Blue Ridge Therapeutic Wilderness is proud to highlight its commitment to whole‑family healing through its integrative and deeply relational approach to nature-based therapy. While students engage in transformative work in the field, parents and caregivers participate in a parallel therapeutic process designed to strengthen the entire family system. With decades of combined experience, the Blue Ridge Family Therapy team provides consistent guidance, connection, and support, helping families navigate the challenges and growth that unfold throughout their child’s enrollment.
Each member of the Family Therapy team previously served as a Primary Therapist at Blue Ridge, giving them a unique ability to translate clinical work from the field into meaningful insights for parents. Through weekly parent coaching calls, letter‑writing guidance, field visits, workshops, family intensives, and virtual group sessions, the team ensures families remain informed, engaged, and connected. Parents often say this support is one of the most impactful aspects of their experience, offering clarity, stability, and genuine care during a difficult process.
Blue Ridge’s Family Therapy team includes highly skilled clinicians such as Kathy Donovan, LPC; Sarah James, LCMHC, LCAS; Liz Lucarelli, LCMHC; Family Workshop Facilitator Tony Issenmann, PhD, LMFT; and Family Intensive Therapist Jeff Scott, LPC. Together, they bring expertise in complex family systems, trauma‑informed care, adolescent development, experiential therapy, and parent coaching. Their collective work—ranging from parent workshops to three‑day Family Intensives—helps families understand underlying patterns, build healthier communication, and create lasting change at home. Blue Ridge is honored to highlight this exceptional team and the vital role they play in supporting families every step of the way.
About Blue Ridge Therapeutic Wilderness:
Blue Ridge Therapeutic Wilderness is a licensed and accredited outdoor child-caring program that provides mental health treatment from licensed therapists and skilled outdoor professionals. Removed from the distractions of daily home life, students (ages 12-18 and 18-29 in the Emerald Arrow young adult program) experience the abundance of the North Georgia Chattahoochee National Forest. Blue Ridge Wilderness and Emerald Arrow offer clinically focused assessments and evidence-based therapeutic approaches that teach students communication skills, emotional regulation, healthy habits, and other essential skills to recognize and act on their values. To learn more about Blue Ridge Therapeutic Wilderness, please visit blueridgewilderness.com or contact an admissions counselor by calling (888) 914-1050 or email: admissions@blueridgewilderness.com