Outback Therapeutic Expeditions

An utter failure, a complete waste of time and money (tens of thousands of dollars). The most valuable thing our son learned at this experience was how to start fires, along with how to smoke. The therapeutic support for our family was minimal and in fact, counterproductive. There are many, many better choices for your child's therapeutic treatment needs. Run, don't walk, away. more

Our 17 year old son has been struggling since he was 13 with issues related primarily to ADHD and peer acceptance. We have worked with him in our home for 4 years through outpatient therapy, church, scouts and homeschooling. He made progress in many areas, but the years piled up, and on his 17 birthday he actually came to us and said he needed help with substance abuse, and that he was worried about his future because of this. We knew this had been a problem for him and had been working with him on it. But at that point we realized we had done all we could for him as his parents and that he needed an outside intervention. His father is a psychiatrist, so we knew what to look for and what to stay away from. Through a series of phone calls and referrals, we came upon Outback and made the decision to send him there. He went for 9 weeks. Clinically speaking, this is a very sound program. These people know what they are doing. Above and beyond that, we found the level of compassion and regard for all of the students and families participating in the program to be exceptional. Wilderness therapy is an effective intervention for kids dealing with negative behaviors, attitudes, etc. The key is having well-trained clinicians, highly-skilled staff and parental involvement. Outback definitely has these. Our son has moved on into an aftercare program and school that is appropriate for him and is doing well. He will say without reserve that Outback helped him. He is hopeful for his future, and we remain closely connected to him through the family component of his school, so even though he's not home now, his life has turned around and he is on his way to becoming an emotionally healthy and well-adjusted adult. I highly recommend Outback. more

Our 16 year old son (at the time) had developed a pattern of behavior that was very concerning to his mother and me. We felt like he was using alcohol and drugs, and we were constantly trying to find out to what extent that might have been happening. We knew he was not being truthful about what he was doing. We were also concerned with the friends with which he was associating. After a few big events we knew we needed to do something different and more ""radical' in an effort to reach him. We researched options and actually contacted a therapeutic boarding school. The school recommended Outback after hearing our son's story. After speaking with Outback's enrollment counselor following our review of their material, we were sold. Our son spent 62 days in the program and he has changed significantly for the better. He has matured and he is really a joy to be around. He is far from perfect, but he is much better equipped to deal with the things that had been so troubling for him before. The therapist, the guides, the support staff have really been awesome. Our family might be Outback's biggest fans! We would higly recommend this program as an option if you have a struggling teenage child. more

In late Summer, we felt defeated. We felt we had run out of ways to help our son. Our 17, soon to be 18 year old son was on his way down an extremely dangerous path of drug addiction and self destruction. He failed his Junior year of highschool, and would disappear for days at a time. We were now running out of time and options with his birthday a few months away.We made the tough decision to send him to Outback. We did not realize it at the time, but we believe that decision saved our son's life. The Therapists and staff are the best out there. I remember when I was researching Outback, how apprehensive I was about my decision. I now know, it was probably the most important decision we have had to make in our son's life. 5 months later, he is sober, finishing highschool and thinking about his future. more

We needed a place for our 4 year old son to have a pattern interrupt from some self-destructive patterns, including self harm and depression. He was just starting to get into drugs. We chose Outback because it was a wisdom-based program rather than a boot camp style program. Through the seven week program he came to appreciate his family a lot more and says that he feels more confident. The staff was very supportive of us as parents, organized, and the parent seminar that is offered in the program is well timed and a good experience for not only learning but realizing we are not alone. more