COURSE
During the course phase, participants take part in a 14 day
backpacking experience. Here they are challenged to safely push past
self-imposed limits, face their strengths and weaknesses, and
experience success. The course phase involves hiking several miles
per day, learning navigational and other wilderness skills, group
counseling, individual reflection time and journal writing
exercises.
Upon returning to basecamp from course, participants take part in
climbing a 50-foot alpine tower, which culminates their program
experience. During this phase, participants work to develop their
own individual plan for success, focusing on how to apply the
valuable tools they learned at ASCENT.
The following 3 phases occur during base camp:
- Orientation
- Pre-Course
- Transition
| ORIENTATION | PRE-COURSE | COURSE | TRANSITION |
|
AWARENESS of self |
RESPONSIBILITY for action |
EXPERIMENTING with new behaviors |
TRANSFERRING new skills and tools |
| What
do I do and why do I do it? |
What am I going to do about it? |
What new tools can I experiment with to achieve better results? | How do I take what I've learned with me? |
| Orientation to program | Trust building | Small group interaction within environment of immediate cause and effect | Developing individual plan for success |
| Adjusting to environment | Problem-solving | Moving from staff interaction and direction to group direction | Developing transition agreements |
| Clinical assessment and treatment planning | Exploring personal issues with group | Utilizing new skills to solve old problems | Developing support resource list |
| Assessment of physical and mental issues | Developing course goals | Pushing past self-imposed limits | Communicating course experience to parents |
| Adhering to campsite agreements | Increasing exercise and outdoor skills instruction | Understanding group interdependence, peer counseling sessions | Establishing leadership role with new students |
| Self-awareness of coping skills, behavior patterns and personal issues | Learning to work with others | Achieving and experiencing success | Participating in family reunification |
| Initiating exercise program | Guiding communication between child and family | Alpine Tower experience | Graduation ceremony |
