An Important Component of Treatment
Recreation is a matter of choice. These choices are made based on expected results, whether that is fun, challenge, learning, improved health, relaxation, or others. The teenage years have always been a time to experiment. Often, that experimentation involves unhealthy recreation which is attractive to teenagers because it may be new, taboo, exciting, and doesn’t require a lot of forethought. The recreation program at Island View opens up doors to healthy forms of recreation. Certified fitness instructors implement cardiovascular and strength training activities six days a week. Students measure their improvement in strength and endurance through performance tests conducted every twelve weeks. Connections are made between regular, healthy levels of exercise and more stable mental health. Island View offers a myriad of other recreational activities as well. From skiing Utah’s “best snow on earth” and rafting whitewater in Wyoming to bowling with friends and eating out, students are exposed to healthy forms of recreation. And we emphasize learning skills that maintain those interests in the future, whether it be reading a map to find a theatre or doing the math to tip the guide.
Island View’s activity program is carefully integrated with other “food groups.” What may be difficult to accomplish in a formal therapy session or in a challenging math class may meet far less resistance if it comes on the heels of a successful completion of a high ROPES initiative course or finishing a two day hike in the red rock of Southern Utah.