Outcome Research

Catherine Freer is one of the best researched adolescent therapy programs in the U.S., and that research clearly shows that our clients are benefiting substantially from their treatment at Freer.

• The research shows that they improve overall. That improvement continues for a full year, and appears to increase somewhat with time. Two to three years later, 83 percent are "doing better."
• Parents report strong improvements in their children's behavior a year after they return home.
• Our research demonstrates that our program is effective for adolescents with both alcohol and drug abuse/dependence and with mental health problems. On one questionnaire, for example, the percentage of clients reporting regular marijuana use dropped from 44 percent before treatment to 3 percent six months after treatment.
• Research results show treatment success with specific issues including depression, anxiety and stress, incipient character disorders and resistance to change.
• At the end of treatment, our young clients report strong, positive and helpful relationships with their expedition leaders, a crucial ingredient in any therapeutic change.

We have conducted 24 research projects which have guided our therapy work over the years. Collectively, they have established that Freer's approach to adolescent therapy is very effective.

Learn more about our research:

• Research Results Summary
  
  
• Does Wilderness Therapy Work? Does it Last?
  
  
• Lifting the Fog of Depression
  
  
• Solving Substance Abuse
  
  
• Getting Motivated to Give Up Substance Abuse
  
  
• A Short Term Treatment for Incipient Character Disorders
  
  
• Family Functioning After Wilderness Therapy
  
  
• Strong Therapeutic Relationships
  
  
• Limits on Research with Adolescent Treatment Programs
  
  
• List of Catherine Freer Research