When your struggling teen or young adult is acting out and traditional therapy and medication just has not been enough, it may be time for a therapeutic wilderness program. Before you start googling programs, read through our handy guide that includes not only the cost of therapeutic programs but also all the hidden costs that programs may not divulge (or even know about) and strategies on how to afford these expensive interventions. 

Financial costs of support for troubled child is not free and is usually not cheap (actually, it’s pretty costly). Many savvy parents that place their troubled teen in therapeutic wilderness programs receive financial aid and/or assistance to cover the expenses of the placement. The following are items that pose a significant financial expense for parents considering the placement of troubled teens in therapeutic wilderness programs:

• Therapeutic Wilderness Program: These programs range anywhere from $200 to $500+ per day and the programs usually last 30 – 90 days. Many wilderness programs will charge an additional upfront fee for gear and supplies and some have an application fee of a few thousand dollars. If they provide individual and group counseling, your insurer may reimburse you a portion of your out-of-pocket expenses following discharge. Programs generally do not voluntarily provide the information needed so consult a case manager that knows how to navigate the process. BEWARE: With the rise of client need and fees sky-rocketing, lots of programs have sprouted up like mold after a rainy week. Do your homework and make sure the program is insured, make sure staff are happy and have been there for years and, finally, make sure they are available to any other professionals working with you. Continuity is essential when a family is experiencing turmoil. 

• Transportation: If you are working with a case manager/educational consultant, they may encourage use of a therapeutic transportation service if your child has a history or is suspected of acting out when they find out about going to the program. These transport services help transition and transport a struggling teen/young adult safely to a wilderness program, when he/she may be unwilling to cooperate with parent(s) requests to go. The transport fees usually range from $2000 to $4000. Airfare is usually an addition to this charge. Price of transport fee and airfare can vary on time and location of pick up. A good transportation service has highly trained transporters with a clinical background. They normally work in teams of two from door-step to program. BEWARE: Some transport ‘companies’ are not companies but individuals who saw an opportunity to make big money. Make sure the transport company is insured, has references and loads of experience. This, ideally, should be set up by your case manager. 

• Case Management + Educational Consultant / Placement Fees: Often parents will receive the wilderness program’s information from a case manager or educational consultant. These professionals generally work directly for the parents and receive no financial compensation from the wilderness therapeutic programs they recommend. Their fees range from $150/hr up to $10,000 per project. Some are paid to simply ‘place’ children while some are more therapeutic-oriented and conduct (or recommend) an assessment prior to giving placement recommendations. Some parents will receive placement recommendation from a placement service that does not charge. Usually these services will be receiving financial kick backs and/or compensation from the therapeutic wilderness programs they refer to. Many of the wilderness programs that accept placements from such services may charge the parents an upfront admissions fee ranging from $1500 to $5000. Some or all of this fee, may go to the placement service that was said to be offering free advice to the parent(s). Good case managers can often negotiate a program or treatment center down in their fees so they may end up paying for themselves in the discounts they find you. BEWARE: Some professionals may charge simply to ‘place’ your child. This does not include an evaluation by a licensed professional and does not really take into account whether residential treatment is actually recommended for their unique needs. 

• Additional Travel and Additional Placement Costs: Most parents eventually travel to the wilderness program for family meetings or come out to pick up their teen at graduation. In some cases, teens are recommended to go on to more therapeutic treatment in a boarding school type atmosphere to help internalize changes before returning home from the wilderness program. Costs for these programs are usually at a lower rate, ranging from $100 to $350 per day. These rates largely depend on the amount of intensive therapy and school program offered. See Fonthill Counseling’s blog about Therapeutic Boarding Schools for more info. 

• Total Cost: $2500 – $10,000/month. This sounds expensive but if you figure that an attorney costs $350/hr if your child gets into more trouble, you may actually be saving money in the long run. 

When considering the above information, it is easy to understand why many parents may want to request 1) support from a case manager and 2) financial aid for therapeutic wilderness programs. Here are some of the financial aid options that some parents may consider for therapeutic wilderness programs:

• Educational Loans: Parents may often consider or be encouraged to seek an educational loan for financial aid for wilderness programs. These loans are specifically designed to cover all of the costs involved in any type of educational placement of a child. Often the interest rates for these types of loans can be very affordable. An educational loan can cover all of the above mentioned charges if set up accordingly. 

• Behavioral Health Loans: There are financial institutions that specialize in providing loans to families that need support defraying some of the out-of-pocket expenses of treatment. They often lend $500 – $100,000. Repayment often is expected 30 days after the loan has closed (no more borrowing is needed). Some companies can expedite the approval process if there is serious health risk and funds are needed asap. The interest rates are lousy but, for a last ditch option, it may have to do – expect 7% – 18%. Here are some examples: Clark Behavioral Health Financing and American Healthcare Lending (actually just acquired Clark BHF).

• School Districts /Courts/DSS: Some state laws require school districts and/or courts to be responsible for cover all and/or reimburse for all or some of the financial expenses of placing a teen in a therapeutic wilderness program. Please contact your local school district office for more information. Some parents seek the advice and help of an educational attorney. These are attorneys that fight for the school district and/or state to pay for or reimburse expenses of wilderness programs and other placements. All of the above charges may not be covered; please seek their council for more detailed information.

• Grants / Reduced Rates: Though our case managers and educational consultants do it all the time, parents can directly contact programs and ask for financial grants and/or a reduced rates. Usually financial grants and reduced rates are based on the income of a family. 

• Family / Close Friends: It’s not always the first or best option but don’t forget to think about asking for help of a close family member or trusted friend. In these situations, a family member or friend that is providing the financial aid may be the one recommending and encouraging the wilderness placement. We always recommend that the loan be formalized in some sort of written contract to make it clear how much will be borrowed, when and if it will be paid back and any other terms of the loan. 

Please always consider consulting a case manager or educated professional before making final placement decisions with a therapeutic wilderness program. A great program that fits your child’s needs can be a life saver while the wrong placement could set treatment and your family back years at significant financial cost.