Programs » Assessing Program Competence
Assessing Program Competence
When researching a wilderness therapy program or therapeutic school for your child, you will want to check for the following:
- The staff working with your child has applicable degrees and/or certifications
- The company is affiliated with appropriate professional organizations and adheres to the standards set by those bodies
- The program holds relevant governmental licenses
At Catherine Freer, we pride ourselves on the extent to which our employees and programs are licensed and on the number of professional associations to which we are affiliated. Please call any of the organizations in the list below to confirm that we are in good standing with the licensing bodies and professional organizations. Learn more about our high level of professional standards that exceeds industry standards.
Phone numbers you can call to check on association membership and certification:
Catherine Freer or Cooley River Expeditions:
Oregon Office of Mental Health and Addiction Services (503) 945-5763
Oregon Child Welfare Division (503) 945-5944
National Association of Therapeutic Schools and Programs (928) 443-9505
Outdoor Behavioral Health Care Industry Council (541) 926-7252 Ext 202
America Outdoors (800) 524-4814
Oregon Guides & Packers (503) 378-8587
Idaho Outfitters & Guides Association (208) 327-7380
Individual staff:
Oregon Board of Psychologist Examiners (licensure) (503) 378-4154
Oregon Psychological Association (503) 253-9155
American Psychological Association (202) 336-5500
Oregon Board of Clinical Social Workers (503) 378-5735
National Association of Social Workers (503) 452-8420 (Oregon Chapter)
National Association of Alcohol & Drug Counselors (703) 741-7686
Wilderness Medicine Institute (866) 831-9001
Wilderness Medicine Association (888) 945-3633
The Addiction Counselor Certification Board of Oregon (503) 231-8164
Learn more about our high level of professional standards that exceeds industry standards.
Catherine Freer Wilderness Therapy Program has been licensed for many years by the state of Oregon as Oregon as an Adolescent Residential Alcohol and Drug Treatment program, and as a Mental Health Treatment program. Oregon carefully audits its treatment programs every two years before re-certifying.
Both of these licenses spell out the qualifications required of staff, staff to client ratios, types of treatment provided, and record-keeping standards as well as management, clinical supervision, and financial standards.
The State of Oregon's Department of Human Services Child Welfare Division also licenses Catherine Freer as an Outdoor Youth Treatment Program (OYP). Catherine Freer staff helped to create the OYP's regulations, and Dr. Cooley serves as vice chair of the OYP Advisory Board.
In December 2000, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) accredited Catherine Freer Wilderness Programs. This standard is higher than state licenses, and is achieved by only the finest residential treatment programs. Catherine Freer was the first wilderness program in the nation to be fully accredited by JCAHO.
National Association of Therapeutic Schools and Programs
Catherine Freer Wilderness Therapy Programs is a member of the National Association of Therapeutic Schools and Programs. Program Director Paul Smith, M.S. Ed., is a past president, chairman and a member of the standards committee. Our Executive Director and Founder, Dr. Cooley, is a member of the ethics committee. Director of Referral Relations and Marketing Sarah Mack is on the public relations and conference planning committee.
Outdoor Behavioral Healthcare Industry Council
Catherine Freer Wilderness Therapy Programs is a founding member of the Outdoor Behavioral Healthcare Industry Council (OBHIC), an organization of behavioral health providers who are committed to the utilization of outdoor modalities to assist young people and their families to make positive change. OBHIC's mission is to unite its members and to promote the common good of our programs standards and our industry at large. Executive Director and Founder Dr. Cooley is president of OBHIC.
Association for Experiential Education, Member
Permits
Catherine Freer operates under permits and regulations issued by the U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. The Oregon State Marine Board, responsible for the oversight of outfitters in Oregon, also certifies us.
We work actively with these agencies to promote competent outdoor treatment and good use of public lands, and appreciate the mutually respectful relationships we have built with them.
Other- Participates and adheres to the standards of America Outdoors
- Participates and adheres to the standards of the Oregon Guides and Packers Association
- Participates and adheres to the standards of the Idaho Outfitters and Guides Association, Adheres to Association Guidelines
- Catherine Freer Wilderness Therapy Programs has for many years developed and maintained good working relationships with Oregon health insurance and managed care companies. Catherine Freer as a program and Dr. Cooley as a psychologist are members of a managed behavioral healthcare panel, NMHA (Northwest Mental Health Associates) and Reliant Behavioral Healthcare which manage benefits for members of Blue Cross of Oregon.