pen and ink

SPECTRUM
 
Burke-Little & Associates  Educational Specialists

Winter 2011

 

Greetings!
 
   Holiday Greetings to You My Friends
     I want to thank each of you for your friendshipwreath and support during this past year and to wish you and yours a Joyful Holiday.

 

     This has been a busy year of travel, home visits, office work, conferences and wonderful dinners with visiting programs.

 

     This past summer, I set out on a mission to visit as many programs, schools, and students as I possibly could. Almost every Sunday morning I was catching a 6 A.M. flight from Raleigh Durham Airport to somewhere here in the country like Bend, Oregon, Spokane, Washington, Salt Lake City, Utah, or Manchester, New Hampshire. I visited each of these areas for a week and returned home on Friday night to rest up for the next trip, visit my family, can tomatoes, pickles and kraut and then start the week again on Sunday morning with a new destination and clean clothes.

 

     My journeys first took me to Oregon with home base in lovely downtown Bend. I visited Academy of Sisters, College Excel, Ohana House, and Bridges Academy. Since I have been trying to fulfill a goal of overnighting in all the wilderness program where I refer students, I spent the night in the high desert in Dr. J. Huffine's group of Second Nature Cascades. The experience in the wilderness is always a very poignant one particularly as I visit one of my own boys and witness first-hand the intricacies of wilderness living and see him experience the therapeutic care by field staff and Dr. Huffine. It is especially unforgettable to wake up in the morning to the stillness and witness the tents and backpacks of young men in the program. After returning to the office, I showered and shaved and began my trek to southern Oregon to visit the young adult program Dragonfly Transitions. On the way to Santiam Crossing, I made a side trip to see Crater Lake.

 

     The next trip took me to the Northern Idaho and Montana. The trip began with a visit to Milestones, a young adult program, then to Sand Point with home base at a hotel situated on the lake. My visits included Monarch School, Boulder Academy, Northwest Academy, Schrom Boy's Home, Echo Springs, and Intercept.

 

     I was yet on another plane to Utah to return to Unita Academy, Second Nature Unitas and to visit for the first time Eva Carlston, Wasatch Academy, Catalyst, Center for Change, New Roads, Maple Lake, Daniels Academy, Crossroads Academy, and Oxbow Academy.

 

     Sometimes I go to places like California, Arizona, or New Mexico, and I miss visiting programs in my own backyard.  In early August, I traveled to the area of North Carolina where I was born and raised to lodge in the beautiful city of Asheville. While finding some of the best mountain cabbage to make kraut, I returned to Stone Mountain School, SUWS of the Carolinas and Phoenix Outdoor. The new programs for me were Lake House, Talisman and the Talisman Transition Program. Later, I went to Discovery Academy in Central Virginia.

 

     Last but not any less important of the summer travels was the trip to Shortridge and overnight in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. I really felt good about the opportunity to see old friends, to see new programs and make new friends.

 

This fall there was a return to Asheville for Southeast Regional NATSP with a program visit to the new Asheville Academy. Recently I attended a Second Nature Workshop in Atlanta.

 

I enjoyed having visits in Durham by Trails, Carlbrook, Pacific Quest and Stone Mountain School. So yes, I accomplished what I intended back in June to visit as many programs and schools as possible and to make as many contacts as possible.

 

     To all the young people who are now in colleges and universities, day schools and boarding schools, wilderness programs, residential treatment, and therapeutic boarding schools I wish you and your families all the Hope, Joy, and Promise in this New Year 2012. I am honored to be associated with each one of you.

 

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays,

 Milton D. Little PhD

 



 15 Years Helping Students Acheive Academic Success
  • Traditional  and Specialized Day Schools
     
  • Traditional and Specialized Boarding Schools
     
  • Therapeutic Schools
     
  • Colleges and Universities
     
  • Young Adult Transition
     
  • Spectrum Transition

 

  919-622-0887
 
Power of the Wilderness

     For each young person, for each parent who visits their son or daughter in the wilderness, for me the referring professional, there is power in that experience. I refer to this as a therapeutic phenomenon.

 

     When I was asked recently by Dr. Brad Ready, one of the co-founders of Second Nature, at a workshop of wilderness therapists and their presentations what is so special about the wilderness experience, I responded by saying that it is a lot of things-being in nature, peer support, intensive therapy for the young person and the family, comprehensive evaluation, planning for aftercare...but it a single word...magic. wilderness kid

 

      A couple of years ago when I began experiencing wilderness as an overnight participant, I saw these boys in the Unita Mountains at a campsite playing and laughing in the camp seeming to almost be having a good time. They were playing like children enjoying themselves with laughter and fun just as I remember as a boy. I asked the therapist Bryan Lepinske, who obviously knows each boy's story, if these boys are the oppositional and angry boys that I see in my office and oftentimes will refer for an intervention like wilderness. Bryan responded yes indeed these are those same oppositional, angry boys.

               

     So what happens over the eight to ten weeks in wilderness therapy is almost a transformation of a disrespectful, egocentric boy or girl to an aware, insightful young person. For some there almost appears to have been the loss of childhood to drugs, depression, conflict and apathy. However, when the boy or girl goes to wilderness there is the opportunity for simplicity and opportunity to regain the innocence of childhood.

 

     This year I referred a young man to wilderness two weeks before his eighteenth birthday. The age of eighteen marks the beginning of adulthood in most states. The laws vary from state to state for the eighteen year old remaining in a dorm, a group, or even in a program or school with those who are adolescents. For this young man soon turning eighteen, he began in an adolescent group and then moved to an adult group on his eighteenth birthday. As described by the therapist, the boy went to a pinnacle in the dessert of Southern Utah accompanied by his peers and adult leaders, and experienced a rite of passage. Physically and spiritually the boy entered adulthood by descending the bluff to join the young adult program. With clarity and purpose, this young man described his experience, "In the adolescent program, I was there because I was forced to be there, but in the young adult program I choose to be here."

 

     It's all those things that go together in the wilderness that give power to such an experience. The thing that adds the special nature is magic.

 

    

oregon mountain
Beside the mountain snow peak

Congratulations to everyone whose children have graduated from wilderness programs over the last few months and who have transitioned to Aim House, Shortridge Academy, Carlbrook, Oakley, Summit Prep, Telos, Greenbrier Academy, New Roads, Stone Mountain School, and Intensive Insight. They worked hard in the field with building the fires by blow drill, hiking and setting up camps, dealing with the weather and living with only basic essentials. The power offered by wilderness has built for them honesty, industry, and integrity.

 

Thank you for giving them this once in a lifetime experience.

A New Service for Students and Families Is Added by Burke-Little
 

     The short history of Burke-Little during the last fifteen years has been one of self-examination, goal setting, implementing and evaluating.  As the years have brought change with needs of young people and the services they need, we have added appropriate services.

 

     After years of referring young people to boarding schools, colleges, wilderness programs, therapeutic boarding schools, residential treatment centers, and young adult programs, I have realized a need to provide support in another capacity. We have initiated this year our Spectrum Program to support young people who are transitioning from a program or school yet need some level of continued support. This service is tailored to meet the needs of each person from counseling, mentoring, coaching, to in home and at school visits by a professional. We work with other professionals and the families to create a Spectrum Team to provide emotional, social and academic support.

 office snow

     For example, a Spectrum candidate might be one who has transitioned from therapeutic boarding school and is now attending college. Or the student might be younger, previously in a wilderness program followed by a residential treatment center and is ready to come home and attend school.

 

     Recently we had a 19 year old completing wilderness and boarding school, but needed support while he attends college. We provided counseling at the beginning of the school year for self-advocacy and familiarity for accessing help through disability services. We made contacts with different service providers like counselors, physicians and tutors and helped located AA and NA meetings. Every week we have a scheduled session with the student by phone or  by Skype. At other times we are on call to provide assistance to the student. Additionally, we make in home visits at the beginning of school and during holidays for boarding students and college students.

 

     The Spectrum Program rounds out our continuum of services of Burke-Little for students who are transitioning from a residential setting and who benefit from the care of professionals from Burke-Little in continuing to meet academic and emotional needs. We are excited to talk with you about how we may provide continued care when your son or daughter graduates from a program. Call 919-622-0887.

   

Let Burke-Little Serve You
 

As a reminder, this is what we are all about:

Day Schools- Regular and Specialized

Boarding Schools- Regular and Specialized

Therapeutic Wilderness Programs

Residential Treatment

Therapeutic Boarding Schools

College and Universities

GAP Year

Young Adult Transition

Spectrum Transition

 

If you would like to pass on our name to someone else and would like to contact us, please do so!

Thank you so much for your confidence and I look forward to hearing from you.
 

[email protected]

 www.burke-little.com

 

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