What I knew of wilderness camps before I started researching this article, could have fit in two sentences. "I know they exist." and "I've heard good and bad things about them." I know slightly more than that now, but certainly not enough to actually recommend any particular camp. Therefore, if you are here looking for a specific recommendation, read no further. If you are looking for some of the pros and cons, read on.

There are many types of wilderness camps for troubled teens. Some are the harsh, para-military style boot camps, some are getting back to nature style, and some offer vocational guidance and counseling as part of their curriculums.

What are some of the bad things? In the worst case scenario injury or death. These incidents are rare, but must be mentioned. Many of the severe abuse problems ocurred in the para-military style boot camps and to my knowledge most of these were in the early to mid 1990's before such programs were regulated. Currently, all wilderness treatment centers must be acredited and must follow strict guidelines. Such measures have certainly helped, but as we all know, bad things can happen in the best of places.

As a parent considering placing my child in any wilderness program I would first send my child through a COMPLETE physical, testing every organ and gland in his/her hormonal little bod as well as a drug screening. Use and or abuse of legal or illegal medications can have a profound effect on your child's health while undertaking the rigors of wilderness camp. Many physical problems can be exacerbated by the high level of activity required in most of these camps. In fact, if the camp you are looking into does not explain these health risks to you, look for a different camp. Also, I'd make sure the camp had adequate medical staff on hand, not just an on call paramedic. I've read of two instances in which children died at these camps and in both cases, the untrained staff misdiagnosed their symptoms as laziness or refusal to cooperate, and neither child had been thoroughly screened for health problems before entering the camps. Both camps have since closed, and both were operating before regulation of this industry began.