{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"294: The Most Controversial Wilderness Therapy Program? (Part 1)","description":"What is the most controversial program in the history of wilderness therapy? Some might say it\u2019s the very program podcast host Will White was compelled to attend as a teenager. In this deeply personal and historical episode, Will shares\u2014for the first time in full\u2014the origin story that shaped his life and ultimately his 35-year career in mental health treatment in outdoor settings. Sent by his parents at fourteen to a \u201cwilderness therapy program\u201d long before the field formally existed, Will describes how the experience built him, challenged him, and exposed him to both mentorship and harm. He also reveals how this same organization later became the center of national protest, legal battles, and cultural upheaval\u2014rhyming in striking ways with the controversies surrounding modern wilderness therapy. This special episode serves as a teaser for Season 26, where Will explores the tangled and surprising origins of wilderness therapy, drawing from his doctoral dissertation Stories from the Elders: Chronicles and Narratives from the Early Years of Wilderness Therapy, his book Stories from the Field: A History of Wilderness Therapy, and conversations from this podcast. If you're curious about the real roots of wilderness therapy\u2014its innovations, its failures, its controversies, and its lasting impact\u2014this episode sets the stage for the most comprehensive historical exploration ever undertaken in the outdoor behavioral health space. This podcast is supported by White Mountain Adventure Institute (wmai.org), offering adventure inspired retreats for men and facilitated by Will White. ","author_name":"Stories from the Field: Mental Health and the Outdoors","author_url":"http:\/\/storiesfromthefield.com","html":"