My Soltreks Experience
Ed from Louisiana (Last name
on file)
800-318-9117
February 26, 2003
After our daughter hit, what I considered
“the bottom”, my real nightmare began. Her
depression had turned to anger and
rebellion, traits that I have since found to
be quite common in teenagers suffering with
depression. It was recommended by her local
counselor that she attend an “outward bound”
summer program. In the months prior to the
start of the program, our home had become a
continuous battle of wills and I counted the
days until her departure as “days from hell”
until we arrived in Minnesota. But let me
digress.
Prior to “the bottom,” our daughter was an
outgoing, active, athlete. She was
vice-president of her class, a water girl on
the football team and in my opinion, a
typical teenage kid. Her boyfriend problems
and a defeat in a school election began a
downward personal spiral. Although, we
recognized her pain on the surface, we were
not nearly aware of the depth of her pain.
The prior year deaths of her niece and her
grandmother, coupled with marital turmoil
from her childhood culminated in the teenage
rebellion brought on by unresolved
psychological pain. She was a “pleaser”,
making sure everyone was happy. That is,
everyone but her. I can say that as a matter
of fact now, back then I thought she was
just rebelling and my wife and I were not
handling the family turmoil very well at
all. So what is a parent to do? Here is what
we did.
For almost a month, I came into work each
day and got on the Internet to find “summer
programs for troubled teens”, and I often
spent most of the night doing the same.
There are many websites and just as many
philosophies on the best way to help
teenagers. After phone interviews with the
marketing directors of the various programs,
I received referral lists and began to call
parents on the list. Because many calls were
during the day, I quite often spoke to the
children that had attended the different
programs and developed a feel for the
realities and methodologies of the various
organizations. I actually applied and was
accepted to three different programs. And
let me say here, that I believe that all of
these programs have good intentions and will
work for certain kids. I also believe that
those running the programs are sincere in
their efforts to help teens get back on
track.
The Soltreks program was unique in several
ways.
First, the heartfelt sincerity of both Doug
and Lorri comes through from the first time
you talk to them. They are not marketing
directors, this is their calling in life and
they live it every day and take a personal
interest in each child they meet. Though the
program is structured with a reward system,
this is not a “boot camp” environment.
Secondly, they have worked for the larger
corporate programs and realized that with
smaller groups, the chance of a child
“falling through the cracks,” would decrease
significantly. They also do not have the
corporate overhead associated with some
programs, and are not associated directly
with a particular boarding school. Many of
their children returned to the homes and
schools they had attended prior to the trek.
Finally, the parents that I interviewed had
“war stories” most similar to mine. What you
will find in your investigation is that
“troubled teen” covers a vast multitude of
behaviors. Since my daughter’s problems had
come on relatively quickly, I was in hopes
that they could also be corrected without
prolonged boarding school enrollment.
However, I was prepared to place her in a
boarding school environment if her behavior
did not show major improvement and if the
counselors would have recommended that kind
of structure.
After many phone discussions, we arrived in
Minnesota and met with Lorri and Doug, the
staff, and the other parents in the group.
Though we felt that we had chosen the right
place for our daughter, you are never quite
sure. The time she spent in the wilderness,
(and this girl had never been on a camp out
prior to this) coupled with the active
parent/Soltreks participation in the program
was the perfect combination for our child.
Let me state up front, IT WAS NOT EASY! The
letter writing, clearing up dirty family
laundry, and being told off by a 17 year old
by mail is not fun, BUT THE PROCESS WORKS!
The letters to us literally went from, “I’m
in hell and I hate you for sending me…”, to
“this is exactly where I need to be, I love
you and thank you.”
The night that the girls returned from the
wilderness, they had a slumber party at our
condo. Hearing the tales of the trek as told
by the girls was fascinating. What came
through, and this was an all girl group, was
how much they learned about themselves in
the wilderness, how hard it was at first,
but how rewarding it became, and how much
they respected Lorri and Doug. Lorri’s
ability to listen, get to the heart of the
problem, and get past the facades is truly
her gift. Doug’s ever friendly,
non-confrontational temperament is just what
angry teens need. When else in life will a
teenager spend time in nature with no
phones, TV’s, computers, fast food, stereos,
and most importantly, peers? When can you
have more than “an hour of counseling” in a
structured environment with qualified
counselors for six weeks? You know the
answer. It just cannot happen at home.
Did Soltreks solve all of our family
problems? No.
Did she return with a halo on her head as
“the perfect child?” Again no.
Did she return home and graduate with her
class. Yes!
Did she learn how to cope with her daily
problems, and move on to attend college?
Yes!
Did our entire family learn and grow from
the experience? Again, Yes!
Will it work for your child? I don’t know,
but it is certainly worth a call to Soltreks.
It is my pleasure to recommend Soltreks to
any parent who has a teen that needs help. |