Wilderness Therapy Camps: A Real-Life Horror Story for Teens

By Avery Weber

Imagine being sent to the middle of the woods, with dark tall trees and sounds from unknown animals, just because somebody believes you need some kind of “saving.” It’s a terrifying scene to picture and as much as we can wish it isn’t a real thing, it is, and many have lived it. Wilderness therapy camps are supposed to “help” troubled kids, but often it ends up traumatizing the kids who are forced to undergo the so-called therapy. There have also been instances where conversion camp and wilderness therapy have combined to create a horror story for young teenagers who are LGBTQ+.  

NSA has a large collection of kids who identify as LGBTQ+, so it’s important to realize what has happened to other kids who also are a part of the LGBTQ+ community. Although hopefully, no NSA kids are in danger of being sent to these terrible places, students should still be aware of what is happening all around the US to people who are like them. 

Essentially, kids get transported to these camps due to their parents signing them up, often without the teenager's knowledge. Many times, they are taken in the middle of the night in a fashion that is eerily similar to being kidnapped. Put yourself in their position for a moment: in the middle of the eerie night with only darkness surrounding, you get awoken by strangers and taken out to a random car with your parents doing nothing to help you but standing there with helpless faces as if they were not at fault. The teenager is then taken to woods in the middle of nowhere, where they are forced to walk many miles per day through the harsh wilderness where it is not only dangerous, but also unpredictable. 

There have been instances of death which make this an extremely concerning scenario for young teenagers. In an article by Arkansas Advocate, the author, Sam Myers, reports the findings of a study regarding the treatment of the kids, stating, “In one instance, a 14-year-old at a Texas wilderness therapy program died of cardiopulmonary arrest after his hiking group got lost for hours in temperatures with a heat index near 105 degrees.” While some states have started to get rid of these wilderness therapy camps, there are still many places around the US that still do this horrendous form of supposedly helping somebody. Conversion camp in itself is disgusting and inhumane, but combining it with such a deadly and dangerous way of wanting to fix somebody is unacceptable and should not be around in this world. 

Finally, here are some real quotes from survivors of wilderness therapy camps: 

“You know, you look at these websites, you see horses and animals, and you get to go hiking, boating, skiing, rock climbing, and all this stuff. And they really make it look amazing. But in reality, what we’re seeing is that those are just things on a website,” - Meg Applegate. 

“We would wake up every day and hike 10 miles with almost a 60-pound pack on our backs,” - Kayla Muzquiz 

“I do think that they should be banned. It’s not a good practice at all … I think the wilderness, in general, and being outside is very healing for someone, but it has to be in the right circumstances. It can’t be a power struggle thing. You have to want to do it.” - Sarah Stuesek