Safety
Second Nature is state licensed and is subject to state reviews, state licensing supervision and extensive onsite audits. Our program boasts an exemplary safety record.
Each applicant is prescreened by the Second Nature team prior to acceptance. Acceptance is based on a thorough review of the student’s current and past history of behavior, and psycho-educational testing when avalialbe, in addition to consultation with the student’s parents and associated professionals such as an educational consultants and/or home clinicians.
- All Second Nature students receive a complete physical prior to entering the field.
- Students receive on-going medical assessments every 14 days by our nurse.
- All staff are screened and background checked (State and Federal).
- Staff-to-student ratios exceed state minimums. Our ratio is 1:3.
Safety
When families consider nature-based residential programs, safety is understandably one of their first questions. Independent research reviewing more than 36,000 adolescents and over 2.2 million program days across licensed nature-based therapeutic programs shows that these settings maintain strong safety outcomes while working with teens facing significant emotional and behavioral challenges. (Source: BestNotes Wilderness Therapy Safety Report)
Key findings from this research include:
- Extremely low fatality risk. Adolescents in wilderness therapy programs were 6.5 times less likely to experience a fatality than youth in the general U.S. population.
- Serious injuries are uncommon. About 2% of clients required outside medical care, a rate similar to typical emergency room visits among U.S. youth.
- Running away is rare. Only 0.04% of students left programs without permission, far lower than runaway rates among adolescents generally.
- The vast majority of students complete programs safely. Across 2.2 million days of treatment, incidents requiring medical evacuation or emergency response were very uncommon.
These findings reflect the structured environment, consistent oversight, and rigorous safety protocols that define licensed nature-based therapeutic programs.
At Second Nature, safety has been the foundation of our work for more than 25 years. Our program operates within a highly structured environment supported by extensively trained staff and clear safety protocols designed to protect both the physical and emotional well-being of every student. Over that time, we have helped more than 10,000 families navigate some of the most challenging periods in their child’s life.
SAFETY PRACTICES AT SECOND NATURE
Second Nature has developed industry-leading protocols for student supervision and risk management, with specialized procedures for students experiencing elevated clinical risk.
Our field teams operate with multiple layers of safety and communication support, including:
- Starlink, two-way radios with company-owned repeaters, cell phones, and GPS units
- Direct access to field management for consultation and emergency response
- 24/7 on-call support staff available to field groups, 365 days per year
Each field group is staffed by instructors trained in CPR, with at least one Wilderness First Responder (WFR). Staff are also certified in crisis intervention and de-escalation systems (Aegis) and participate in ongoing training in emergency preparedness, wilderness medicine, risk management, and search and rescue techniques.
Second Nature is supported by a full-time Medical Director and nurse, and field instructors are trained to exercise conservative judgment in all activities, prioritizing student health and safety above all other program considerations.
Students are also supported through practical safety measures, including:
- High-quality outdoor gear and clothing appropriate for conditions
- A nutritious diet including fresh fruits, vegetables, meats, grains, and nuts (fresh water plus fruits and vegetables delivered to students daily)
- Access to heated tents during extreme weather
In the event of a medical emergency, Second Nature maintains direct access to EMS services.