Trails Granted Three-Year CARF Accreditation Renewal

Published: March 31, 2023

Reinforcing its long-term commitment to care and service, Trails Carolina has been granted a renewal of its three-year accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF).

CARF is an independent nonprofit organization whose mission is to advance the quality of healthcare services and continually improve care and outcomes for individuals and their families. Through receiving this accreditation renewal, Trails demonstrates that children and families that choose their program will receive safe, trauma-informed, and recovery-focused care that prioritizes re-integrating the child into their family and community.

“We were first accredited by CARF in 2014 and are really proud of the high bar they hold for us and that we meet those standards year after year,” shared Executive Director Jeremey Whitworth.

With outdoor behavioral healthcare under media scrutiny in recent years, programs such as Trails, which improve therapeutic and safety practices and demonstrate their commitment to providing high-quality care, are leading the field of outdoor adventure programs. Demonstrating third-party accountability through this accreditation process is important to families served by Trails. It also serves as an exemplar for other outdoor behavioral healthcare programs to follow suit. Just as its staff members act as positive role models for youth in their program, Trails seeks to consistently exceed the standards for quality of care and positive outcomes in their field. Through accreditation, third-party verified outcome data, a hybrid model of base camps and wilderness excursions, and strong academic programming, Trails continues to help youth and their families heal and discover a healthier, more connected future.

About Trails Carolina

Trails Carolina is a nature-based therapy program located in Lake Toxaway, North Carolina. The program helps students, aged 10-17-years-old, work through behavioral and/or emotional diﬃculties. The clinically sophisticated and time-tested program engages students through wilderness therapy, mindfulness and yoga, equine-assisted therapy, intentional transitions, parent involvement, and academic engagement. Founded in 2008, the program is licensed by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services and accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities, Outdoor Behavioral Healthcare Council and the academic program is COGNIA certified for academic excellence. For more information, visit http://www.trailscarolina.com or call Julia Andrick at 208-255-6920.

About Trails Carolina

The Trails innovative model focuses on three beliefs that have driven our programming decisions: –We believe that families benefit from being involved in their child’s process. –We believe that practicing and applying the lessons learned in wilderness to everyday situations promotes lasting change.–We believe that a wilderness setting enhances the benefits of therapy.Guided by these beliefs, Trails has developed an innovative model of wilderness therapy. We capitalize upon the profound effects of a student’s wilderness experience by interspersing time at our campus.As students face the challenges of the wilderness program their perspective begins to change and behaviors quickly follow. This helps build self-confidence and increase self-awareness as our Therapeutic, Wilderness, Residential, and Academic Teams help daily experiences become teachable moments. Between expeditions, students reside at our base camp where they apply their wilderness lessons to different people and places. This ability to transfer their skills and experiences to new situations helps students develop practical, real-life skills.We’ve created a family program that is integrative, effective, and one that shines within the industry. Because of this, we ask that our students’ family be an active part of the process. The work that the family does with the Trails family therapist, parallels what their child is experiencing – this allows for both the family and the child to heal, as well as enhances the families work that is done with their child.