Settled in the Blue Ridge Mountains in beautiful Western North Carolina, SUWS of the Carolinas is therapeutic wilderness program for male and female adolescents between the ages of 10 and 17. With a focus on short-term, high impact clinical intervention and assessment, SUWS has created programming options that are designed to help adolescents who are struggling with a range of academic, emotional, behavioral, mental health, and substance abuse concerns. By using the outdoors as an alternative to conventional treatment environments, the staff at SUWS is able to use the wilderness setting as a tool to remove modern distractions, simplify choices, and teach valuable lessons to all of the youth who are engaged in this innovative program. In doing so, young people are afforded the opportunity to learn how to accept responsibility for personal decisions, address individual and family issues, and become invested in their own personal growth. At SUWS of the Carolinas, it is our mission to empower families as they discover their strengths by creating a safe and consistent environment that is designed to restore hope and foster growth.

While sadness is an emotion that everyone experiences at various points throughout their lives, there are some who experience it to such an extreme or for such prolonged periods of time that it begins to affect their ability to function properly on a daily basis. When this is the case, these individuals may be suffering from clinical depression. As a disorder that many people attribute to adulthood, it is important to note that depression can also affect children and adolescents. The symptoms that will be displayed by youth who are struggling with depression will vary, but may include things such as an irritable mood, a diminished interest in things and activities that were once viewed as pleasurable, significant changes in eating and sleeping patterns, excessive levels of fatigue, and a decreased ability to concentrate. Furthermore, and most tragically, children and adolescents who suffer from the symptoms of depression frequently experience such overwhelming feelings of worthlessness and hopelessness that they may become plagued by suicidal ideation and often fall victim to the compulsion to engage in self-harming behaviors. By taking part in appropriate treatment interventions, however, these detriments can be overcome or avoided altogether.

At SUWS of the Carolinas, we strive to provide the most innovative and comprehensive clinical programming that is offered in a wilderness environment. Knowing that all of the young people who are entrusted into our care will begin programming at different points in their lives, the staff at SUWS are dedicated to making sure that the programming options offered meet the needs of as many youth as possible. For this reason, we offer five distinct programs that vary according to the age, maturational level, presenting challenges, and social and adaptive development of our students. These five programs include Approach, Phoenix Outdoor, Bravo, Luna, and Seasons, all of which have a strong therapeutic foundation of evidence-based treatment practices and a holistic approach to the overall health and wellness of our students. The therapeutic interventions used in each of these programs are tailored specifically to each student and are adaptable as the student learns, grows, and changes throughout the course of his or her time in the program. By focusing on the strengths of our students, not on pathology, we are able to highlight each student's ability to make the changes necessary for achieving a healthy and happy future.