Blue Ridge Therapeutic Wilderness (BRTW) treats struggling youth in a wilderness setting, providing sophisticated clinical assessment through a holistic approach and a family-systems lens. Over the last nineteen years, Blue Ridge’s program has played a pivotal role in raising the bar for the Wilderness Therapy industry by pioneering new practices to increase student health, safety, and comfort, strengthening communication between the clinical and field teams, and addressing the needs of each student through individualized treatment plans.

Blue Ridge is taking the next step in achieving optimal results for families and students by welcoming Dr. Mark Braunstein, DO, ABPN onto the team to provide psychiatric services for all Blue Ridge Therapeutic Wilderness families. Dr. Braunstein is board certified in General Psychiatry and has managed medication for wilderness therapy students for over fifteen years. He specializes in the treatment of substance abuse, oppositional defiance, depression, treatment resistance, personality disorders, anxiety, and ADHD. A New York native, Dr. Braunstein received his BS in Mathematics from the University of Florida and later earned his medical degree at Nova Southeastern University College of Osteopathic Medicine. He then completed his residency in General Psychiatry at the University of New Mexico and received a fellowship in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Maine Medical Center in Portland, Maine.

Blue Ridge Therapeutic Wilderness strives to provide families and students with sophisticated care in every aspect of their therapeutic journey. It is not uncommon for students to arrive at therapeutic placements with medications that could be adjusted, changed, or removed from their medication management plans for better results. In his career, Dr. Braunstein has been able to help assess and stabilize students in need of pharmacological support, safely manage medications, build trusting relationships with treatment-resistant students, and provide life-saving services for students dealing with substance abuse and addiction. 

The nomadic wilderness setting at Blue Ridge is an ideal environment to stabilize and reassess students’ current medications. Dr. Braunstein will provide Blue Ridge families and students with a high level of care and attention surrounding their medication and treatment plan by aligning with the wishes of each student’s family, performing thorough initial consultations upon admission, and collaborating with the rest of the Blue Ridge team to ensure that comprehensive care is ongoing. 

Dr. Braunstein will have an initial consultation with every single student upon admission to establish a systematic review of every student’s history. This will allow Blue Ridge to provide a thorough intake and psychiatric assessment for every student, with a more targeted pharmacological perspective. Dr. Braunstein will not solely review student medications but will consider the student’s medical and clinical profile to best determine what their needs will be. His assessment and involvement with each student who walks through Blue Ridge’s doors will establish a comprehensive baseline, allowing the program to respond to student needs better than ever before.

Dr. Braunstein will provide psychiatric services to Blue Ridge Therapeutic Wilderness adolescent population (13-18) as well as Emerald Arrow young adult students (18-29). 

Blue Ridge Therapeutic Wilderness offers clinically driven wilderness therapy programs encompassing advanced therapeutic skill, an immersive nomadic wilderness model, licensed therapy and assessment, and multiple treatment options for struggling teens ages 13-18 as well as young adults, ages 18-30 in their Emerald Arrow program. Their individualized approach, family support, and commitment to service translates to an unparalleled experience and better outcomes for youth and families.