Safety

Second Nature has an impeccable safety record. Second Nature's administration has advocated at the national and state levels for greater safety guidelines in wilderness therapy.

Each Second Nature Wilderness Program is state licensed and is subject to state reviews, state licensing supervision and extensive onsite audits. Contact state officials to confirm Second Nature’s impeccable and unblemished safety record.

Students are pre-screened by Second Nature’s clinical team during the admissions process. Acceptance is based on consultation with parents and Educational Consultants and/or home clinicians, a thorough review of the student’s current and past history of behavior, and psycho-educational testing when appropriate.

  • All Second Nature students receive a complete physical prior to entering the field.
  • Students receive on-going medical assessments every 14 days by an  EMT or RN.
  • All staff are screened and background checked (State and Federal).
  • Staff-to-student ratios meet or exceed state minimums.
  • Each Second Nature group is comprised of Field Staff with CPR, Wilderness First Responder (WFR), exceeding the state's requirements for medical training, and Positive Control Systems (PCS) certification. 
  • Staff members attend regular training on crisis intervention and emergency preparedness. 
  • Second Nature employs a Medical Director at each location.
  • Field Instructors are taught to use conservative judgment when determining group activities—keeping student health and safety as first priority—before all other program and clinical agendas. 
  • Each student is properly outfitted from head to toe with the highest quality gear and clothing.
  • Each student is provided a diet rich in fresh fruits, meats, vegetables, grains, nuts, and safe water. 
  • Access to heated tents during extreme weather is provided.
  • Regular attendance at workshops, conferences and seminars in wilderness medicine, risk management and search and rescue techniques are provided and required. 
  •  Second Nature uses satellite phones, two-way radios (with company owned and maintained repeaters), cell phones, in-field solar powered chargers, GPS units, two-way pagers for twice-daily call-ins, emergency contact and safety consultations with field management.
  • 24-hour on call support staff are available to groups for emergency services 365 days per year. 
  • In emergency situations, Second Nature has access to support from EMS (Emergency Medical Service).