Some people hike the Appalachian Trail to clear their minds. Others make the exhausting walk from Georgia to Maine simply to challenge themselves.
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Scott Litton, shown here on the Appalachian Trail in New Hampshire, was part of the first graduating class from the nation’s only undergraduate Wilderness Therapy program at Southwestern Community College. The program is hosted at SCC’s Swain Center. |
For Scott Litton, the “A.T.” was where he got the idea for a new career pathway.
“That really woke me up,” said Litton, a Weaverville native who graduated from North Buncombe High and earned an associate’s degree in the eastern part of the state prior to his Appalachian Trail experience.
“It made me realize I wanted to pursue a career outdoors,” Litton added. “I wanted to spend all my time outside. I found myself wondering as that trip was coming to an end if there was a way I could stay outside.”
Upon finishing the trek, he began looking online for occupations that would allow him to work in the wild. He came across Southwestern Community College’s Outdoor Leadership program, and enrolled in 2011.
In Litton’s final semester at SCC, program coordinator Paul Wolf began the nation’s first undergraduate Wilderness Therapy certificate program, which captured Litton’s attention. He enrolled and gained the necessary skills for helping people work through personal issues in a primitive, outdoor environment. He never missed a day and was part of the program’s inaugural graduating class this spring.
He now uses the skills he learned at SCC while working at the School of Urban and Wilderness Survival – Carolinas in Old Fort.
“I lead eight-day expeditions with at-risk youth,” Litton said. “Some of the populations they have there include high-functioning autism, extreme cases of ADD, ADHD, depression, self-harm, video-game addiction and social anxiety. So these kids are there against their will. Our job is to teach them a set of soft skills that will make them better leaders, better-equipped socially and teach them a mentality of putting the group ahead of themselves.”
Litton credited Wolf with preparing him well for his new vocation.
“I was leaps and bounds ahead of everyone else who started the same time as me,” Litton said. “Something as simple as the knots and hitches Paul taught us or some of the therapeutic models and approaches; it all prepared me … It just put me steps ahead of everyone else who started at the same time.”
All of Litton’s wilderness treks are taken through the Pisgah National Forest. Participants are taught how to start (or “bust”) fires with a bow-drill and leave no trace as they journey through the wild.
“One of the most effective ways to help people transform their lives is through Wilderness Therapy,” Wolf said. “We’re seeing more of a demand nationwide for outdoor enthusiasts who are qualified to help lead the type of life-changing expeditions that Scott does with the School of Urban and Wilderness Survival – Carolinas. He absorbed everything we taught him, was extremely diligent in his preparation, and I know he’s doing an excellent job for the young people in his care.”
While on the treks, Litton notices huge changes in the youngsters.
Each participant journals during personal reflection time, and the field staff helps each boy and girl work toward individualized therapeutic goals that were set by therapists beforehand.
“We do ‘truth circles’ every night where we all get around a fire and talk,” Litton said. “You hear kids say personal things in front of the fire. One time I remember a kid looked at me and just said, ‘I wish my parents talked to me the way you do.’
“I firmly believe in the power of the wilderness,” he added. “If you can put a person in the right wilderness setting with the right support group where they’re both emotionally and physically supported, really incredible changes can occur.”
For more information about SCC’s Outdoor Leadership program and the Wilderness Therapy certificate, contact Wolf at 828.366.2003 or pjwolf@southwesterncc.edu.
