Trails Carolina, a wilderness therapy program for troubled teens, has come under intense scrutiny following several concerning allegations from former participants of its services. Former participants reported emotional abuse as well as neglectful treatment from staff members during their time there.
Trails Carolina claims that it offers primary therapists for student treatment plans and extensive staff training on wilderness survival and crisis de-escalation, but as more allegations against Trails Carolina emerge it has become apparent that an intensive review must take place to ensure participant safety and well-being are always prioritized.
What Are the Allegations?
Trails Carolina “Investigation” participants and their families have shared disturbing tales that shed light on the darker side of wilderness therapy, from emotional abuse to physical maltreatment, which raises serious questions about its safety and integrity. This issue calls into question both safety and integrity of Trails Carolina programs as a whole.
Trails Carolina investigation covers various areas, such as staff training and screening procedures. According to their website, all staff receive extensive training in first aid, nutrition, suicide prevention, crisis de-escalation and crisis defusing; however, former staff have raised concerns over its adequacy as well as staff-to-student ratio.
Investigation revealed that the program failed to report several instances of suspected abuse and neglect to local authorities, in violation of state regulations and endangering current and future participants’ safety.
Alec Lansing, 17, had become disengaged from Trails Carolina staff and spent five hours alone in the wilderness before his death. A search team leader noted that Trails Carolina could have provided more accurate location details so rescue crews would have been able to locate him more rapidly.
What is the Program’s Response?
Multiple regulatory bodies and investigative journalists have conducted extensive reviews on Trails Carolina. These entities compared its protocols to those found in similar wilderness therapy programs, and assessed whether Trails Carolina provides positive outcomes for adolescents.
However, the program has denied all allegations of mistreatment of its students and pledged greater transparency and accountability in its operations.
One of the allegations made against the camp was that it allowed certain students to prey upon others, failing to notify parents when their children were being assaulted by other students.
One student named Linda claimed she was subjected to emotional and physical abuse while in Trails Carolina camp. One of their program leaders then dismissed her allegations for trying to harm Trails Carolina’s reputation; additionally claiming that Linda was mentally unwell and her claims were baseless.
What Does the Investigation Tell Us About the Troubled Teen Industry?
As allegations regarding Trails Carolina and other wilderness therapy programs continue to swirl, they have led to multiple investigations to assess their validity. Both regulating bodies and investigative journalists have undertaken comprehensive examinations of Trails Carolina operations, protocols, former participants’ interviews and available evidence in order to shed light on allegations made against it.
Former participants and their families have reported disturbing accounts of emotional abuse, physical maltreatment and unlicensed practices in troubled teen programs. Such allegations underscore the need for improved transparency, accountability and licensing requirements in this industry.
Trails Carolina has responded to these accusations by emphasizing participant safety and asserting that many of the claims are out-of-context or misinterpreted, promising increased parent transparency and operational changes designed to address any shortcomings. Yet despite these assurances, it appears as though Trails Carolina and similar programs promise growth but often result in trauma instead of healing.
What Does the Investigation Tell Us About Trails Carolina?
Over the past several months, several claims of mistreatment at Trails Carolina – a wilderness therapy program for troubled adolescents – have been raised by both parents and independent investigators. These allegations are deeply disturbing and should be thoroughly examined.
The program emphasizes therapeutic activities and family involvement to assist participants with overcoming their challenges. According to them, primary therapists are available two to three days each week to oversee individual student treatment plans while staff receive extensive training in topics like first aid, wilderness survival and crisis de-escalation – however former employees have raised some disturbing remarks about this approach.
While some Trails students and their families may have had remarkable successes, countless others have endured unnecessary trauma and damage as part of the program. Due to these experiences, many families have abandoned these programs in favor of searching for alternative solutions; to gain back trust requires greater transparency and an effective regulatory enforcement structure within this industry.