What are the credentials of therapists at Open Sky?
Open Sky therapists have master’s or doctorate level degrees with significant educational and professional history specializing in the treatment of adolescents and families. Our current clinical team of eight therapists has a combined 50 years of experience working in wilderness therapy. Open Sky therapists are trained in the most current and research-proven methods, including Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing (EMDR), Motivational Interviewing, and Gottman’s Marital Therapy. For more information about the experience and backgrounds of our clinical team,
go here.

How often will our son or daughter see his or her Open Sky therapist?
Each Open Sky therapist spends two days a week in the field. During that time, he or she will meet individually with your student for approximately one hour and facilitate a therapy group with your student and his or her team. As the treatment team leaders, Open Sky therapists meet with field guides twice a week to direct therapeutic interventions and discuss your student's progress. In addition to these sessions, the therapist will spend some “down time” with the group sitting around the fire, enjoying a meal together, hiking and participating in daily activities.

How often will we have contact with our Open Sky therapist?
Family phone calls with Open Sky therapists are scheduled once a week. Family members may call in from different locations for conference calls. During the weekly call, the therapist will discuss your student's progress, review family assignments from the family workbook, and help you take the appropriate steps to create a successful aftercare plan. You will also have your therapist's telephone and e-mail address for questions or concerns that arise between phone calls.

How are our son/daughter’s treatment needs met during the time the therapists are not in the field?
The Open Sky therapist directs the activities of the field guides in accordance with each student’s individualized treatment plan. Throughout the week, field guides will work with your student to follow through on specific assignments and interventions designed by the treatment team. Field guides run daily group sessions, teach curriculum, and oversee the varied program activities throughout the week. Field guides are really the heart and soul of the program, being able to take advantage of the host of teachable moments that present themselves each day. For example, if a student becomes frustrated at not easily succeeding at a given task, the guides are there to coach them through to a successful experience. From the hardship caused by a rainy day to the strenuous demands of a hiking excursion in the noonday sun to the tearful processing group around the campfire the field guides are there with students every step of the way.