Deschutes Wilderness Therapy Blog

By Allie Twidwell

Experiential Education Director (former)

I was a Field Instructor and Experiential Education Director at Deschutes Wilderness Therapy. I often reflect upon my time in the field and think about the moments I will always carry with me and what it feels like to be fully present with someone else in their pain.

By Annette Pelletier, LCSW

Primary Therapist

When students aren’t deep in their therapeutic work, hiking, working on hard skills, or doing chores around camp, they are often engaged in play. One may wonder, “What is the benefit of play in wilderness therapy, and what do they even play in the woods?” I am here to answer these questions for you.

By Lori Vallelunga, Ph.D., Clinical Director

​​We get asked a  lot of questions about what Brainspotting is. Dr. Vallelunga shares an overview for those curious about this modality and how it can help you or a loved one struggling with mental health challenges.

By Daryn Reiner, Deschutes Admissions Director

I have been in the mental health field for about 18 years now, and my greatest honor in all these years has been the opportunity to live up to the immense trust parents place in us when enrolling their child.

By Rachel Grimm, Program Director

Rachel Grimm, Deschutes Wilderness Therapy’s program director, helps demystify canine therapy and how our program incorporates canines into our process. Grimm, program director since 2018, established the canine program in 2015, and today canine therapy is one of the key program pillars at DWT.

By Nick Ho
Living with and doing trauma-informed healing work with adolescents and young adults in the woods of central Oregon is one of those things that you can never be fully prepared for. Some days you’re doing wound care for a student’s self-harm injuries, others you’re singing Taylor Swift songs in chorus. Some days you’re navigating the complexities of disordered eating in the wilderness, others still you’re sitting next to a student who breaks down crying because you’re the first male figure in their life to say you’re proud of them. Even on the simplest of days, you’re practicing calming and controlling your own nervous system when surrounded by dysregulated teenagers threatening to run away in the middle of the night or punch you in the face.