Moving Forward with Self-Compassion: A Q&A with Alumni Parent Tessa
Tessa’s young adult son was enrolled in Open Sky from November 2019, to February 2020. Through this experience and the time since, Tessa and her family have found new ways of practicing self-compassion and supporting each other through communication, emotional awareness, and living in the present moment. Below, Tessa shares what it was like for […]
Finding Connection on the Alumni Student Monthly reConnect Call
Open Sky’s monthly reConnect Call is a resource offered exclusively to Open Sky alumni students. The call takes place on the third Thursday of each month. The next call is Thursday, April 16. In this Q&A, our Alumni Relations team answers questions about the impact and value of this alumni service. For call-in details, email: […]
Parent Support Throughout (and Beyond!) Wilderness Therapy
Now more than ever, we are in need of ways to center ourselves, share with others, and be part of a community. The Monday Night Parent Support Call provides a structured space for parents to attend to these needs and cultivate personal wellness. As the world continues to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic, the Open Sky Team […]
Finding the Way to Self-Love: A Father Reflects on His Son’s Transformation
Testimonial contributed by Alumni Parent Charlie H. Our 15-year-old son went to Open Sky Wilderness from January 17, 2019, to April 17, 2019. Leading up to that point, my wife and I had grown increasingly worried as we watched him lose his way. We continually observed him making poor decisions, often not telling the full truth, […]
Where are they now? Alumni Student Nicole Embraces Her Inner Strength
Testimonial contributed by Alumni Student Nicole D. (2018, Team Firefly – Adolescent Girls) The Challenges Leading Me to Open Sky I was sent to Open Sky at age seventeen for PTSD, depression, anxiety, and acute alcoholism. I had attempted to take my life three times over the course of two years. I was bullied […]
10 Tips for Strengthening Family Relationships
Are you ready to strengthen family relationships in 2020? At Open Sky, we inspire people to learn and live in a way that honors values and strengthens relationships. This is a key component of our mission. Below, members of our Family Services, Clinical, and Alumni Relations teams share tangible tips to enhance, enrich, and strengthen […]
Navigating the Transition Process After Open Sky
At Open Sky, students are immersed in a new environment and removed from many of the distractions that kept them from thriving at home. This is an essential part of stabilization, assessment, and initiation of real change. When students leave our program to return home or continue treatment at an aftercare program, they find […]
What’s it like to spend the holidays in wilderness?
Alumni Student Laney, C., shares how holidays in wilderness therapy were both meaningful and memorable.
Denver Area Alumni Reunion 2019: Share, Encourage, Inspire
We had an incredible time reconnecting with and celebrating our alumni last week at the Denver Alumni Reunion! Open Sky staff, alumni students, and alumni families gathered in Denver on Thursday, September 26 to share, encourage, and inspire. Open Sky alumni events are designed to bring together alumni at all stages of their journey post-Open […]
Reflections from College: Looking Back at my Open Sky Journey
Reilly joined Young Adults team Durga in the summer of 2017. She was 18 when she enrolled as a student and is now a 21-year-old psychology student at Southern Oregon University in Ashland, Oregon. In this interview, Reilly reflects on her Open Sky experience with Becca Reymann, a field guide who worked closely with Reilly […]
Open Sky Denver Alumni Reunion!
Open Sky alumni students and families are invited to join us at our upcoming reunion! Denver, Colorado Area Alumni Reunion Gathering Thursday, September 26, 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM Event includes tacos and other tasty bites – hosted by Open Sky RSVP by Friday, September 13 Immerse yourself in the Open Sky wilderness therapy community, catch up with Open […]
From Across the Pond: Checking In With 2014 Open Sky Alumni Student, Izii T.
Open Sky alumni student Izii T. recently reached out to share her story with the greater Open Sky Community. Izii began a journey of self-love at Open Sky and has been pursuing big dreams since graduating the program in 2014. She hopes her update can encourage and inspire other Open Sky alumni and others thinking […]
Open Sky Wilderness Therapy Launches SKYlights Podcast
Open Sky, a wilderness therapy program nestled in the mountains of Colorado and the canyonlands of Utah, is excited to announce the launch of its podcast.
Where Are They Now: A Young Adult Reflects on his Wilderness Therapy Experience
Julian was a student at Open Sky from December 2017 through March of 2018. After graduating Open Sky, Julian attended an aftercare program and is now in the midst of pursuing a social work degree at Temple University! Learn more about his journey in the interview below. Q: What were some of the challenges that […]
Open Sky Launches Alumni reConnect Call!
Open Sky is pleased to launch the Alumni reConnect Call! Open Sky’s mission of “inspiring people to learn and live in a way that honors values and strengthens relationships” applies not only to current students, but to alumni students as well. The Alumni reConnect Call will be held on the third Thursday of each month and […]
Autism in the Wilderness: Alumni Student Reflects on Her Diagnosis, Growth, and Future
Meghan came to Open Sky in struggling with communication and interpersonal skills. These challenges kept her from progressing in her student teaching program and thriving in life. Below, Meghan reflects on what brought her to Open Sky, the diagnosis that changed her life, and the support she received from her peers and therapist, Chris Blankenship. […]
The Invaluable Support of Open Sky Transition Mentors
A student is nearing the end of his or her stay at Open Sky. For the past 10-12 weeks, this student and the family have grown in immeasurable ways. So, what happens next? How is this growth integrated into life beyond Open Sky? Transition Mentors, part of the Open Sky Family Services Team, are entirely […]
Riding to Pay-It-Forward: Greg Arpante’s Bicycle Tour to Support Sky’s the Limit Fund
On May 27, 2018, Greg Arpante dipped his bicycle into Washington state’s Pacific coast and started pedaling east. So began his dual trans-US bicycle tour, a ride from Seattle to Bar Harbor and from Canada to Mexico. What was born as simply a personal summer challenge evolved to be a ride for a cause: a […]
Pedaling Through the Mountains to Support Courageous Kids
Last week, Open Sky Finance Director, Erin Pinkham pedaled more than 100 miles up and down mountain passes (roughly 7,500 feet of elevation gain) in the Courage Classic bicycle tour to raise money for local families in need. Open Sky was proud to sponsor her team and the Courage Classic event. Learn more about the […]
Family Matters: Family Programming in Wilderness Therapy
Since its founding in 2006, Open Sky has transcended traditional wilderness therapy by emphasizing treatment for the whole family (not just the adolescent or young adult), and the application of evidence-based clinical modalities. Our family systems therapy approach also includes innovative, well-researched, holistic healing practices such as yoga, meditation, and mindfulness. When a family partners with […]
Open Sky Alumni Reunions: Coming to a City Near YOU!
We are pleased to announce Open Sky will soon begin hosting Alumni Reunions across the United States! Open Sky Alumni Reunions will provide unique and meaningful opportunities to reconnect with Open Sky staff, alumni students, and alumni parents. “I am struck by the strong bonds we share through our individual, yet connected Open Sky experience,” […]
Renewal of Outdoor Behavioral Healthcare Accreditation
We are proud to announce that the Association for Experiential Education (AEE) has renewed Open Sky’s Outdoor Behavioral Healthcare Accreditation. This accreditation is a symbol of our unending commitment to providing our students, families, and team members with the highest quality practices in the industry. AEE has a long-standing reputation for accreditation of experiential and […]
Together, We Can Make a Difference!
Have you witnessed the healing power of wilderness therapy in your own life or in the life of a family member, friend, colleague or client? We are reaching out to you for help! Open Sky is a proud partner and enthusiastic supporter of Sky’s the Limit Fund (STLF), a non-profit organization dedicated to making wilderness […]
Open Sky announces dates and locations for Alumni Parent Wellness Retreats
Connect, Recharge, and Thrive with Open Sky! Open Sky is pleased to announce dates and locations for our Alumni Parent Wellness Retreats! These inspiring two-day wellness retreats will be facilitated by Family Therapist, Kendall Smith, MA, LPC, NCC and Wellness Counselor, Norman Elizondo. Open Sky Alumni Parent Wellness Retreats are designed to further personal […]
A Nourishing Rain: Reflections from Parents and Staff on Open Sky’s Inaugural Parent Wellness Retreat
It has been a few weeks since we gathered with alumni parents at the EarthRise IONS Center in Petaluma, CA. Our inaugural Open Sky Alumni Parent Wellness Retreat was a full, wet, and beautiful weekend. The part that stands out to me today, as I look at the snowy, winter landscape in Durango is the […]
Help Us Help Sky’s the Limit Fund
Open Sky is partnered with Sky’s the Limit Fund, a non-profit dedicated to providing grants to families of youth in crisis with financial need, so that Wilderness Therapy can be an option for them. To date, Sky’s the Limit Fund has provided over 1.3 million dollars in grants and has helped over 250 families nationwide. […]
The Great Tree
Graduation from Open Sky is usually a bittersweet process. As much as a student and their family can reflect on their successes and be proud of their progress, there is still the task of saying goodbye to all those individuals who shared in this transformative experience. Simply put, it’s often a very emotional moment. Recently, one […]
Introducing Open Sky Wellness Retreats; Learn More and Register
Background and Overview For more than a year, we have contacted alumni parents at the six-month anniversary of their child’s graduation. The purpose of this being twofold: to find out how parents and their child are doing, and to understand how Open Sky might better serve graduate families moving forward. From these calls, one thing is […]
Open Sky Wilderness Therapy Celebrates 10 Years of Helping People Thrive
This year Open Sky Wilderness Therapy celebrates its tenth anniversary. The Durango, CO based organization assists teens and young adults struggling with difficult challenges and unmanageable dynamics by providing life-changing experiences and long-term skills enabling them to thrive. Through its success, Open Sky has grown to employ over 150 staff, making it one of the […]