You’re not broken.

 

Change is possible for you and your family.

 

Anasazi cares, and we’re hopeful we can help.

 

Learn more.

You’re not broken.

Change is possible for you and your family.

Anasazi cares, and we’re hopeful we can help.

Change starts with connection…not correction.

We help young people discover their greatness and families rebuild trust.

37 Years

Founded in 1988, Anasazi is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.

If life feels overwhelming—whether you’re a young person navigating emotions and obstacles, or a parent wondering how to heal your family—Anasazi Foundation offers a safe place to slow down, be understood, and find a healthier, peaceful way forward.

We support young people and families who want real change…built on respect, responsibility, and hope.

Anasazi’s world-renowned, licensed, and Joint Commission-accredited outdoor behavioral healthcare programs are ideal for adolescents (12-17) and adults (18+) struggling with depression, anxiety, self-image, defiance, family conflict, mental health, lack of motivation, mild mood disorders, drug and alcohol experimentation, internet addiction, entitlement issues, and other self-defeating behaviors.

Who We Serve

Anasazi Foundation supports adolescents ages 12–17 and young adults ages 18–35 who are feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or disconnected—and parents who want to heal and strengthen their relationship with their child.

 

Based entirely in nature, our clinically managed, family-involved programs help build emotional resilience, responsibility, confidence, and healthy relationships. Participants are not defined by labels or diagnoses, but supported as capable individuals with the potential to grow.

 

Participants commonly experience:

What Makes Anasazi Different

Care grounded in dignity, experience, and trust.

Since 1988, more than 5,100 families have entrusted a son or daughter to Anasazi Foundation’s care. We do not take that lightly.

We consider this a Sacred Trust—one that guides every interaction, every staff training, and every mindful moment in our programs. That trust has shaped who we are from the beginning and continues to guide us today.

Our approach is compassionate, individualized, and evidence-based. We do not use force, coercion, punishment, or humiliation. We do build trust, accountability, and an empowering sense of self-worth and belonging.

Spiritual Time in Nature

Space to slow down, reflect, and find meaning—on your own terms.

Spending extended time in nature invites introspection and fresh perspectives. For some young people, this brings calm, clarity, and renewed confidence. For others, it prompts deeper reflection about values, purpose, and connection. Others experience it simply as grounding, quiet time away from distractions.

What matters is that each participant is given the space to reflect, grow, and make meaning in ways that align with their own beliefs, culture, and family values.

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Unique Therapuetic Approach

Our Approach

Clinically guided, family-centered, and thoughtfully integrated.

Anasazi’s 49-day wilderness-therapy programs are clinically managed and deeply family-involved, allowing the experience to serve different needs at different points in a young person’s journey.

For some families, Anasazi provides a comprehensive, shorter-term intervention—a structured, immersive experience that helps a teen or young adult stabilize, reset patterns, and return home with new skills and support.

For others, Anasazi functions as a transformational component within a longer-term, integrated care plan, often recommended by a family’s therapist or therapeutic consultant. In these cases, the experience complements ongoing therapy, educational planning, or additional services before and after the program.

In both situations, families remain actively involved, and care decisions are guided by clinical insight, collaboration, and the unique needs of each individual.

Growth happens through experience, not pressure—and progress is strongest when care is coordinated and intentional.

What Families Experience

Families consistently tell us this approach makes a meaningful difference:

These outcomes matter because healing is not just about the individual—it’s about restoring connection within families.

» Learn more in this 15-year summary of participant outcomes.

Families

What Families Experience

Families consistently tell us this approach makes a meaningful difference:

These outcomes matter because healing is not just about the individual—it’s about restoring connection within families.

» Learn more in this 15-year summary of participant outcomes.

Families

Safety and Trust

Safety matters. Your concerns are valid and shared. 

We understand why families today have serious questions about teen behavioral healthcare, especially when reading stories online. Asking hard questions is appropriate and encouraged. 

Anasazi is a licensed, accredited, and nonprofit healthcare provider with clear standards for safety, staff training, and clinical oversight. Studies show Anasazi and other wilderness therapy programs operating within accredited, regulated parameters are statistically safer for adolescents than everyday life at home!

» Learn more

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Take the Next Step—Together.

Whether you’re exploring options for returning home or building a longer-term plan with professional guidance, we invite you to learn more about Anasazi Foundation and decide if it feels like the right fit.

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Anasazi program

Anasazi is a therapeutic and nature-based treatment program for adolescents ages 12-17 and adults 18+. Our residential treatment takes a comprehensive approach that is designed to promote a change of heart which often results in a lasting change in behavior. New admissions are accepted continually, year round, and scheduled by appointment.

We also assist families with insurance coverage options and obtaining scholarships.

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Adolescents

Participants spend their time hiking and camping in the wilderness of Arizona while working with trained therapists…
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Therapeutic Approach

Anasazi Foundation programs employ a holistic, bio-psychosocial-spiritual approach to treatment that involves the development of individuals and families.

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Alumni

We aim to help participants keep their trail experiences & awakenings alive in their hearts after leaving the program…

Read Our Reviews!

Free Consultation

Our admissions team is available to answer your questions about our program and how we can help.

ENROLLMENT

Before an applicant can be accepted for admission, the enrollment packet must be submitted and approved.

DONATE

More than half of the families participating at Anasazi do so with the help of scholarships made possible by generous donations.

Frequently Asked Questions

Anasazi Foundation’s offices are located in Mesa, a suburb of Phoenix, Arizona. We operate the program, however, in the beautiful Arizona wilderness.

The accredited wilderness therapy program for young adults begins with a learning period during which clients participate in basic skills such as cooking, personal hygiene, first aid and taking care of equipment. In addition, they learn how to make their own trail gear, which includes a primitive backpack, fire set and rabbit stick. This wilderness therapy for teen treatment also teaches them to create fire using bow drill and build their own shelters, among other things.

After completing the therapeutic wilderness program, each family receives a comprehensive aftercare plan that includes monthly phone contact though our Alumni Services department and seven weeks of parent coaching calls, which review program intervention principles and allow parents to discuss their application in specific circumstances.

Anasazi is not a boot camp – it is a nature-based and confrontation-free program for youth. Participation in an Anasazi program requires personal responsibility and accountability; however, no force, contrived experiences, manipulation, confrontation, point or level systems, or other behavioral modification techniques or models are employed. Caring staff walk the trail with the same food and gear as the YoungWalkers and patiently wait for opportunities to teach. Through this accredited wilderness therapy program, they will teach skills and the principles of unconditional love, agency, repentance, forgiveness, and restitution.

Anasazi Foundation recognizes the difficulty parents face when seeking help for son or daughter in trouble. When parents’ efforts to intervene have had little or no effect, and home or community-based interventions have been unsuccessful, behavioral healthcare adventure therapy programs such as Anasazi can help save a young life.

Anasazi Foundation is a wilderness therapy program for youth at risk. The mission of Anasazi Foundation is to prepare parents and children to turn their hearts to one another, begin anew, and walk in harmony of the wilderness of the world.

The Anasazi Foundation offers outdoor therapy programs and behavioral healthcare programs designed for youth 12-17 years old. In addition to these programs, Anasazi offers intervention training for parents.

The Anasazi Outdoor Behavioral Healthcare Program is a wilderness treatment program designed for youth 12-17 years old who are struggling with depression, anxiety, family conflict, substance abuse, and/or other emotional or behavioral concerns.

Bringing Families Together Since 1988.

Bringing Families Together Since 1988.

Copyright 2025 Anasazi Foundation, Inc. | All Rights Reserved