Sister program to SUWS in Idaho, the nation's longest-running wilderness therapy program.

Wilderness recovery program for ages 11-13 (SUWS Seasons) and 14-18 (SUWS of the Carolinas)

Experienced Therapists and Highly Skilled Wilderness Guides

Individual and Group Therapy

ParentCheckin.com allows parents to follow their child's progress through the program via a secure website.

The wilderness setting functions as the catalyst that allows us to connect with students. SUWS of the Carolinas moves children from their "emotional comfort zone" by shifting them to a new and challenging environment. The demands of mastering their new setting causes students to engage in their automatic behavioral habits, allowing our therapists and highly trained counselors to positively engage them using traditional therapeutic methods.

Our outdoor experience is designed to engage the deeply held passions and desire for purpose that characterize adolescence. Students are expertly guided through our experiential curricula allowing them to discover for themselves their inner strengths while increasing self-awareness and self-esteem. The program uses a Search and Rescue metaphor to teach students character development, as well as to assist in the identification of core values and guiding principles.

From learning first aid, to basic orienteering and primitive living skills, students are personally challenged so they can be entrusted with someone else's life. And in the midst of giving of themselves, they find themselves. It is not our intent to train students to be search and rescue professionals, but rather to allow them to discover their inner value and strengths by becoming essential, functioning members of a team. Living this metaphor throughout the program facilitates the process of searching for one's true self, and illuminates how best to stay true to this self-discovery upon completion of the program.

SUWS Seasons is our program for younger children, ages 11 - 13. Research and developmental psychology indicate that children this age have very specific needs: primarily safety, security, and predictability. Pre-adolescent children and younger teens think in concrete terms and require tangible experiences from which to build.

The goal of the Seasons wilderness program is to create reference points that each child may tap into later for positive self-reinforcement. The staff and daily curriculum give students the tools they will need to chart a course for future growth and success and begin making progress in their lives.


Both parents and professionals can find exceptional programs for troubled children, teenagers, and young adults at Aspen Education Group.