Is Wilderness Therapy in ‘Outer Banks’ Real?

The hit show Outer Banks dropped its third season on February 23, and it’s packed full of drama. With Sarah (Madelyn Cline) going between the lovable but troubled protagonist John B. (Chase Stokes) and her Kook ex-boyfriend Topper (Austin North) while Rafe Cameron (Drew Starkey) becomes the most unhinged person in the whole Outer Banks, it can be hard to keep up. As this is all occurring, the kids’ lives are, once again, pursued by adults, and Big John comes back into the picture with unexpected repercussions resulting from the long-awaited reunion. In fact, as they discover during the season, the kids and their parents have some seriously looming consequences of their adventures.

Truthfully, at times, this script is as melodramatic as its cast is beautiful.

RELATED: ‘Outer Banks’ Season 3 Cast & Character Guide: Who’s Returning and Who’s New to the Netflix Hit

While the show seems to go between fun team drama and Uncharted-like treasure hunt story, there’s one pervasive theme: the parents (except for Pope’s mom and dad) are pretty awful, and the kids are most certainly not all right. Although the group brings many issues upon itself, a few problems arise that are just questionable parenting. There are several examples of obviously awful parenting, like Big John (Charles Halford) disappearing, leaving his child alone for a year in pursuit of treasure, or JJ’s (Rudy Pankow) abusive convict father, Luke (Gary Weeks), or any of the absentee moms (seriously, where are Sarah and Rafe’s mom?), but in terms of possibly “misguided” parenting, there is one glaring example that’s touched on in Season 3 that media outlets have to talk about, and it’s not melodramatic at all.

Kitty Hawk and Places Like It

Kiara (portrayed by Madison Bailey), the Kook-born child of a Pogue that prefers to hang out with the top boys of Poguelandia, has a set of parents that have become desperate. Mike (Marland Burke) and Anna Carrera (Samantha Soule) are fed up with Kiara’s disappearances and rebelliousness, and one certainly cannot blame them. Last season, the citizens of Poguelandia disappeared for days with no word home to determine whether they were even alive. They don’t know what to do and make it clear to Kiara by threatening to send her to wilderness therapy as the season progresses. Kiara repeatedly refuses, so they enlist two goons to take her by force to a facility called “Kitty Hawk.” Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, is a town in the Outer Banks region of the state where the show takes place. So, while Kitty Hawk as a facility to send at-risk youth to does not exist, its inclusion in Outer Banks represents a real issue, while its name is a clear nod to the OBX town.

By making a facility like Kitty Hawk a part of this season’s central plot, Outer Banks opened up a discussion that has gained much-needed attention over the last few years. Wilderness therapy is part of a highly profitable business that’s referred to as the “Troubled Teen Industry.” The National Youth Rights Association defines the Troubled Teen Industry by “several different names — boot camps, behavior modification facilities, wilderness therapy, gay conversion — but they are all marketed to parents who feel like they need to change their child’s behavior.”

These camps are real, and it is possible to have children ambushed and taken against their will to these facilities, just like Kiara was. Some teens’ experiences were even more traumatic in that they were “kidnapped” from their homes in the middle of the night to be taken to a behavioral modification facility. In the process, the facility’s administrators force the teens to cut off all contact with the outside world in the name of “tough love.” Wilderness camps can cost up to $50,000 for a child’s stay, which insurance typically does not cover. As a result, it’s common for families who choose to take these extreme measures for their child to attend these camps, like refinancing or selling their homes. The Troubled Teen Industry profits billions of dollars a year, with little regulation to them, if any. Counselors may have varying degrees of training, but with no regulation, some have none.

There have been countless reports of survivors detailing varying forms of abuse, including emotional, physical, and sexual abuse. To make matters worse, survivors commonly report that the camp’s facilitators heavily monitor communication with the outside world, so often, being able to make mention of the inhumane treatment to families isn’t an option.

‘OBX’ Is Not the First Mention of the Troubled Teen Industry in Mainstream Media

Believe it or not, the picture that Outer Banks paints of this industry is a rosy one. The issue was relatively underreported until Paris Hilton came forward with her experience in the 2020 documentary This is Paris. In the documentary, Hilton describes her stay in the Troubled Teen Industry, particularly her harrowing experiences at the Provo Canyon School in Utah. Hilton explained instances of abuse and abuse of power on the part of the school’s administrators. Since Hilton came forward, thousands of people have divulged the dehumanizing treatment of the Troubled Teen Industry in the news and on social media.

The frightening thing about this business is that it appears to use outright trickery to market its services to parents that feel hopeless. Kathy Hilton would later open up about her decision to send Paris Hilton to the Provo Canyon School and described it as an attempt to help her child. Given the amount of money often required to send children to these programs, it is clear that parents make this decision with the best intention, hoping to save their children from going down the wrong path.

In Outer Banks, JJ is able to save Kiara from the facility by tricking an administrator into believing her cat (who does not exist) has passed away. It’s a funny moment as the crafty JJ does what he seems to have quite a knack for: help his friends by any means necessary. To maintain the show’s vibe, Kiara’s time in the troubled teen industry only lasts a day and, thankfully, does not end up being too traumatic. However, in so doing, Outer Banks shined a critical light on a topic that needs more attention in a way that’s nuanced and well-woven into its plotline, and that, no matter how dramatic other areas of the script are, is how you make influential TV.

All three seasons of Outer Banks are currently available to stream on Netflix.