Open Sky is an ideal and appropriate fit for a wide range of students. It is difficult to define a “typical” teenager in the Open Sky program because adolescents express themselves with a variety of behaviors. However, there are often common themes that run throughout the lives of our students. One of the benefits of having an individualized, strengths-based program is that we can effectively address a wide diversity of issues.

Typical Treatment Issues for Teens at Open Sky:

Parent of Open Sky Teens:
Leading up to the decision to send their child to a therapeutic program parents describe feeling like they are walking on eggshells. They desperately want to help but are not sure how they can. They tend to be overwhelmed with fear that they have lost – or might lose – their child. Other commonly described feelings include:

Days at Open Sky
As your child moves through the desert landscape she will explore both the world around her and the world within herself. Typical days will include yoga and meditation, eating an organic breakfast, packing-up camp, hiking to your destination, stopping along the way for a lesson, arriving at a new camp, journal writing, playing a game, checking-in with a guide, making a communal, whole-foods dinner, spending time around a fire, and then gazing at the stars as she goes to sleep. She will have group therapy and one-on-one time with field guides daily and individual sessions with her therapist weekly. At Open Sky, your child will have time to identify and invigorate her inherent strengths. She will explore ways in which she may have been using self-destructive means to cope with stress and learn healthy, revitalizing ways to meet her needs.