work well at a distance.

Do you work with the parents as well?

Our philosophy is that the client needs an ally with whom he/she can connect with trust and use to keep moving forward.  Parental interaction will always have the coach moving toward aligning with the parent and can be detrimental to the coach-client relationship.  That said, there are times when it is very helpful for the coach to know about situations that are arising at home, and we depend on parents to keep us informed so that we can be more effective with the client. There are situations where it would be useful to get the coach involved as they are occurring. And there are situations where parents just need to check in. Our phones are always open to you and we sincerely want you to take advantage of us.

If you are looking for scheduled parent coaching, we do that. In those cases, we like to use an additional coach for the parents so the client still has his/her dedicated ally.

What programs have you worked with?

Either as coaches or as employees, we have worked with:

Ashley Valley Wilderness, Aspen Achievement Academy, Lone Star, Mountain Home Youth Ranch, Open Sky Wilderness, Outback, Passages to Recovery, Second Nature-Blue Ridge, Second Nature - Duchesne, SUWS of the Carolinas, Telos, Wilderness Quest.

What if we want to continue with coaching after the usual three month program?

Coaching can continue indefinitely. That, however is not our goal. We endeavor to have all of our clients at a good, live at home, functional level at the end of the three month program. Normally our clients do not continue with us after that point. Some have. And some come back occasionally for support when they are taking on new projects, making a move, starting at a new school, etc.