WinGate Wilderness Therapy is located in Kanab, UT, and currently does not have a facility located in La Plata, MD. Students from La Plata, who wish to enroll in our program, will be required to travel and temporarily relocate to Utah.

Boot Camps For Teens from La Plata, MD

Wingate Wilderness Therapy - Image of the boot camp experience for teensWinGate Wilderness Therapy, a premier Outdoor Therapeutic Adventure Program, is often chosen by parents as a replacement for Boot Camps For Teens in La Plata, MD. Set among the gorgeous red mountains of Southern Utah, and with over eighty years of combined experience in wilderness therapy, the WinGate team understands the strategies of proper treatment for troubled teens. This approach is accomplished by directing and supporting them in the knowledge of a "new path" and direction for life.

Although not a Boot Camp, WinGate is a preferred replacement for these programs. The typical theory behind most Boot Camps is: if you discipline and scream at children enough, they will "fall in line." Although we are finding that while enrolled in these intense military-like boot camps, defiant teenagers may actually fall in line... This "rehabilitation" is unfortunately only temporary and based out of fear, thus not creating any "lasting" changes in teens.

Ultimately, it is widely believed by experts, that boot camps using "military-style" discipline not only did not work, but oftentimes worsened the problem. It is crucial for all parents who may be considering a boot camp for their teen, to examine other viable options for their teens rehabilitation.

Wilderness adventure programs, such as ours, are considerably more successful when transformation and restoration are the goals. WinGate Wilderness Therapy is nationally distinguished as a premier "therapeutic transitional living" wilderness program. Here we teach both personal accountability and independent living skills, thus leading to a lasting life of health and balance for your troubled teen.

The peaceful, distraction-free environment of our wilderness area profits even the most "treatment-resistant" and "rebellious" adolescents. Our objective is to bring forth peace and restoration to the emotional health of our teen campers, while guiding your struggling boy or girl through a transition into adulthood.

Please feel free to contact WinGate Wilderness Therapy admissions department for more information regarding enrollment and tuition. Call WinGate today at (800) 560-1599 to see how we can treat your troubled teen.

Boot Camps For Kids from La Plata, MD

Out of sheer desperation, some parents will turn to teen boot camps in an attempt to protect their adolescent from incarceration or even the possibility of death. However, before sending a teen to a boot camp facility, one should do their homework on boot camps vs. wilderness therapy or residential treatment. Like most facilities and programs, not all boot camps are created equal. You should know that there have been numerous incidents of death among the "less than adequate" boot camps. The tragic combination of corporal punishment administered by poorly trained staff, sadly, has led to the deaths of several teens while attending a boot camp.

Teen boot camps

You can feel comfortable and confident that WinGate, as a leading wilderness treatment program, licensed by the State of Utah, is a long-time member of the National Association of Therapeutic Schools and Programs (NATSAP). This accreditation and affiliation is a resource and beacon to both parents and professionals that WinGate offers the highest quality services to the teen participants and families we serve.

In essence, our hope and goal is to help shape a "heart of peace," which replaces the "heart of war." Wilderness therapy for troubled teen boys and girls is unique in that there are consistent and continual opportunities for observation and intervention. These moments are uninterrupted by the usual day-to-day disruptions and distractions found at a traditional long-term residential rehab program setting.

The wilderness atmosphere produces for our practitioners, twenty-four hours a day, the epitome of Group therapy blended with Experiential therapy, conducted by our staff of mental health counselors.

Teen Boot Camps

In "military training camp" fashion, teen boot camps are created to teach both structure and discipline to "wayward" young people. This "instruction" is generally performed through the application of "military-style" control which includes strenuous physical activity. The objective of boot camp staffers is to "challenge the camper" with the "hope" of instilling confidence and self-reliance.

However, it's critical for parents to recognize that boot camps have recently come under severe criticism, by mental health authorities and practitioners, for being "too harsh while not addressing the juvenile's underlying psychological issues via proper counseling and therapy."

We have come to know that our teenage clients in "wilderness treatment" possess a greater capacity for attention, thus enabling a more focused and thriving process for change. We witness our ~studentteen3~s growing closer to their peers while developing a stronger bond with the clinicians as well.

The peaceful environment of the outdoors enables the teen participants to gain more quickly an insight into their previous, unhealthy behaviors, allowing them to make proper and adequate changes. These nurturing, yet challenging conditions, allows our teenage clients to gain perspective, grow up, and achieve an improved level of maturity all while addressing behavioral obstacles and issues.

Juvenile Boot Camps

Juvenile boot camps

In the past, a few private boot camps and military academies have delivered "scholarship" or "grant" programs for families in need of financial assistance. However, these "grant" programs usually turn out to be "loans," disguised as "financial aid," to be paid back in monthly installments. What's more, most of these boot camp programs are extinct and are therefore hard to find.

In short, free boot camps for emotionally challenged teenagers typically do not exist. However, there are state-funded boot camps that can be utilized only if your teenager has been or is in the state juvenile system. Although state-funded boot camps may be the only financially viable option for some families, this option causes serious drawbacks worth considering.

Therapeutic healing and counseling are certainly not emphasized at Juvenile Boot Camps. The boot camp staffers are not licensed nor are they trained to administer support for the "emotional issues" and "psychological disorders" that are normally at the root of all behavioral problems in adolescents. These boot camps deliver only discipline and authoritarian control. In the end, boot camps resemble "jails" more than "therapeutic interventions."

At WinGate Wilderness Therapy, we include the parents and family in your at-risk adolescent's progress and therapy. Over the years, we have served thousands of boys and girls from La Plata, MD and from all over the country. Our track record has demonstrated to cause results that are life changing.

We know that troubled teen boys and girls can become healthy, independent adults, and can develop as strong people motivated for success. Call WinGate Wilderness Therapy today at (800) 560-1599.

Wilderness Therapy for Addicted Teens from La Plata, MD


Even if you live in La Plata, MD does not protect teenagers from dealing with problems like drug and alcohol addiction. Behavioral and emotional problems exist anywhere, even in La Plata, MD. Parents will always be worried about the nature of friends made by their teenage children.

Your troubled teen might be able to be helped at MedStar Southern Maryland Hospital Center, but that might not be the best answer for your son or daughter.

Serious problems can create troubled teens, even in La Plata, MD. Ranging from behavior and emotional difficulties to drug and alcohol addictions, these problems can destroy a teenager's life along with causing disastrous family problems.

Unfortunately, La Plata, MD is no different from many other cities in the growing plague of drug abuse and the other events that often follow the increase in drug use. At WinGate we understand, and can help you in these difficult times. Call WinGate Wilderness Therapy today to get your troubled teen on the road to a better life at (800) 560-1599.

At Wingate Wilderness Therapy we know how hard it is to admit you need help from someone beside yourself. It isn't easy to reach that point. We know, and we can help you through that first step. Once that first action is taken, you will marvel at how rewarding and safe the remaining process is.

Call WinGate Wilderness Therapy right now at (800) 560-1599 to get the help your troubled teen needs. It might be hard to start the process, but the results will help your son or daughter get back on track for living a worthwhile and rewarding life.

“Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop away from you like the leaves of Autumn.”
- John Muir