Health and Education

At Blue Ridge, we are dedicated to   Whole Family Support  and believe in Family Systems oriented treatment . Led by our seasoned and compassionate clinical and family support teams, Blue Ridge Therapeutic Wilderness provides the most effective and clinically integrated family experience, which contributes to foundational transformation in teens and their families. Transforming core dynamics for families occurs through the utilization of individualized clinical treatment, together with intensive family-focused support, and whole body health and wellness. As we continue to evolve, we adhere to our commitment to provide the most comprehensive, integrated family support by welcoming two Family Therapists to our treatment team. We are proud to announce the addition of  Kayla Davenport, MS  and  Elizabeth Newton, MS, MFT  to our Family Support Program. They have spent a great deal of time training with our clinical team and spending time in the field...

Bullying is something that you never want your child to engage in, as the bully or the victim or an accomplice. But that doesn’t stop bullying or conflict from happening. So, how can you teach your child the  difference between being mean, being rude, and being a bully ? Let’s define the terms. Conflict can include being rude or mean. Being  rude  is when someone is not trying to intentionally hurt the other person. It isn’t a repetitive behavior, and there is not an imbalance of power. For example, Judy asked Martha if she could borrow a pencil. But Martha explained that it wasn’t her pencil, she borrowed it from another friend, so she didn’t want to let Judy use it. Being  mean  is when someone is trying to intentionally hurt the other person but they are usually nice, and there is no imbalance of power. For example, if Kyle told Mark that he was a terrible baseball player who should never try out for the baseball team, then Kyle is being mean to ...

As my training in EMDR was coming to a close, I had an interesting conversation with one of the primary facilitators, Frank. He described his efforts to bring EMDR treatment into public schools. He spoke with conviction about the need for and potential benefits of this treatment for children, and he lamented the opposition he’d encountered. Some of the students were very resistant, and this paled in comparison to parents who thought the protocol looked a lot like hypnosis. Though frustrated by this, Frank smiled as he described the solution he’d devised. Proudly, Frank displayed a toy ball that flashed when he slammed it against the table. “It’s the same thing!”, he exclaimed. “They can stare at this and get the same benefits!” Intrigued, I thought of my upcoming work at Blue Ridge Therapeutic Wilderness. “What’s the difference in that and staring into a campfire?”, I asked Frank. “Nothing!”, he said. I explained my future work environment, and Frank encouraged me to explore my ...

How are you motivated? D o you like to be told what to do? Neither do I. In fact; I hate it. I become rebellious. That said, I love for people to expose me to new concepts and methods of accomplishing tasks and reaching my goals. At my core I want to be better than what I think I can be, I need to be better than what others think I can be, and I want to know ways to be better, do better, etc...I just need people to show/talk to me in a way that intrigues me. I might have issues with authority and rebellion and…well, that’s another blog post. Which of the following statements would motivate you? 1. “You need to quit eating cupcakes and exercise to get rid of your jiggly butt.” - husband to wife 2. “Playing video games all day is a waste of time, and you are getting fat!” - parent to child 3. “I would like you to be able to play with your grandkids and enjoy activities with them when you are older. Isn't that important to you?” - child to parent 4. “How can I support y...