01
On Our Grounds
A clinician, an appropriate staff ratio, and a plan for a teen who wants to quit. The challenge is chosen in advance and is not sprung on anyone.
Adventure Therapy For Teens
A clinician-led group challenge on our campus, offered to teens who tend to shut down when they have to sit and talk, followed by a conversation about what happened.
Clinically reviewed by Alejandro Alva, M.D., Medical Director.
- 30-90 days
- Ages 12-17
- Optional
- Joint Commission accredited
- Family-owned since 2021
What this is
Trying The Hard Thing Instead Of Only Discussing It
This is a group challenge on our campus, with a clinician taking part and a conversation afterward. The focus is fear, trust, and a teen doing something they might not have started in a therapy room. Individual therapy still leads the plan. This is not a wilderness program or a survival course run somewhere else.
When sitting in a chair is not working
- 01
Courage That Only Exists In Conversation
Your teen may be able to talk about the difficult thing and still find it hard to do, so we build a smaller version they can attempt.
- 02
A Group That Is Hard To Form Indoors
Peers and a shared task can help build a team in a way that a circle of chairs sometimes can't.
- 03
Depression That Makes Getting Up Hard
This is activation without a pep talk. Your teen's body often has to show up first, and then we help find language for what that took.
- 04
Anxiety That Needs A Graded Step
A challenge on our grounds can be one step on the ladder, paced like any other exposure work, with an easier version available.
- 05
ADHD That Needs A Real Task
Something with moving parts can hold attention in a way a worksheet may not, and we still have the conversation afterward.
- 06
Parents Who Hear Field Trip
We will tell you what the task was working on. If it sounds like summer camp, we will say plainly that it is not.
How it works
Where The Group Challenge Happens
A group task on our grounds, a conversation afterward that names the fear, and a dinner table where your teen can practice using it.
02
In The Debrief
What your teen's body did and who they relied on get put into words, because the session isn't over when the activity ends.
03
Back At The Table
The same fear, in a smaller form, can show up at dinner. Staff know what your teen is working on, so the courage can carry past the activity.
Our approach
Difficult Things That Are Still Treatment
An easier version available, a clinician taking part, and the activity skipped when weather, safety, or a refusal rules it out.
- Core of the plan
An Easier Version Is Available
Your teen can take an easier version or decline entirely. This is a graded challenge with a debrief, not a dare.
A Clinician Takes Part
This is not recreation staff with a therapy label. The conversation afterward is required, because without it the hour would be only a game.
Connected To The Exposure Plan
Anxiety work uses the same graded steps. A campus challenge is one step, and walking into a school hallway is another.
The Group Is Half The Treatment
Trust, having a role, and repairing things after snapping at someone can all happen in the same hour.
- When needed
Skipped When Conditions Aren't Right
Safety, weather, a medical reason, or a teen who isn't ready all mean we skip it that day.
Your part
This Is Not A Month In The Woods
You hear what the group task was working on, rather than a camp story that skips the fear your teen actually faced.
Looks fun, are they at camp?
Ask Which Fear It Addressed
We will name the goal in plain language and confirm it happened on our campus, not in a wilderness program.
Are they hiking for a month?
Hearing The Debrief, Not An Itinerary
Family sessions cover what came out of the task. There is no itinerary, because this is not a wilderness course.
We'll sign them up for Outward Bound later.
Finding A Smaller Challenge At Home
The helpful part is a smaller difficult thing written down for home, not enrollment in an outdoor program after discharge.
Length of stay
30
days in residence, by progress
These challenges run alongside the 30 to 90 day stay rather than following a set schedule.
90
How This Fits Into A Stay
Group challenges happen inside a 30 to 90 day stay on our Southern California campus, not at a separate wilderness site. They do not replace individual therapy, and we skip them when safety, weather, or a teen's refusal rules them out. Aftercare means a next therapist who knows what your teen was working on.
- The first two weeks help us see whether this is a good fit, and we do not force a breakthrough during an activity.
- Most teens finish in one to three months, and some don't take part at all because therapy alone was enough.
- Aftercare means a next therapist and a smaller challenge identified for home, not a wilderness waitlist.
When to call
Call Us. We'll Tell You If This House Fits.
If therapy sessions alone aren't enough, or your teen has a hard time getting started, call Aaron Earnest and the admissions team. They will help you decide whether a campus challenge belongs in the plan. If working with an animal fits better than a group task, our equine therapy page covers that.
Before you call
The Details Families Ask About First
- Who treats your teen
- Clinical care is led by Alejandro Alva, M.D., our Medical Director, and Stacia Ponce-Rodriguez, LMFT, our Clinical Director.Meet the team
- Cost and insurance
- We verify your benefits at no cost before anyone is asked to commit, with plans including Aetna, Anthem, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Carelon, Cigna, GEHA, and Magellan. Benefits vary by plan, and verification is not a guarantee of coverage.How insurance covers treatmentWhat residential treatment costsHow admissions works
- How progress is tracked
- Your teen's treatment plan is reviewed as their progress changes, and the next step is planned around that progress instead of a set date.How long residential treatment lastsWhat to expect in the first weeks
- Where your teen lives
- Teens live in a boys' house or a girls' house, in Orange County or Riverside County in Southern California. Families can tour the homes by appointment through admissions.Residential treatment for teen boysResidential treatment for teenage girlsOur Orange County homesOur Riverside County homeTour the homes
FAQ
Questions About Adventure Therapy For Teens
Answers to what parents often ask about adventure therapy in our program. If your question is not here, admissions can talk it through with you.
What does adventure therapy look like for my teen?
It is a group challenge on our campus, with a clinician taking part and a conversation afterward. The focus is fear and trust, and it is not a wilderness program or a month in the woods.
Who leads the group challenge, and how is it supervised?
A clinician takes part, with an appropriate staff ratio and a plan for a teen who wants to quit. The conversation afterward is required, because without it the hour would be only a game.
Can my teen say no to a challenge?
Your teen can take an easier version or decline entirely, because this is a graded challenge and not a dare. The challenge is chosen in advance and is not sprung on anyone.
When would my teen skip an adventure therapy session?
We skip it that day for safety, weather, a medical reason, or a teen who isn't ready. It does not replace individual therapy, which still leads your teen's plan.
How will we hear about what my teen worked on?
Family sessions cover what came out of the task, and we will name the goal in plain language. The helpful part is a smaller difficult thing written down for home, rather than an outdoor program after discharge.