Tara M.
5/5
We sent our son to Elements in April 2024... he was there for 82 days... and it SAVED HIS LIFE! We are so thankful for THIS program. He was 16 years old at the time. For over 2 years, he/we had suffered with his drug use (mostly marijuana but also some harder drugs and pills), depression, anger, defiance, disengagement from family, lying, an unreasonable amount of family conflict, sneaking out, stealing money from me, etc... and it was only getting worse. I had been on non-stop high alert for 2 years. We needed a hard interruption. And after talking to a few directors at different therapeutic wilderness programs, we chose Elements, and for his and my safety, we set up a transport team to take him. All of it, the transport and deciding to send him away, was the hardest, most gut-wrenching and heart-breaking thing I've ever done... it was so scary... but not doing it was even scarier. AND it was also the best and most loving decision I've ever made! He (and we as a family) had a life-changing, life-saving, life-giving experience with Elements.
And it's hard... for sure. To not get to hug him everyday, only write/receive letters from him and talk to him once a week. I cried so much. And it was hard work for him... mentally, emotionally and physically. He also got stronger mentally, emotionally and physically. He gained 35 pounds of muscle during his time at Elements because of all the hiking, climbing and constructing. It is very active and physical work. Everything in their day is also therapeutically relevant and although there's no real measure in pounds of his mental and emotional strength, he gained tons in those ways!
They are surrounded by nature and get really dirty and have a weekly shower and they have to take direction and take care of themselves. The boys hold each other accountable too. Not just the staff. They get the appropriate gear (a lot of it, and they carry it in their giant backpacks) and have daily hygiene checks (for example, twice a day they have their hands a feet checked by staff). And he learned so many skills (communication, survival, confidence, self-sufficiency, self-care, etc) that he will always have now and be able to use throughout his life. And he became so proud of himself! He was pretty resistant at first but became very appreciative of and close with the staff and the guys in his group.
There is also a great parent curriculum and support, weekly parent group calls and an informative curriculum book. We participated in a Family Focus - his dad, older sister, and I... and it was a bijillion percent worth it for the whole family! He may be the "identified patient" but we are all part of our family system and how it was hurting and also how it is repaired, reformed and rebuilt. I learned so much and there was movement and softening within our family relationships!
As the weeks passed, I saw him transform into a different kid. He had a peace, strength and confidence to him that I hadn't seen before. I saw my son again!
We transitioned him to a therapeutic boarding school after wilderness and he still has his Elements expo-guide and refers to it. He even said over Christmas while he was home for a couple of weeks that all of this saved his life because he can look back and see the trajectory his life was on, and he thanked me. He even misses being at Elements! I will forever hold the Elements program and the people there (admin, staff, therapists) in a special place in my heart with such gratitude!
And while this is a perfectly imperfect journey, his awareness and accountability as well as all the skills he and we have learned will help us navigate more healthfully the inevitable future slip-ups.
I know this is a long review... but I hope it helps someone as you're trying to make a really hard decision 🙂
