Type and Frequency of Therapy

Medicine Wheel clients meet with their clinician in weekly individual sessions. Each session typically lasts about an hour, but may be longer or shorter based upon a client’s individual needs.  In addition to individual counseling, clinicians hold group sessions to address issues relevant to the entire community.

Along with weekly therapy, field guides play a key role in the therapeutic process.  They meet with individual clients each day to help process events, share observations, refocus direction, or simply listen.  Guides are available as often as needed and are in constant contact with clinicians.  Throughout the day, guides and/or clients may request a group meeting.  These meetings help the group address any issues that might arise during the day.

Guides initiate formal group sessions around the campfire each night.  Community members are given opportunities to confront issues that have arisen during the day, offer feedback to other clients, and establish future goals.

Family therapy can be a critical part of the client’s wilderness success. If the client authorizes family participation, counseling sessions are held via telephone and are scheduled at the family’s convenience. The primary goal of these sessions is education and assessment. Parents will be able to measure, week by week, their child’s progress and determine whether their program expectations are being met.

In these sessions, the clinician serves as a strategic liaison between the parent and the client. Clinicians educate parents on how to interpret the young adult’s language and behavior. They will identify and discuss any maladaptive parental patterns of interaction that may be prolonging the client’s developmental hiatus. Parents learn how to strategically write to their young adult to improve the quality of communication between parent and child.

These family counseling sessions are held at least weekly and, when necessary, may also include having the client participate via satellite telephone from the field.

Please explore our website or call an admissions counselor at (800) 898-1244 for additional information about how Medicine Wheel at RedCliff can help you.