CWEY is located in Wrangell Alaska. With concerns growing about the number of children being sent out of state for services, it is comforting for families to know that there is an option for their child to remain in state. Our program was developed to address the specific needs of Alaskan families and we pride ourselves in being able to provide services to remote rural families.

Because of the program’s therapeutic emphasis and Alaska Island Community Services recognition as a State of Alaska qualified Community Mental Health Center, many health insurance plans, including Medicaid, will pay part or all of the cost of this program.

CWEY has a very high field staff to participant ratio. Groups run at a maximum ratio of 1 staff for every 3 participants. High risk activities (either emotional or physical) are run at a 1-2 ratio. This far exceeds the industry standard where you can find field ratios as high as 1-5.

The average age of CWEY staff is 34. All guides are professionals who have dedicated themselves to the field of wilderness rehabilitation services. Staff members are trained in advanced wilderness first aid, river and lake canoe instructor level certification, Wilderness Emergency Response, river rescue, addiction treatment training, youth instruction, crisis management training and sexual abuse training.

We attract the very best in the field. This is in part due to the exciting work environment that we operate in, that being Alaska, but also because we provide remuneration and benefits that reflects our staffs high skill level and unique talents. We want staff that has a large portfolio of life skills to draw from.

CWEY provides more therapy and psycho-education than other wilderness programs; however, we still maintain a culture of joy, wonder, play and fun. We believe it's all right to have fun while exploring inner regions in the outer world.