Odyssey Northwest is an expeditionary program that blends the unique aspects of coastal hiking and longboat sailing in the beautiful environments of the Olympic National Park and the San Juan Islands of Washington State. The Odyssey program is structured through clear, progressive phases that focus on motivation, skill building, and strengthening commitment for change. Each phase encompasses a curriculum designed to facilitate group process activities, academic classes, course structure and to accomplish the mission of the Odyssey program. A brief description of each phase is below.

Individual and Family Responsibility Phase

The focus of a student’s first two weeks is on developing motivation for change and individual and family responsibility for one’s choices. First week students learn to live within a wilderness environment and experience the natural consequences of their choices. This immersion into a group of peers who are at various points in the progression of the program helps to establish a routine for new students and models positive, affirming behavior. Students complete classes, group discussions and assignments in self-care, journal writing, wilderness living skills and communication. Second week students complete the family responsibility section of the curriculum, which is focused on establishing healthy communication patterns and involvement in a family setting. During this week, students will be responsible for many of the tasks a real family undertakes, like getting up in the morning, planning out the day, cooking, cleaning and holding family meetings. Communication skills are key to the success of trail families and through identifying and working through family conflicts, family planning and decision-making, these skills are developed and strengthened.

Reflection Phase

Reflecting on past and current decisions as well as planning for future goals is essential to the wilderness experience at Odyssey. Reflection phase is built into the program as the transition time between Responsibility and Community Phase. During Reflection, students spend time individually at day-sites where they journal, complete assignments and talk with their Field Therapist in counseling sessions. Through active reflection, students gain insight into their relationships, communication skills and have time to bring together the learning experiences they’ve had so far in the program. At this point, students also work on creating a Personal TOTE, which is a persona goal they wish to work on and be successful with in the program.

Community Phase

Students move into Community Phase to focus on strengthening their commitment to change and to contribute to something greater than themselves. Social skills are developed through working and living together as a community. Self-esteem is built through the feelings of accomplishment, success and benchmark experiences both individually and as a group. During this phase, students gain valuable insight and new perspectives that allow them to go beyond the status quo of their problem behavior and begin to utilize their strengths and actualize change. Achieving a sense of belonging in a group of peers and feeling real connection are common in Community Phase, which provide the intrinsic motivation for pursuing growth.

Mentor Phase

Leadership is a quality many adolescents have, but few show in the midst of peer pressures, inadequate skill or lack of experience. Mentor Phase is designed to help students achieve leadership skills by being a mentor to newer students who may be in an earlier week of the program. Being in this position also helps to solidify the changes they’re making personally, and to reinforce the plans and preparations they’re developing for life after Odyssey. Common tasks for Mentors include learning how to bake bread over a backpacking stove or fire, teaching parts of the student curriculum, modeling effective communication skills and helping other students with parts of the program they’ve already done. Mentor Phase can be the catalyst that brings together much of the work the student is completing and prepares them for the challenges ahead in transferring their Odyssey experience to the realities of a home or a new school.

 

See how treatment groups are put together!