Wilderness Therapy Field Mentor

We’re a small company that focuses on supporting and developing the people that work here. Many of our field mentors come to their training week having no significant outdoor experience. Every individual has a unique perspective to offer and can learn how to live outside in the wilderness. Our team is, first and foremost, filled with people who care and people who want to grow and aid in the growth of others. You don’t need to come with years of outdoor experience or years of experience working in a therapeutic setting. As a team, we pride ourselves in being able to teach the skills necessary to do the job. As a Field Mentor, your coworkers and management team are focused on building you up and providing you with the space to succeed in the work that we do. Some of the things that differentiate us:

• Welcoming Community & Treatment Team - Elements is an intimate and owner-operated program. This allows us to maintain our primary focus on the clients. As a Mentor, you will work alongside founders and owners out in the field. Mentors work closely with therapists to help implement the treatment plan designed for each client, while maintaining the big picture for the whole group. 
• Social Emotional Skill Building - Our approach is focused on social-emotional skill-building and decision-making. We utilize Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) and The 7 Challenges model. Of note, we are not a 12-Step nor abstinence-based program. Instead, we challenge clients to identify what role certain choices/substances were playing in their lives and to explore new ways of operating instead.
• Wilderness Centered - We seek to use the wilderness as an active piece of the therapeutic process, not just the setting in which we live. Living outside, hiking, making fire, and carving spoons, all present struggles. In those struggles, we look for and find opportunities for growth.
• Adventure Programming Model (AP): AP is a unique way for clients to engage with the program and practice new skills in a concrete way. We have separate, certified staff who facilitate the technical aspects of adventure activities. That said, Mentors are supervising and participating the whole time as well. Our goal is that AP is built seamlessly into the flow of the week, both logistically and therapeutically.

Job Overview

As a Field Mentor for Elements, you are the foundation of our program. You are a teacher, outdoor educator, parent, friend, advocate, and role model. Our primary responsibility is to keep our clients physically and emotionally safe. We provide a space for them to be challenged and grow while learning and practicing new skills through the experience of living with a group of peers and mentors in the wilderness. As a Field Mentor, you will facilitate group therapy sessions, outdoor skills clinics, one-on-one conversations, lead hikes, teach coping skills, and run mindfulness activities (among other things!). You will build meaningful relationships with our clients, and will guide them in all facets of our program. As a Field Mentor, you are part of a collaborative treatment team, working closely each week with a clinical therapist and a team of your peers to facilitate a productive therapeutic experience for each client.

Schedule

• 8 days on / 6 days off 
  • Field Mentors sleep outside for 8 days in a row Tuesday to Tuesday. On your off shift of 6 days, you’re on your own to adventure or scroll TikTok at your leisure. 
  • A typical week consists of:
    • Backpacking 3-4 times (distances averaging 1 to 5 miles)
    • Cooking on a fire
    • Outdoor skills learning, practice, and teaching
    • Adventure activities (a day of climbing/rappelling/fly-fishing/or something else!)
    • Therapeutic groups
    • One-on-one check-ins with clients
    • Layover days for clients to work on assignments and wilderness skills

Upcoming Field Mentor Trainings: June 22-29, August 11-18, September 8-15, October 13-20

Special Benefits

• Training/Signing bonus up to $1000
• Paid Time Off - two full shifts a year which translates to two 20-day vacations.
• Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance - 75% paid by the company after 30-day waiting period
• Retention bonuses
• Access to a Professional Development Fund
  • With a commitment, get money to attend a class that promotes your own professional development
• Pro Deal Discounts on Gear
• Wilderness First Responder course - paid for!
• Within the first year of employment, you can earn up to $3750 in incentives

Minimum Requirements

• At least 20 years of age
• Legally eligible to work in the United States
• Basic First Aid and CPR Certification (not necessary to apply)
• Ability to hike with ~40lbs on your back
• Growth mindset
• Willing and able to give and receive feedback
• Ability to empathize and show compassionate care