As one of the nation’s leading wilderness therapy providers, Trails Carolina, offers coaching for all participants’ families. By focusing on their students’ journeys while providing healthy communication tools to their parents and siblings, family coaches and other staff members promote successful, positive home lives after graduation from the program.
Their evidence-based practices and extensive expertise in clinical theory ensure lasting outcomes for everybody. After all, the wilderness program is just the beginning of a long and happy life for students and their families and a journey of personal growth.
Why Is Providing Family Coaching Important?
As Trails Carolina said, “Family involvement improves student outcomes.” Children’s long-term success in the outside world is measured by growth, participation, and support — i.e., family.
If staff didn’t involve parents in the process, their children would likely revert back to old, harmful routines, habits, and behaviors when they return home. However, by incorporating parents, Trails Carolina gives students the best chance of maintaining healthy habits when they get back to life at home.
On top of that, it gives parents and siblings the confidence that they can effectively communicate in positive, healthy ways when their children transition to home. The family’s skills reduce the likelihood of the familiar surroundings triggering a relapse in behavioral challenges.
The Students
The family coaches understand their parents are learning the same skills as their children, which ultimately brings the children confidence in knowing their parents/guardians are looking to support them as well.
Plus, the highly qualified staff ensures both parties are subject to their clinical foundation. This foundation includes:
- Interdependence — Staff help students develop social skills and grow their relational intelligence, helping them understand they’re part of wider, interdependent communities.
- Self-awareness — Trails Carolina ensures the best environment and guidance for students and their families to understand themselves, and thus others, better.
- Emotional regulation — Family coaches and other support staff teach emotional management skills, such as how to soothe stress in a healthy manner..
- Transference — Trails Carolina’s transition-focused approach gives students an appropriate duration to get used to returning home. Therefore, they’re able to continue the positive behavior when confronted with previously negativity-inducing environments.
The Parents
Parents often find it hard to say goodbye to their child, even though they know Trails North Carolina Wilderness Program is the best place for them. But that difficulty and apprehension are soothed by how much family coaches involve them in their child’s progress.
Families are kept in the loop about students’ current challenges and achievements. Plus, the learned stress management, mindfulness, and communication skills empower parents to continuously guide their children toward bright futures.
The Whole Family
While Trails Carolina works directly with immediate relatives, the staff’s support indirectly helps other family members too.
Parents can pass on their newfound communication and interaction skills to grandparents, cousins, and anybody close to their children. That way, the entire family can continue to strengthen their relationships for years to come.
The Wider Community
Eventually, the wider community also benefits from the hard work Trails Carolina’s students and families do throughout the course.
The Wilderness Therapy Program nurtures resilient, adaptable, emotionally balanced individuals who are ready to create success for themselves in all aspects of life.
How Does Trails Carolina Offer Family Coaching to Their Families?
Now, only one question remains — how does Trails Carolina offer family coaching to families?
As to be expected, the certified team employs many research-backed clinical methods to ensure both families are getting the support and guidance they require. It could be anything from regular phone calls to four-day excursions focusing on reuniting families and strengthening bonds through fun activities.
Discover each method below:
- Alumni support calls — After graduation, families can reconnect with the Trails Carolina community through the twice-a-month alumni support calls. They’re designed for families to share updates and receive continued support from staff and other former students.
- Bi-Weekly family coach calls — Family coaches help parents set “big picture” goals, build open communication strategies, and understand their children’s behaviors.
- Weekly primary therapist calls — Students’ primary therapists keep parents updated on their latest progress and persistent challenges during their time at the program. During the calls, primary therapists also offer parenting techniques to use with their children at home.
- Parent workshop — Occurring several weeks into a student’s stay, Trails Carolina holds parent workshops that teach the skills necessary to support their children’s growth after graduation. Upon completion of the workshop, parents feel confident implementing new tools to establish a positive family environment.
- Family reunification — Otherwise called graduation, family reunification is an immersive experience led by Trails Carolina’s expert family coaches and staff. It provides opportunities for students and parents to practice their skills, laying the foundation for a healthy, peaceful, at-home family dynamic.
- Weekly Zoom classes — While students practice mindfulness, yoga, and other emotional balancing techniques, so are the parents. The weekly Zoom classes focus on setting grounding intentions and self-care. Since their children are learning the same things, it gives families a new shared interest to bond over.
- Common Ground — This program allows extra bonding time and is sometimes a much-needed experience before stepping completely back into home life. Families participating in Common Ground can expect to practice communication skills and conflict resolution through staff-supported activities.
Contact Trails Carolina Today to Benefit From An All-Encompassing Wilderness Program!
After all, the glowing Trails North Carolina Wilderness reviews say it for them — “We are a closer family because of what we learned at Trails!”