PDFA Typical Day at Phoenix Outdoor
Phoenix Outdoor utilizes a unique wilderness rehab model that combines wilderness expeditions with experiences at base camp. While the wilderness takes teens away from their negative, drug-abusing lifestyle, base camp gives them an opportunity to put their skills to the test in a more typical setting where triggers and cravings are likely to surface.
In the Wilderness
In the wilderness, teens rise with the sun and sleep with the moon. A typical day begins around 7 a.m. with instructor communication to base camp via cell phones/radios, a hot breakfast cooked over a camping stove, and an activity from the daily curriculum.
Depending on the group, teens may hike before and after lunch before settling in at a pre-selected campsite in the stunning Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. During hikes, students process experiences and emotions as a group and complete a variety of challenges.
During their free time, students may write letters home, play games, complete assignments, or work on their primitive skills such as trap building and bow drilling (rubbing two pieces of wood together to create fire). Camp set-up, dinner preparation, therapeutic initiatives, AA/NA readings and group sessions around the campfire end the day’s activities.
At Base Camp
The schedule at base camp is highly structured and designed with the needs of each student in mind. On a typical day at base camp, teens participate in the following:
- Individual and group therapy sessions with their primary therapist
- Recreational initiatives designed to promote group cohesion and self-awareness
- Interactive family sessions
- Substance abuse educational groups
- Narcotics Anonymous meetings
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy group sessions
- Team-building initiatives on our ropes course
- Yoga classes
- Health and hygiene checks
- Therapeutic drumming
