What Anasazi Believes...
There is much discussion lately about adolescent treatment programs and wilderness-based therapy. Questions abound, and families in crisis find it increasingly difficult to identify the best/safest programs. With this in mind, we’ve summarized Anasazi Foundation’s philosophy of care. Anasazi remains the lone non-profit program of its kind, and our nurturing, confrontation-free approach differs greatly from others (especially those featured in recent media). Please review the information below—see also our Founding Ideals and Ten Guiding Principles—and contact our office anytime with questions.
Anasazi's Vision and Values
EVERYONE has greatness and is a person of worth and potential.
Anasazi believes everyone is born with greatness—regardless of race, orientation, identity, or spiritual beliefs. We honor and celebrate a young person’s greatness and individual worth every day.
The use of force cannot bring about change or healing.
Caring, trained, and licensed staff seek to uplift and build trust. Deceit, manipulation, and force create mistrust, and these have no place in Anasazi’s program. Staff uses:
- No force
- No deprivation of food
- No restraint (unless to prevent active self-harm)
- No denial of communication
- No punishment
- No prescribed levels or steps
- No contrived or manipulative experiences
Instead the peacefulness and boundaries of nature, with caring staff and an inspiring approach, create an environment where one can learn, ponder, and build.
Participation is always voluntary.
Every young person who comes to Anasazi chooses for himself/herself/themselves whether or not to participate. Our commitment to this principle is unwavering. Anasazi does not transport children against their will. Instead we counsel each family to discuss Anasazi openly and honestly while also providing their child with other options. This is a great first step for parents to rebuild their child’s trust.
Those deciding to participate in our program do so because Anasazi focuses on a new beginning rather than past behaviors. It offers freedom and adventure and requires parents to participate fully. Once here, Anasazi’s field staff works to build trust. Then, it’s up to participants to decide whether or not they are ready to travel to the Anasazi trail.
Safety and Supervision
Abuse is intolerable and immediately reported.
Abuse is abhorrent and in direct conflict with Anasazi’s nurturing approach. As required by law, Anasazi immediately reports all claims of abuse to authorities and licensing/accreditation agencies. We take great care to prevent abuse within our program, with strict policies and 24/7 supervision, by ensuring no one is ever alone with anyone else.
Because Anasazi’s approach requires staff to put the needs of others before their own, we choose only the best—with kind hearts, DPS-certified clean records, and a willingness to live according to high standards. This has helped Anasazi prevent unsafe interactions and maintain an abuse-free environment, as interested parties may review in public licensing reports.
Safety is paramount, with no deaths or major injuries during Anasazi's 36 years of operation.
- Groups are limited to nine participants, plus three staff. (The average is six participants, three staff.)
- One staff member in each group is awake throughout the night. A second is awakened if a participant wakes.
- One or two staff float between groups to help as needed.
- A field leader follows in a vehicle with additional equipment, food, and water.
- All groups have satellite phones, radios, GPS, and a satellite-messaging/tracking device.
- A staff member carries a lockbox with prescription and over-the-counter medications.
- An on-call team is available 24/7 consisting of a psychiatrist/MD, three RNs, and staff trained as Wilderness First Responders.
- All physical ailments, injuries, and complaints are taken seriously, and participants are driven to a medical facility if necessary.
Parental Participation
Parent participation is required, and 80+ percent report parent-child relationships were significantly improved.
Parent involvement in Anasazi’s program is essential, as a family’s issues are rarely caused by the child alone. Ideally two but at least one parent must agree to participate fully before a child is accepted for admission.
Parent involvement at Anasazi includes a renowned workshop (based on The Anatomy of Peace by the Arbinger Institute), a workbook with daily lessons, weekly sessions with the family’s program therapist, weekly group sessions with other program parents, spending three days in the wilderness with their child, seven weeks of parent coaching after discharge, and a year’s worth of follow-up support.
While some parents have personal struggles and/or difficulty implementing Anasazi principles, the vast majority of parents — more than 80 percent — report this work transformed their family relationships.
Spiritual Considerations
Spiritual exploration is encouraged but not imposed.
Anasazi believes spiritual considerations are often key to finding one’s belonging place, and we make time for young people to ponder them, without imposing any doctrine or ideology. Anasazi staff are generally spiritual (or religious, including Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, and other faiths), and we welcome families of all religions and beliefs. Participants may bring any spiritual texts/scriptures that may be helpful.
National Accreditation and State Licensing
Anasazi is licensed, accredited, and accountable.
Anasazi believes the best programs are accountable to state licensing and national accreditation boards. Anasazi was the first program of its kind to be state licensed and the first to achieve national accreditation.
- Anasazi is licensed by the State of Arizona, Department of Health Services as a Level II residential behavioral healthcare provider.
- Each member of Anasazi’s clinical and medical teams maintains independent licensure.
- Anasazi is nationally accredited, adhering to strict guidelines, by the Association for Experiential Education and the Joint Commission, the gold standard for accreditation of healthcare providers.
- Anasazi co-founded the Outdoor Behavioral Healthcare (OBH) Council, created in the 1990s to set apart those outdoor programs adhering to evidence-based practices and high standards of care.
- Strongly influenced by Anasazi standards, the OBH Council promotes research and state oversight.
Not-for-Profit Mission
Anasazi is a 501(c)(3) charity that provides scholarships to offset costs.
Anasazi believes its services should be available to all, regardless of their ability to pay. Anasazi is a 501(c)(3) charity and charges only what it costs to run its program. Those in a position to pay do so, and everyone else applies for scholarship help. About 60 percent who come receive these scholarships, totaling about $750,000 each year.
A big part of Anasazi’s philanthropic mission is to help everyone who calls whether or not our outdoor program is necessary. To help further, Anasazi is expanding its offerings to include free online courses and other nurturing resources for parents and caregivers to resolve issues and build more trust with young people in their care.
Those seeking more information can explore this site, review licensing and accreditation reports from Arizona DHS, the Joint Commission, and AEE, view Anasazi’s 990 tax form, and read numerous online reviews from alumni and parents. They may also address questions directly to Anasazi staff and/or arrange for a visit.
Anasazi Outcomes
Unrivaled results, safer than other outdoor activities or treatment
Anasazi Foundation has helped thousands of families since its founding in 1988. Anasazi’s loving nature + nurture approach produces unrivaled results and exponentially fewer incidents (such as walk-aways, injuries, etc.) than other outdoor activities and other forms or providers of residential care.
As mentioned above, most everyone leaves Anasazi with significantly stronger family bonds and trust rebuilt. Formal research, post-discharge child and parent reports, and countless online alumni reviews illustrate this reality.
Ultimately young people and parents decide for themselves whether or not to apply what they learned at Anasazi. Recently, a well-known alumni parent was convicted of child abuse. Since her participation, this mom turned her back on conventional ethics, her previous faith, and certainly everything taught at Anasazi. Thankfully her child’s experience at Anasazi was positive, as he states for himself in a popular podcast and on social media.
This young man and others who experience the trail gain self-confidence, control of one’s own life, skills for self-care, and a sense of resilience. Going forward they can implement these skills, despite attempts by others (peers or adults) to lead them astray.
