Yes. Wilderness therapy carries physical and psychological risks, including injury, dehydration, exposure, untreated medical needs, trauma, restraint, isolation, and worsening mental-health symptoms. The risk depends less on the label than on the program’s clinical oversight, safety practices, emergency capacity, and response to a teenager who refuses, becomes suicidal,

Wilderness therapy has no single, reliable success rate. Research reports short-term improvement for some adolescents, but it does not establish one percentage for lasting recovery, lower relapse, or better long-term functioning. The answer depends on what a study calls success, which teenagers it includes, which program it examines,

The right wilderness therapy program is one that can safely meet your teen’s specific clinical, medical, developmental, and safety needs—not simply the one with the most dramatic setting or persuasive testimonials. Before enrolling, have an independent clinician assess whether wilderness therapy is appropriate at all, then verify the

Wilderness therapy is a structured residential treatment program in which teenagers live outdoors, complete supervised daily tasks, and receive individual, group, and family therapy. The hiking and camping provide the setting; they are not the treatment by themselves. Families may consider it when a teenager is struggling with depression, substance

Wilderness therapy may help some teenagers, but it is not automatically safe or appropriate. It combines supervised outdoor living with therapy and group treatment, usually for several weeks to a few months, but programs differ sharply in clinical staffing, medical support, transportation, discipline, and oversight. If your teenager has active