Stuart Squires, LCSW, founder of The Family Solution in St. George, Utah, explained to Lon Woodbury and Elizabeth McGhee from Parent Choices for Struggling Teens on L.A. Talk Radio the unique process of healing families through adventure therapy.
Lon Woodbury, who is the host of the show, has published Woodbury Reports and founded Struggling Teens. As an author of books on parenting and struggling adolescents, he has helped many families resolve their personal crisis. Lon started out as an Independent Educational Consultant in 1984 and has worked with many families since that time. Meanwhile, Elizabeth McGhee, who serves as his co-host, has more than 19 years experience in the field of child psychology. She currently works at Sandhill Child Development Center as the Director of Admissions and Referral Relations.
About Stuart Squires
Stuart Squires has founded the Family Solution in St. George, Utah. He now serves as its Executive Director. There he provides a short-term therapeutic process that he refers to as an "adventure therapy program for families." He is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and a supervisor for social workers doing an internship. Prior to establishing his business, The Family Solution, he spent over a decade in the field working with families.
A New Treatment Model Called "Healing Families Through Adventure Therapy"
Stuart explained how the process of healing families through adventures therapy worked. He said that a child with behavioral problems is part of a family dysfunction and outdoor adventures like biking, hiking, or rappelling helped parents interact better with their children.
When asked by Lon what made The Family Solution approach different from other therapeutic model, Stuart outlined four distinctions:
1. This approach is unlike most traditional approaches. The entire family is involved. Everyone participates in the outdoor recreational adventure.
Second, the length of the treatment is only about a week, with a two to three month follow-up. During the week, families receive counseling and then extrapolate life lessons from their outdoor adventure.
3. The main difference with this therapy was the focus on the value of aftercare. What really mattered was how a family had changed once they got home.
The fourth thing to note was how inexpensive the program was compared to other programs. Compared to say a therapeutic boarding school or a wilderness therapy program, it cost only a fifth.
In essence, then, a short outdoor adventure experiential experience can heal family dysfunction because the family piece is essential for recovery. Often a child can get turned around at a therapeutic boarding school or wilderness program, but then goes back to the same family system. The result is that he or she then falls back to the old ways. Healing families through adventure therapy is effective because it puts an emphasis on how a family interacts differently after they return home.
Lon Woodbury, who is the host of the show, has published Woodbury Reports and founded Struggling Teens. As an author of books on parenting and struggling adolescents, he has helped many families resolve their personal crisis. Lon started out as an Independent Educational Consultant in 1984 and has worked with many families since that time. Meanwhile, Elizabeth McGhee, who serves as his co-host, has more than 19 years experience in the field of child psychology. She currently works at Sandhill Child Development Center as the Director of Admissions and Referral Relations.
About Stuart Squires
Stuart Squires has founded the Family Solution in St. George, Utah. He now serves as its Executive Director. There he provides a short-term therapeutic process that he refers to as an "adventure therapy program for families." He is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and a supervisor for social workers doing an internship. Prior to establishing his business, The Family Solution, he spent over a decade in the field working with families.
A New Treatment Model Called "Healing Families Through Adventure Therapy"
Stuart explained how the process of healing families through adventures therapy worked. He said that a child with behavioral problems is part of a family dysfunction and outdoor adventures like biking, hiking, or rappelling helped parents interact better with their children.
When asked by Lon what made The Family Solution approach different from other therapeutic model, Stuart outlined four distinctions:
1. This approach is unlike most traditional approaches. The entire family is involved. Everyone participates in the outdoor recreational adventure.
Second, the length of the treatment is only about a week, with a two to three month follow-up. During the week, families receive counseling and then extrapolate life lessons from their outdoor adventure.
3. The main difference with this therapy was the focus on the value of aftercare. What really mattered was how a family had changed once they got home.
The fourth thing to note was how inexpensive the program was compared to other programs. Compared to say a therapeutic boarding school or a wilderness therapy program, it cost only a fifth.
In essence, then, a short outdoor adventure experiential experience can heal family dysfunction because the family piece is essential for recovery. Often a child can get turned around at a therapeutic boarding school or wilderness program, but then goes back to the same family system. The result is that he or she then falls back to the old ways. Healing families through adventure therapy is effective because it puts an emphasis on how a family interacts differently after they return home.
About the Author:
Lon Woodbury, the founder of Struggling Teens, has recorded the entire interview on his weekly L.A. Talk Radio show for people to at their convenience.
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