Wilderness therapy offers an alternative approach to traditional treatments for troubled adolescents; however, its industry lacks uniform regulation and independent studies on long-term results, prompting concerns over safety and effectiveness of programs.
An issue related to staff oversight involves using inexperienced, untrained individuals to supervise adolescents. This has the potential of leading to dangerous situations like that involving 17-year-old who died after running off into the wilderness and becoming lost for five hours before Trails Carolina staff sent help.
What is Trails Carolina?
Trails Carolina Therapeutic Wilderness Program of Lake Toxaway, North Carolina offers an innovative therapeutic wilderness program to assist troubled children and teenagers. Combining education, therapy, and outdoor adventure into an individualized treatment experience for each participant.
One of the primary goals of the program is to help children build confidence and learn healthy coping mechanisms, as well as improving mental health, leading to a more positive outlook on life – this may especially prove beneficial for teens struggling with anxiety or depression.
At the core of this program is its emphasis on family engagement. Family workshops, weekly calls, and Common Ground experiences give families a way to stay involved with their child’s treatment – which in turn improves relationships between parent and child and makes transitioning back home easier for all involved. Furthermore, this program seeks to foster camaraderie among its students by giving them opportunities for connection among classmates.
What are the allegations against Trails Carolina?
Former Trails Carolina “Investigation” participants have come forward with their horror stories about the program, alleging physical and emotional abuse by staff members.
Critics have also taken issue with this program for failing to obtain accreditation from respected wilderness therapy programs and for disregarding health and safety standards, with one incident wherein a girl who became sick on a hike was told she should continue hiking without seeking medical care.
Allegations against Trails Carolina include its use of unregulated practices like physical restraint and isolation rooms. Furthermore, former participants have reported being prohibited from seeing doctors when injured or sick.
Trails Carolina has denied all allegations of abuse and mistreatment, although the program has had a history of violations which should be made more transparent, as well as increased regulation and oversight. Families should have full access to monitor their children’s health and wellbeing while in wilderness programs.
What has Trails Carolina said about the allegations?
Trails Carolina takes great care to ensure their program is designed with participants’ safety in mind, boasting that its staff are highly trained in wilderness survival, therapy and crisis de-escalation. In addition to having two or three primary therapists available each week, staff includes field instructors and medical personnel that ensure all participant needs are met.
Despite these claims, former participants and their families have raised allegations of physical and emotional abuse against the hospital, such as physical restraints in isolation rooms or inadequate access to proper medical treatment.
One former Trails Carolina employee has also made allegations that Trails Carolina knew of specific “students” posing serious danger to others and encouraged these students to prey upon other peers; these pedophiles allegedly coached their victims not to speak out and remain compliant, helping them escape detection. WBTV discovered that N.C. DHHS regulators have gone more than one year without visiting Trails Carolina as required by state law.
What are the next steps in the investigation?
After several disturbing allegations surfaced against Trails Carolina, regulatory bodies and independent investigators are closely scrutinizing its treatment methods to ensure they comply with industry standards while prioritizing adolescents’ safety at all times.
Former Trails Carolina staffer Joe Osborn recently told WBTV that Trails Carolina did not provide its counselors with enough training to work effectively with participants in the wilderness, and did not adequately assess its students’ medical needs, placing both physical and emotional wellbeing at risk.
State inspection reports from Trails Carolina reveal multiple deficiencies by Department of Human Health and Services regulators, including several violations pertaining to seclusion and physical restraint. Furthermore, according to an officer investigating Alec Lansing’s death in 2014 at Trails Carolina’s facility in Columbia County, SC staff could have helped rescue crews locate him sooner by providing more specific details of his location. Regardless of these concerns raised against its programs by its oversight bodies, Trails Carolina continues to maintain that they are both safe and effective.