Treatment Program Comparison: NOLS vs. Wilderness Therapy

There is a sharp difference between the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) and Outdoor Behavioral Healthcare (OBHC), i.e. Wilderness Therapy or Adventure-based Therapy programs.  Often, families will inquire about wilderness therapy, only to decide they are enrolling their young adult in a NOLS or Outward Bound course instead.  For some families, that may seem to be a better course of action.  For others, it may be an unavailable option altogether.  In this article I want to compare where NOLS and Wilderness Therapy programs align, and spotlight the differences.

NOLS has been around since 1965 and is most appropriate for a Gap semester, or Gap year option.  It gives a young person the opportunity to gain leadership skills, interpersonal skills, navigate group dynamics, build resiliency, and garner situational awareness.  Participants walk away with certifications such as Wilderness First Responder (WFR), Wilderness Emergency Medical Training (WEMT), Leave No Trace Educator (LNT), college credits in Outdoor Education, or more.  NOLS offers 30-day expeditions, and semester-long expeditions.  From my college days, I placed NOLS on a pedestal as the producer of the highest-of-caliber outdoor educators.  I still view NOLS in this same regard. 

Now that it is summer and families may be exploring program options for their young adults for the remainder of Summer or starting in Fall, I implore families to not rule out wilderness therapy programs.  And yet, it’s hard to know which is a better option.  By participating in a wilderness therapy program a young adult will gain leadership skills, interpersonal skill, navigate group dynamics, build resiliency, and garner situational awareness.  Does that sound familiar at all?  The sharp difference is that those who enroll in a wilderness therapy or adventure-based program, enroll within a clinically structured program.  Participants meet with a Licensed Therapist weekly, and commonly do family therapy as well.  These programs last anywhere from 8-12+ weeks.  Depending on the OBHC program you enroll in, you may walk away with a Wilderness First Responder (WFR), Leave No Trace Educator (LNT), college credit in Outdoor Education, or more.  

Both are a serious financial investment for a family. OBHC programs often submit for reimbursement with insurance to make the costs more affordable for families, since their loved one is working with a licensed therapist.  Some wilderness therapy programs are even a base-camp model and are a state-licensed as a residential treatment program.  Both NOLS and OBHC additionally offer scholarships for those with financial hardship.  Both will have young adults graduating with a sense of accomplishment, a drive for their future, and a newfound purpose for living.  Both are appropriate for true separation and individuation between parents and the young adult, especially when it is time to be independent!  Parents will also notice self-efficacy in their young adult and feel a sense of pride in their kid’s growth.  Either option is good all around for everyone involved.  And yet, depending on the young adult one is still more appropriate than the other.

NOLS is not appropriate after a recent hospitalization or residential treatment stay for mental health or substance abuse.  It goes without saying, though apparently it needs to be said, that acute psychosis is a hard rule-out for NOLS.  This is a risk management issue that a non-clinical program cannot afford to make.  A recent hospitalization, residential treatment stays, or even psychosis may not be appropriate for an OBHC program, however they are more equipped to handle this population.

On the NOLS application it lists: 

"Applicants with a history of a mental health disorder within the past
three years, which may have required psychotherapy, medication,
hospitalization or residential treatment, need to be in a period of
stability ranging from six months to two years, depending on the
condition, before they will be accepted for a course. Applicants need
to be gainfully occupied such as attending school or employed. NOLS is
not appropriate for applicants just leaving residential treatment
facilities."

In reading the NOLS application, it appears that it would easily filter out potential applicants.  For a recently withdrawn-from-college-due-to-mental-health-issues student, it may not be as clear.  This question alone would seem to turn a lot of applicants away.  However, I am aware of parents that are filling out the applications on behalf of their young adult.  Parents who may see themselves as helping their child, when they are enabling them.  We need to be honest.  We need to be transparent.  We need to let the young adult fill out the application themselves.  If they are not the ones driving this opportunity, we are collectively setting them up for more failure.

NOLS or a wilderness therapy program are an appropriate proactive option for high school seniors before college, or in deferring college enrollment.  When it comes to the “launched-into-college-and-failed” group, it is a different story.  It is important to properly assess what is really going on, and what makes the most sense to relaunch your young adult.  Inquire with a Therapeutic Consultant to understand which option would produce the desired outcomes. Note: there a lot of wilderness therapy programs to choose from, so you also want to make sure that you are linking up with the best fit in that space as well!  If mental health is an issue, participating in a NOLS course will be an accomplishment, however the mental health issues will still be there after completing the course.  Where to go is a case-by-case recommendation.  

For questions or comments contact Joanna.