October 4th, 2022
October 4th, 2022
Understanding and Treating Self-Injury in Wilderness
October 7th, 2020
Understanding Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy
Earlier in my career, I felt something missing from the treatment I was able to provide some of my adolescent girl clients. Many of these clients had experienced traumatic events that often manifested in the field. Therapy sometimes was particularly complicated because those incidents tend to be deeply intertwined with other treatment issues (identity, interpersonal […]
August 18th, 2020
Treating Emerging Cluster B Personality Disorders in Wilderness Therapy
People with personality disorders historically have been misunderstood and pathologized as having character faults. In reality, it’s not that one has a “broken” personality, as the name might suggest. Rather, this diagnosis typically results from childhood coping strategies that eventually become entrenched behavioral and emotional patterns if not otherwise interrupted. Individuals who don’t believe their […]
March 25th, 2020
How to Take Care of Yourself in the Midst of a Pandemic
In an effort to “flatten the curve” and halt the spread of COVID-19, public health officials are asking people to shelter at home, drastically alter their daily lives, decrease physical interaction, and engage in rigorous hygiene practices. A few weeks ago, the term “social distancing” wasn’t even on our collective radar. Today, schools, businesses, and […]
May 5th, 2019
Kirsten Bolt Celebrates 8 Years at Open Sky
December 2nd, 2018
Strength and Confidence: How Therapist Kirsten Bolt Helps Adolescent Girls Thrive
Q: What led you to pursue a career as a wilderness therapist? A: I fell into wilderness therapy as a field guide during a transitional time in my life. I was drawn to the individual mentorship and intimate, personal conversations with students. I also enjoyed the often dynamic and challenging work with families. My heart […]
May 8th, 2018
Finding Connection Beyond the Screen
Over the past few years, I’ve been struck by the increasing number of Open Sky parents who report feeling exasperated regarding their child’s “excessive use of social media” and “cell phone addiction.” Though students at Open Sky live outside without access to electronic devices and social media, I witness its impact on the students’ relationships […]
March 3rd, 2017
Four Common Layers of Girls’ Communication
Throughout my experience of working with adolescent girls and boys in wilderness therapy, one theme emerges clearly and repeatedly: girls are so much more complicated! Girls typically communicate and express their emotions, thoughts, wants, and needs in seemingly more layered and complex ways than boys. A simple Google search about differences between men and women […]