860-201-7955 edthorney1951@gmail.com
Who are our clients?
Public and private school administrators contract with us to mentor particular students they are concerned about - usually for displaying social/emotional struggles that are counterproductive to learning.
Parents, teachers and administrators of the same children also become clients because we operate from a systems approach to change. An extended family system becomes centralto the support we all need to make subtle but deliberate changes in our own behavior, knowing that these changes make it possible for the child to make changes.
Concerned parents that are frustrated that previous approaches to help their child may not have been effective and are looking for a style of counseling that their child will want to participate in!
Outdoor Educators and Therapists looking for advanced training in Wilderness Therapy seek our services to learn how to further their professional opportunity.
Schools looking to expand outdoor adventure education within their curriculum
Organizations of all types that are seeking relevant, meaningful workshops that promote cultural development through empathy and effective communications.
Ed Thorney is a 40 year veteran therapeutic wilderness guide and a certified Gestalt psychotherapist. The term Wilderness Therapy is appropriate although the majority of his work is done close to home and during the day. He is the founder of Wilderness Therapy and Mentoring LLC in Lakeville, CT. Ed works with schools and does private practice for individuals and families.
Testimonial: Please accept the following recommendation for the mentoring services offered by Ed Thorney:
Ed has been working with my son for almost a year now, and our experiences with him have been excellent. My 17-year-old son suffered a tragic loss last fall that left him feeling very alone and angry. Ed has worked with him through outdoors and music therapy to help him find as Ed calls it “a better place”.
We had tried traditional psychotherapy and it was not at all successful, mainly due to my son’s resistance to the whole clinical environment. Ed’s unique approach is much more suitable to teenagers, I believe, because he puts them immediately at ease. Having the therapy/mentoring take place out of doors removes the whole “I am the expert and you are the troubled kid” atmosphere, and sets the stage for a more open dialog between Ed and the client.
Ed’s approach is very simple – you are in a bad place now, let’s talk about where you want to be, and then some of the steps you can take to get there. This approach works very well for teens, but I imagine it would be successful for people of any age who find themselves caught up in an unhealthy situation and want to change.
From a parent’s perspective also, I find Ed to be wonderful at communicating with me, without violating the trust he has built with my son. Also, Ed is very accessible and responsive. He gets back to both my son and me right away whenever we contact him via phone or email.
I recommend Ed highly for any counseling work, but especially for working with teens in crisis. Feel free to contact me at any time for more information. Thank you,
Heidi M. Johnson
(845) 392-4348