Every so many conferences you get out of the conference what you hope to get out of it, and that’s certainly what happened in London this month.

iCAAD is an addiction and mental health centered conference where professionals worldwide come to London to talk of “stuff”. “Stuff” like — why certain types of treatment work better than others, and why certain types of people respond better than others to treatment, etc. etc.

This year however, I found out what I respond to best: Generosity of others. And so what did I learn? To give back! It’s that easy, and what a wonderful world this could be, if we all practiced it everyday. So, let’s go on to it. What generous act can you tell me you gave back today, and how did it go? What did you learn about yourself? Want to learn more about yourself and your influences, then may I introduce you to OnSite.

OnSite is a center run by Miles Adox the guy in the center, and both Mark Fenwick (the therapist on the left) and myself on the right have used this short term (7-10-14 day) program successfully in getting in touch with our feelings and true selves, working through trauma in a very safe environment. Want to learn more, or find a different self-realization program for yourself? Let’s connect! I look forward to it. Please see below! .

It’s with pride that I’ve accepted the invitation to present this coming week in Den Hague at the Family in Global Transition 2018 conference. This is a conference I attended last year, and found many ‘like kind’: those like myself with true international connections to family, friends, like stye, and unique experiences. My talk with Steven DeMille Exec Director of Redcliff Ascent on Wilderness Treatment will certainly get everyone’s attention. I am available on twitter @drpsych and @amerpsy to those who attend my presentation would like a FREE version of my ebook 10 Steps to Wilderness Therapy, on Apple iTunes! See you in Den Hague!

NATSAP Northeast Kennebunkport, Maine never ceases to enthuse, entertain, and attract the best in the adolescent and young adult behavioral health industry. It is a yearly event that many of consultants and professionals attend for the camaraderie if not the lobster festivities. Yes, to the left is a lobster of phenomenal proportion!

And yes, although it is an industry, it sincerely feels more like a group of friends that you would have over for dinner and talk about their kids, their families, their aspirations, their hobbies (like golf & skiing), along with extended focus on providing stellar mental health, physical, spiritual (12 steps) recovery options.

In fact, this picture to the left shows is close to the condo owned by Will and Beth Laughlin and home to baby Laughlin, and where we talked about Oliverian School in New Hampshire, along with raising family.

2017 NATSAP this year was fantastic. Many of the workshops directly spoke to me and how programs are evolving into more specific, narrow concentration of direction. And this is why I attend every year, to get the best information, see what staff is changed and what new programs are emerging.

What you want consultant to be is educated and informed of the changes within the industry. This is what you’re hoping a consultant does on your behalf; travel to conferences, tour program, attend meet & greet sessions with new staff, give presentations on pertinent topics, participate in telephone and web presentations, etc., etc. Ask, does your consultant do that? We do.

We don’t pumpkin around!

Happy Halloween!

For those of you who have followed my career as an international psychologist, you know my passion in treating ‘at-risk’ youth is directed often in separating behaviorally reactive youth from their ‘known’ setting, ‘unplugging’ to an outdoor setting in determining how much is due to external versus internally driven. Make sense? As a past school psychologist, I learned early on to ask the question, “do you see the same behavior at home as you do in school?”, and visa versa (“do you see it at school as you see it at home”).

Wilderness treatment or therapy is now often called outdoor behavioral therapy. Why? I suspect that the term ‘wilderness’ simply can cause parents to panic: “Well, what happens if he falls in the lake, or off a cliff, or eaten by an animal”, or “What if he wanders off and gets lost, or runs away” etc. Rightfully so — in the past.

Today, OBH (Outdoor Behavioral Health) communicates the scientic and regulatory behavior expected by state licensing entities through scientific peer reviewed journals. In my case, OBH published a peer reviewed article written by Steven DeMille and myself on an international case we co-worked, if you will in providing a psychological evaluation, consultation, and wilderness program placement at RedCliff in Utah. Our full article entitled, “A Theoretically Anchored and Multi-Modal Treatment Approach in an Outdoor Behavioral Healthcare Program. It is available free for download https://goo.gl/Jj2WGR.

In the article, you can see how outdoor behavioral health is successful from that provided by other forms of treatment. True, the great outdoors is ‘good for anyone’, but it’s not ‘therapeutic’ in and of itself and it would be silly to consider it as a form of psychological therapy for significant behavioral and emotional problems. Addiction, psychiatric conditions (high functioning autism, aspergers), mental health (depression, anxiety, PTSD / trauma) are often successfully treated in outdoor settings.

Getting to this month’s exciting news, I am speaking on LA’s Talk radio July 30th to this very subject of Wilderness TX (treatment). I welcome you to listen ‘live’ and ask on topic questions. Here is the link to the program: https://goo.gl/FtWRv8. I am offering my FREE ebook on the subject published on iTunes, if you listen. Here is the link! https://itun.es/us/0D7Agb.l

Thank you for your listening, and to all I say Happy Camping!