Letter from Clinical Director

Hello! 

If you are exploring our website you likely have someone in your life that you love and care about deeply who is struggling. After working in mental health for over 20 years, I have been able to observe the value of partnering sophisticated and robust treatment programming with the outdoors for positive clinical outcomes. Our seasoned team of caring, experienced clinicians recognize the difficulty in making the decision to have your loved one travel a great distance to receive therapeutic support. 

An advantage we have at Elements is the ability to match our clients with the right clinician and group dynamics. They meet with and train regularly with our field guides. Another advantage outdoor therapy has is that “therapy” does not simply amount to what happens when the therapist is in the field or in a formal group setting around the fire, but is additionally composed of countless opportunities to apply the skills and tools clients are exposed to daily, in real time. 

We believe an outdoor program accelerates the treatment process, providing powerful intervention, assessment, stabilization, and treatment for emotional, developmental and behavioral problems. In addition to the natural setting, it’s our intentionally small size, staff to client ratios, seasoned clinicians and over-communication efforts that allow us to individualize treatment for each client. Furthermore, we are proud to cap the number of clients in each group, and we boast staffing ratios that are usually twice as highas required for our license. This leaves room in our relationship-driven model to give each client the personal attention they deserve. 

We understand this can be a difficult process, and our Admissions team is available to answer any questions you may have about our program. 

Kind regards,

Eric C. Fawson. LCSW -Clinical Director & Co-Owner