blueFire Wilderness Therapy, a wilderness program for teens ages 11-17, recently welcomed David Shade to the team. As Adventure Director, David plans, organizes and helps lead outdoor adventure trips for groups of students. David focuses on building rapport with clients to foster therapeutic relationships in order to facilitate safe, effective, challenging, and fun adventure activities.
David’s 20-year professional background includes work in wilderness therapy, adventure therapy, outdoor leadership, and youth homes. He holds multiple guide licenses in Idaho to provide the following activities: cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, rock climbing, and mountain bike riding. He is also a trained Wilderness First Responder, Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), and Wilderness EMT.
“The goal of adventure-based wilderness therapy is to offer fun experiences, challenge ourselves (and gauge reactions to these challenges and, perhaps, moments of frustration) and to create experiences where reflection, self-awareness, and discovery can occur,” explains Shade. “Participating in these activities can be really empowering for teens who are beginning to explore who they are and what they want in life.”
Prior to joining blueFire Wilderness, David has led and co-led expeditions in Alaska, Patagonia, The Cascades, and The Wind River Range, which have helped him develop strong leadership skills and an intimate understanding of different outdoor environments. At blueFire, he provides comprehensive training and supervision to his adventure team and field instructors and provides an atmosphere of collaboration and teamwork- all in efforts to provide high-quality program activities for clients.
“Dave’s decades of experience working in the field will make him a powerful addition to our Adventure Therapy team,” describes Kathy Rex, Executive Director and Co-founder. “I am looking forward to seeing the impact he has on the program!”
For more information, please call 1 (844) 413-1999 or visit the website at https://bluefirewilderness.com.
About blueFire Wilderness Therapy
blueFire Wilderness is a wilderness therapy program based just outside of Boise, Idaho that offers teens ages 11-17 a comprehensive adventure experience. BlueFire Wilderness combines clinical expertise, academic assessments, and a family systems approach to help teens struggling with emotional, behavioral and social challenges.