Lon Woodbury and Elizabeth McGhee, talk show hosts for Parent Choices for Struggling Teens, which is hosted on LA Talk Radio, spoke to Stuart Squires about his unusual formula for healing families through adventure therapy. Stuart founded The Family Solution in St Georgia, Utah.
Lon Woodbury and Elizabeth McGhee both have extensive experience working with parents and at-risk teens. Lon is the founder of Struggling Teens and publishes the Woodbury Reports. He has also written a number of books on his specialty. As an independent educational consultant since 1984, he has helped numerous families in crisis. Meanwhile, Liz, has over nineteen years specializing in consulting and referral. Her present position is Director of Admissions at Sandhill Child Development Center.
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 Unique Model: Healing Families through Adventure Therapy
How do you heal families through adventure therapy? Stuart Squires explained that his therapy took a family systems approach. If a child was acting out, it was because of a dysfunctional family system. By taking the entire family out on a day-long adventure--say, hiking, biking, or rappelling--it forced the family to interact, build a bond, and confront their repressed feelings.
"What makes The Family Solution's answer to families in crisis a new therapeutic model?" asked Lon Woodbury. In response, Stuart Squires pointed out four clear differences:
First, unlike most therapeutic approaches, the whole family enters treatment because everyone is involved in the outdoor adventure.
2. The treatment is short. It may only last a week. Then the follow up may take place in one or two months. The family received counseling during the intense week of treatment, then they went on an outdoor adventure together.
The third thing to note was that aftercare was the most important aspect of this treatment. Real change could only be measured by how a family behaved once they got back home.
4. The program costs less than other treatment programs. In fact, it is a fifth less in price than what a family might pay for a wilderness program or a stay at a therapeutic boarding school.
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 and Elizabeth McGhee both have extensive experience working with parents and at-risk teens. Lon is the founder of Struggling Teens and publishes the Woodbury Reports. He has also written a number of books on his specialty. As an independent educational consultant since 1984, he has helped numerous families in crisis. Meanwhile, Liz, has over nineteen years specializing in consulting and referral. Her present position is Director of Admissions at Sandhill Child Development Center.
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 Unique Model: Healing Families through Adventure Therapy
How do you heal families through adventure therapy? Stuart Squires explained that his therapy took a family systems approach. If a child was acting out, it was because of a dysfunctional family system. By taking the entire family out on a day-long adventure--say, hiking, biking, or rappelling--it forced the family to interact, build a bond, and confront their repressed feelings.
"What makes The Family Solution's answer to families in crisis a new therapeutic model?" asked Lon Woodbury. In response, Stuart Squires pointed out four clear differences:
First, unlike most therapeutic approaches, the whole family enters treatment because everyone is involved in the outdoor adventure.
2. The treatment is short. It may only last a week. Then the follow up may take place in one or two months. The family received counseling during the intense week of treatment, then they went on an outdoor adventure together.
The third thing to note was that aftercare was the most important aspect of this treatment. Real change could only be measured by how a family behaved once they got back home.
4. The program costs less than other treatment programs. In fact, it is a fifth less in price than what a family might pay for a wilderness program or a stay at a therapeutic boarding school.
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:
Discover more about the problems faced by Struggling Teens. Lon Woodbury records the entire interview on his L.A. Talk Radio show for people to listen to at any time.
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