SUWS Family Camp

The Importance of Family Participation

During your child’s stay at SUWS, they will undergo many changes that will require your steady participation. By taking an honest appraisal of the home environment and determining what changes need to be made within your family, you will help keep your child on a positive upswing that surpasses their time spent at SUWS. The changes that occur in your child during our program need to be fully supported at home, therefore it is your responsibility to ensure that the home environment is conducive to their progress.

Combining Communication, Trust, and Challenge

To better help guide you through this process, our SUWS Family Camp can bring both your family and your child together in a constructive environment designed to help everyone involved find success. Through this program, we strive to help create a cycle of trust between you, your child and our supportive team at SUWS that will help establish long-term growth in all involved participants.

During this time, you and your child will be able to rebuild bonds, establish positive communication and demonstrate care and concern for one another, all while solidifying expectations for the future. Family Camp also affords you both with the opportunity to practice new skills that will be applied at home and gives you as a parent the chance to experience your child’s personal growth and development first-hand.

An ‘Immersion Experience’

One of the main aspects of our Family Camp is our Immersion Experience, where you and your child will be “immersed” in the desert during the five days you are at SUWS. You will participate in sharing a tent, cooking over a fire, guided nature walks, equine therapy, rope courses and more.

In addition to the Immersion Experience, you and your child will also engage in family therapy sessions, group experiences with other SUWS families to gain support from others and experiential therapies such as hiking, rock climbing and group initiatives to help build trust and teamwork. You will also participate in one-on-one family therapy where you and your child will work with your child’s therapist and the Family Camp facilitator from the clinical team to talk about new learned skills and effective methods of parenting going forward.

Family Camp consists of two to six families, and is offered at least once per month. Prior to your arrival, you will work with your child’s therapist to become prepared for your participation, which we hope will prove to be just as impactful and special as it has been for our other families:

“It was, and will continue to be, a life-altering experience for me and my family which we will never forget.”
 -SUWS Parent