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

Boot Camps For Teens from Peoria, AZ

Wingate Wilderness Therapy - Boots at the boot camp experience for struggling adolescentsWinGate Wilderness Therapy is a premier Outdoor Therapeutic Adventure Program, chosen by parents as an alternative to Boot Camps For Teens from Peoria, AZ. With a combined history of over eighty years of wilderness therapy experience, the treatment counselors here at WinGate recognize the complexities of how to properly administer treatment for troubled teens.

Fixed among the magnificent and world famous red mountains of Southern Utah, WinGate is recognized nationally as a model "therapeutic transitional living" wilderness program. Although not a Boot Camp, WinGate is a "parent-preferred" alternative to these programs.

No research-based conclusions have been found that "favor" the boot camp experience. These results are especially true when taking into consideration the boot camps' fundamental purpose of "rehabilitation." When compared to former prison inmates, the "recidivism rates" for boot camp participants (referring to a person's "chance of relapse" back into criminal behavior) are roughly the same.

Most parents don't know that the "boot camp program" began years ago as an adult-only, "shock incarceration" program designed for "first-time" offenders. The purpose of this boot camp experience was to make the "time served" so shocking and abhorrent, the offender would be "scared straight" into model behavior, to avoid another sentence.

Consequently, more mental health specialists are pointing their sharp criticism toward Boot Camps for being "too harsh while not addressing the adolescent's real underlying psychological problems through proper counseling and therapy."

Wilderness adventure programs, such as ours, are considerably more productive when teen "transformation and restoration" is the goal. At WinGate, we teach both independent living skills and individual accountability, which is the framework upon which to construct a life of lasting health and balance.

WinGate's "research-validated" approach to wilderness-based treatment causes our work to WORK! The peaceful, distraction-free atmosphere of our wilderness area benefits even the most "treatment-resistant" and "rebellious" adolescents. You can reach us immediately at (800) 560-1599.

Boot Camps For Kids from Peoria, AZ

Out of sheer desperation, some parents will turn to teen boot camps in an attempt to protect their teen from incarceration or even the possibility of death. However, before sending a teenager 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 therapy 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 provides the highest quality services to the teen students 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 struggling teenagers 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 residential treatment program setting.

The wilderness atmosphere produces for our therapists, twenty-four hours a day, the epitome of Experiential therapy blended with Alliance-based therapy, conducted by our staff of clinicians.

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 participants in "wilderness treatment" possess a greater capacity for attention, thus enabling a more focused and thriving process for recovery. We witness our ~studentteen3~s growing closer to their peers while developing a stronger bond with the counselors as well.

The peaceful environment of the outdoors enables the teen students 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 participants 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 offered "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 adolescent boys and girls typically do not exist. However, there are state-funded boot camps that can be utilized only if your adolescent 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 help for the "emotional issues" and "psychological disorders" that are normally at the root of all behavioral problems in teens. These boot camps offer 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 troubled teen's progress and therapy. Over the years, we have served thousands of boys and girls from Peoria, AZ and from all over the country. Our track record has demonstrated to cause results that are life changing.

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

Parent Resources in Peoria, AZ Area:

Community Partnership of Southern Arizona (CPSA) - As the Regional Behavioral Health Authority, CPSA is appointed by the state of Arizona to both establish and support publicly-funded behavioral health services for children, adults and their families in need.

We have helped families from the Peoria, AZ area in the past. It’s our absolute respect for every adolescent, young adult, and family we work with that sets our short-term wilderness therapy program apart from the others. If you are ready to take advantage of the healing therapy that we provide, and to make a difference in your troubled teen's life, we encourage you to contact WinGate Wilderness Therapy today. To find out more, call our WinGate family advocate at (800) 560-1599. They are standing by to help you today!

Quotes For Daily Living:

"It is not the level of prosperity that makes for happiness but the kinship of heart to heart and the way we look at the world. Both attitudes are within our power so that a man is happy so long as he chooses to be happy, and no one can stop him." Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

"Always Do Your Best. Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse and regret." Miguel Angel Ruiz