“They need acres, not medicine” – Benton MacKaye, 1921
When he was conceptualizing the Appalachian Trail, Benton MacKaye considered how people found relief from mental illness by spending time in nature. He wrote that “Many of these sufferers can be cured, but not merely by ‘treatment.’ They need acres, not medicine.”
Here at Oliverian, with the AT in our backyard, it’s pretty easy to agree with MacKaye. Many of our students have benefitted from therapy and treatment programs and that success is a beginning, not an end point. After struggling in school, managing anxiety, or overcoming personal challenges, the next step in growth is learning how to live well. Surrounded by thousands of acres of forest and farmland our staff and students grow things, climb cliffs, hike mountains, paddle lakes and rivers, eat nourishing meals, laugh, make music, and learn together.
We do all of this within the context of community – challenging students while also reinforcing a sense of safety key to human growth and well-being. Our experiential model allows students to rewrite old mental models from earlier experiences that may have been traumatic or unhealthy, fostering resiliency, emotional connection, and healthy relationships – all critical to an enjoyable, successful life
This is NOT easy! The ever-present pull of smartphones, screens, and the “comfort zone” is a challenge. The familiar is not a place where growth happens, so doing hard things with ongoing support is a large part of our process at Oliverian. Our students know they will have to be uncomfortable, unsure, and vulnerable at times to learn through living because living can be hard. Yet living can also be fun, curious, exploring, mischievous, rebellious, creative, intelligent, and loving. We do our best to create moments full of the best, most joyful parts of being human, informed by a culture that stresses zest for life as a key ingredient to lifelong learning and success.That zest is found in acres, not medicine. It is found in our community at Oliverian.
— Becs Zelis, MS, MFA, NBC-HWC – Counselor/Teacher
