Anyone familar w/ Outward Bound?

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-18-2004
Anyone familar w/ Outward Bound?
4
Sat, 11-04-2006 - 6:32am
Seriously considering putting my dd in an upcoming Outward Bound program for 28 days. The cost is $6,000. Has anyone heard anything about these programs? They have been around since I was a kid, but I do not know anyone who has ever gone to it. Any feedback? I'm getting desperate. DD is getting out of control with attitude, mood, drugs, alcohol, anger, etc. I found a private program, through the Pinnacle Schools but they wanted $17,000 for 56 days. I don't make that much in a year!!! So, although I would pay anything to help my kid.... I don't have $17,000!!! $6,000 is more my speed, but I don't know how much *therapy* she will receive, just survival type skills?? Help!!
iVillage Member
Registered: 02-14-2000
Sat, 11-04-2006 - 8:49am
I don't have any first-hand experience with the program but I've heard of it.
Pam
iVillage Member
Registered: 08-17-2005
Sat, 11-04-2006 - 1:20pm

I agree with Pam that you might want to post this on the tt board, where parents have had some experience with these programs. But I felt the need to add a warning: my 17ds has a friend who has just been sent to one of these programs. I do agree the teen needed some serious help and I know the parents (divorced) were desperate to send him there. He was heavily involved in drugs, truant, and physically beligerent. The way he was headed, he was going to wind up being arrested, or killed.

He was placed in an out of state program in Arizona (we are in California) and I don't know the name. However, he has been in touch with some of his friends over here and reports that the parents are fed a load of c**p about what is actually going on in there. The kids are literally pairing up in "gangs", smoking, and carrying on sounding very much like a prison system. I'm afraid this kid is going to come out much worse than he went in. I'd be very careful placing my kids in one of these programs. Just be aware they are going to be thrown in with some kids who may be even worse off. Think of the prison mentality, and you've got a good picture.

Instead of spending all that money (which you don't have) why not spend it on intensive therapy? I watched the video Misunderstood Minds (about undiagnosed learning disabilities) and one father of a troubled teenage boy actually had him committed to a mental hospital to get the help he needed. That is pretty drastic, but I think I would do that before I'd trust one of these wilderness programs. Good luck to you...

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-04-2006
Sat, 11-04-2006 - 11:04pm
Actually, I've looked into Outward Bound for myself over the years! I haven't done it yet - but its on my list. I think it's primary purpose was to be like a retreat or "back to basics" type of program - not necessarily a program for troubled teens. And yes, it's been around forever it seems. Although your teen may not get all the help she needs for the drugs/alcohol situation (which if very serious could be addressed elsewhere), perhaps "clean living" would open her eyes to another way of looking at things and her place in the world. There's nothing like standing on the edge of a mountain to realize just how small we really are :) It may also give ya'll the break from eachother that you need - and her a break from the pressures of plain 'ole growing-up. Its an opportunity to gain a new perspective so to speak - time to re-evaluate her path. IMO, it's worth a shot and I know they have financial aid too.
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2003
Sun, 11-05-2006 - 12:18pm
Find a good counsellor or child psychologist (your daughter's school should be able to point you in the right direction). Talk to them and tell them everything you are going through and what you are hoping to achieve. I think they would be much better equipped to help you figure out if this is the right choice for your daughter - and it beats spending $6,000 just to see if it's worth it!