Blue Ridge Wilderness
Clayton, GA

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Blue Ridge Wilderness
Welcomes Emily Miranda

Originally posted on Blue Ridge Therapeutic Wilderness' website.

Blue Ridge Therapeutic Wilderness focuses on offering the most effective and individualized programming possible for its clients and their families. It provides the best programming by employing the best therapists and tenured field staff in the industry. During the extensive work that happens in the field, the field staff are the eyes and ears of the therapists, providing support as needed. The Administration at Blue Ridge painstakingly works to make certain that each student is perfectly matched to their therapist, field staff and group culture to produce the best possible outcome for the student’s individual needs. The highly experienced and trained staff work diligently to ensure Blue Ridge Therapeutic Wilderness is the most clinically sophisticated program.
Our goal is to run Blue Ridge Therapeutic Wilderness in a way that reflects our unwavering commitment to quality and sustainability in all the programs we offer.

Over the past year, the leadership at Blue Ridge recognized that change is necessary to meet the needs of its clients and continue to improve its program offerings. At times that has meant making carefully considered program changes to better meet the needs of a particular group or population of clients. Other times, it has meant resisting fads in the industry that offer minimal benefit to Blue Ridge’s proven model which is rooted in providing clients the ability to explore themselves with great depth and a distraction free environment.

To support the goals and continued growth of Blue Ridge the staff has undertaken the difficult, but necessary task of examining every aspect of the program. One of the fundamental changes as Blue Ridge concludes a most transformative year is to discontinue to operate the SPARK program after this current group of students have completed their stay. The SPARK program was one of, if not the only true wilderness program designed specifically for young boys struggling with neurodevelopmental issues. SPARK therapist, Carla Shorts, steadfast dedication and expertise to serving this group of youngsters, is evident within the SPARK program. Thank you to Carla Shorts for her tremendous work with clients, parents, and staff over the last year.

Going forward, it is critical to focus more energy on other areas of the program that are better aligned with the vision. Blue Ridge will continue to build upon its core values and offerings by focusing on outcome-oriented programming and the addition of staff to support this focus. Blue Ridge is proud to announce the addition of Clinical Therapist, Emily Miranda to the team. Through transformative power and passion for wilderness therapy, Emily is deeply engaged with her clients. Her approach is integrative; combining feminist multicultural values with an interpersonal emphasis, focusing on building the clinical relationship and teaching mindfulness practices.

It is important that a strong and healthy foundation is created moving forward and that all of the programs conform to the vision of offering the highest quality clinical support to students and families. Emily works with adolescent girls who are clinically complex and often have experienced trauma, depression, anxiety, self-harm, substance abuse, eating disorders and emerging personality disorders. Emily’s therapeutic approach both with parents and their children is first to focus on establishing a relationship. She views the teenager and their family through a holistic lens; considering environmental, community, family and individual factors in assisting with change. She also incorporates concepts of mindfulness, DBT, art, multicultural sensitivity, and LGBTQ affirmative therapy, when appropriate.

I am so excited about the addition of Emily Miranda and the direction that Blue Ridge is heading. Emily has been a cornerstone within the organizations she has worked and is one of those people and one of those names well known within our industry. Many of us who have been doing this work for a long time admire her love and dedication to her students and their families. Her passion for advocating for program advancement in the treatment of her clients and their families is one of the many reasons Emily fits in perfectly with our vision of working and advancing the programming. With Emily joining our team, we are building on our strong foundation and are poised to lead the industry in 2017. Emily will be starting a second adolescent girls group in early January.

Blue Ridge Therapeutic Wilderness offers clinically driven programs encompassing advanced clinical skill, a highly flexible nomadic wilderness therapy model, ceremony, metaphor, licensed wilderness therapy assessment and multiple treatment options for troubled teens and pre-teens ages 10-18 years old. Our clinically-integrated approach, family support, and commitment to service translates to an unparalleled experience and better outcomes for adolescents and families. To learn more about the programs and staff at Blue Ridge Therapeutic Wilderness, visit www.blueridgewilderness.com or contact Jason York, Managing Director and Admissions at 817-776-0189 or Dave Brannan, Admissions at 706-982-0110.

Blue Ridge Therapeutic Wilderness offers clinically driven programs encompassing advanced clinical skill, a highly flexible nomadic wilderness therapy model, ceremony, metaphor, licensed wilderness therapy assessment and multiple treatment options for troubled teens and pre-teens ages 10-18 years old.