About Us

Who We Are
Phoenix Outdoor is a licensed wilderness therapy program that serves adolescents ages 13-17 with its location just outside of Asheville, North Carolina. We offer crisis intervention, provide a thorough assessment of underlying issues driving negative behaviors, assess the scope and severity of substance abuse and dependency, and achieve significant behavioral changes in the adolescent. We view the adolescent as part of the family system and support the entire family throughout the process.

Our Inspiration
Carolyn Bradfield, founder of Phoenix Outdoor, was inspired to start the program after working through the struggles of her own teenaged daughter who isolated herself from her family, ignored her friends, and associated with a much different crowd. Experimenting with drugs and alcohol soon followed, leading to more dangerous behaviors. After attempting therapy, and significant restrictions on her daughter, Carolyn realized that the crisis could not be solved through traditional means and decided to enroll her daughter in a wilderness therapy program.

Although her daughter was significantly helped by wilderness therapy, Carolyn and her family's needs, anxieties, and emotions were ignored. Meeting other parents who had also sent their teenagers to wilderness revealed similar experiences of little to no family support creating a very anxious time. Phoenix Outdoor was designed to work with the entire family system, not just the adolescent.

Because of the large number of adolescents attending Phoenix with significant substance abuse problems, the program evolved and began offering more specific treatment designed to diagnose and address substance abuse and chemical dependency. Today, Phoenix Outdoor specializes in this area with a 12-Step based program offering addictions counseling, education, and a specialized field curriculum to help the adolescent recognize the problem and develop a strategy to stay substance free.

Our Credentials
Phoenix Outdoor is licensed by the State of North Carolina, Department of Health and Human Services as a therapeutic, habilitative camp. We conduct wilderness expeditions in the Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests under a Special Uses Permit granted by the United States Forest Service. Phoenix Outdoor belongs to the Outdoor Behavioral Industry Council. The company is owned by the Aspen Education Group, a nationwide network of outdoor and residential programs for adolescents and young adults.