Cameron is my 15 yo son who has struggled with mental and behavioral health issues over the last few years.  He struggles with depression, anxiety, PTSD, and ADHD.  The isolation over the last year has been detrimental to his schooling and social skills as well. He has lost all interest in school. We have tried several types of therapy and he has been hospitlized for inpatient care 3 times to no avail.   Many days I would be fearful of coming home, not knowing what his mental state would be and what I would be coming home to. It's only by God's grace that we have made it this far. As hard as it is as a parent to send your child to residential care, it came to the point that it was the only way to turn his life around and get him on a path of healing and growth.  As I searched for the right residential treatment center,  because of the severity of his issues,  Wilderness Therapy was what they all recommended.  I came into contact with a therapeutic educational consultant. She was extremely knowledgable on the WT programs across the country and had recommendations on which therapist at these programs would be a good fit for my son.  I have spoken with parents and young adults that have been through WT that were willing to discuss their journeys.  I truly feel this is Cam's best opportunity to learn self-efficacy and how to manage his emtions.  He has a good heart underneath all his pain.  WT is the start of his journey to live a better life.  He got approved and started at an excellent program in Utah on June 7th.  He will be living in the wilderness for at least 10 weeks, unplugged from all technoloy.  He will be learning how to care for his basic needs on a daily basis and receiving the highest quality therapy.  He will be learning these much needed skills in a loving, caring yet disciplined environment in the wilderness.  Living in nature is a different way of life. You can't fake it. If you want to sleep well, then you build a shelter that will provide that.  You build relationships and learn how to give and receive support with those in your group. They are only fed nutritional food (that they have to prepare) and get plenty of exercise.  The have academics, including writing their life story, what got them to this point. Without phones and computers, they have time to reflect on their lives. The program also requires family to be involved for the transformation to be sustainable. I am learning through this journey as well as parenting skills in order to prepare for a better environment and surroundings for Cameron. From all that I've read and discussed with those that have been down this journey, it's an amazing transformation, mentally and physically.  You cannot come out of WT in the same place that you started.  I finally have hope for his future. 

 Unfortunately, wilderness programs, like most residential mental health care facilities, are quite expensive and health insurance pays little to nothing. I enrolled him in this program as a leap of faith financially, knowing that somehow I would need to come up with the money to pay for the full program. I could not wait any longer to get him in a safe and effective program. The average family cannot afford the cost of these programs.  I am a single parent and work full-time and I am reaching out for financial help.  The divorce of recent years I went through took a toll on my finances and credit. I did apply and receive a grant, of which the WT program is matching , to help with a portion of the cost. I am doing all I can to help my son.  At this time, I cannot afford this without help from others. Any donation would be very much appreciated.  God willing, Cameron and I would be extremely blessed to have your financial support and prayers. Thank you.