Summer can present both opportunities and challenges to families and teenagers as they navigate the potential loss of routines and social time provided by school schedules. With extra time on their hands, and during this summer of a pandemic, there... READ MORE

 Our crew was sitting around the fire partaking in ‘Hopes and Fears,’ an activity where each student shares what they look forward to and what they’re scared about going into their course experience. The thing I’m most scared of... READ MORE

 “I have a daughter,” my 15-year-old student said to his peers around the campfire on the second night of our 20-day canoeing course. My co-Instructors and I looked around the circle at each other, at the other students, and... READ MORE

How was school? What’d you do today? Who’s going to be there? Where’s your sister? These seemingly simple questions, when asked to your teenager, may foster the vaguest responses. Fine. Nothing. I don’t know. A shrug. It can be frustrating... READ MORE

After spending three years living and working outside with teenagers, I’ve picked up on recurring obstacles that I’ve watched my students face. They know all along what they struggle with at home, but the intimacy of the wilderness as a... READ MORE

Parenting is hard. Sometimes, it can be really hard. Suffering in parent/teenager relationships can stem from the disconnect between the experience of the teen and the experience of the adult. Teens have a hard time understanding why their parents are... READ MORE

Welcome to the adolescent brain. I’m your host, an Outward Bound Instructor. I specialize in working with students and their families on Intercept courses, and help students learn positive decision-making skills and practice building positive relationships. My goal is to... READ MORE

Natural consequences happen after you make choices. If you yell at your friend, she will be upset. After you walk barefoot in the road, your foot could get cut. If you don’t tie your canoe to the shore, you could... READ MORE

On an Intercept course, we ask our students to identify the difference between a consequence and a punishment. They identify that punishments are unfair and lead to more harm than good, and that consequences are inevitable, often put upon by their... READ MORE

A stranger cuts you off in traffic and drives slowly in front of you. You slam on your brakes and honk your horn. You say out loud to yourself, “Wow, now you’re one car-length ahead of where you would have... READ MORE