Explorations

For over 30 years, Explorations has offered therapeutic transitional residential living for teens Students interview prior to admission.

Explorations offers a unique and time-tested residential transition program for adolescents. Teens who are a good fit for Explorations often have completed an intervention experience prior to coming to us and/or have been recommended by educational and mental health professionals in their communities who are familiar with our services. We serve only a small and select number of students at a time

in an effort to provide the most individualized experience possible. Students who live at Explorations learn and practice skills necessary to prepare for their next life step within a system of support and accountability. Explorations' students may transition back to their home, enroll in college, transfer to a traditional boarding school or enter the work force after leaving Explorations. How do we accomplish this? Our HomeBase Residential Transition offering immerses teens into regular life situations while living in a healthy home-like atmosphere. "Real life in real time" as we like to say. Students learn real life skills, participate in academics, are involved in recreational and extra-curricular activities and receive therapeutic support. Every day life challenges are supported with nurturing, yet firm, guidance and support of adult mentors. Students build confidence in their abilities while learning how to manage situations that don't always turn out as planned. Students practice problem-solving as well as appropriate communication. Individual and family therapy addresses both the individual needs of the student as well as helps support healthy relationships between family members. ACADEMICS
Individualized academics are built around student strengths and areas that may need remediation. Options may include:
*customized remote instruction for mid-semester credit recovery
* individualized tutoring
* enrollment at a public high school
* dual enrollment in college courses
* volunteer experiences that augment classroom and interests
* certifications and trainings
* career counseling, SAT/ACT testing, ASVAB testing
* involvement in extra-curricular activities

LIFE SKILLS
Students learn life skills as taught by our talented and experienced team. Students learn basic home skills such as nutrition and food preparation, laundering clothing, basic home maintenance and organization, lawn care, animal care, gardening and etiquette when sharing space with others. In addition to these skills, students practice interpersonal skills such as appropriate communication, self-advocacy, time management, self-accountability, social skills, personal hygiene, and involvement in one's community. Our real life model aims to arm its students with the tools necessary to make positive choices in their lives, long after they complete the program. Life can be messy and it is our hope that our students learn to navigate these moments with a variety of skills just as well as they navigate moments of success. COMMUNICATION
Explorations communicates with parents regularly to provide updates. Therapists also contact parents to discuss family therapy issues and schedule teletherapy family sessions on a regular basis. Students call or video-call parents a minimum of weekly. ACTIVITIES
Explorations students are involved in a variety of healthy recreational pursuits! Students may join extra-curricular school offerings that interest them. Weekends and summer offer the opportunity to enjoy our beautiful surroundings by hiking or canoeing. Certification trainings are often offered during the summer such as Advanced First Aid. PARENT INVOLVEMENT
Scheduled events are held at Explorations that are designed to provide parent education, to strengthen student-parent relationships and provide opportunities for our parents to join in their child's life at Explorations. Parents are encouraged to visit. Parent involvement is an important part of this unique living and learning environment! MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES
Individual and family therapy is available to all participants and provided by licensed professionals in our community. Our students are seen by a psychiatrist for ongoing medication management. Parent coaching is available for parents upon enrollment and throughout a student's stay.

08/15/2024

Still makes us laugh!!!

08/13/2024

🦀🦀🦀

08/12/2024

In case ya missed it…..we ended the summer in style!

08/12/2024

Students capped off their summer with an amazing trip cruising the San Juan Islands off the Washington coast!

Blue skies, amazing sunsets, crab catching….it was an amazing end to Explorations’ 33rd Summer Adventure Experience! Again, we extend our thanks to co-founder Lorne Riddell for coming out of retirement to offer this experience to yet another group of teens!

08/03/2024

🔷THE REVEAL: SAILING IN THE SAN JUAN ISLANDS🔷

Our students are closing out their summer trips with some time sailing in the San Juan Islands. Explorations co-founder, Lorne Riddell, came off the bench to share his sailing expertise with our students! Thank you to Lorne for offering his time to create this exceptional finish to an amazing summer of adventures!

08/02/2024

🔷MYSTERY TRIP REVEAL🔷
🔷CLUE #3🔷

Out of retirement, back in the game,
A long time contributor, well-known by name.

Captain, Oh Captain; with passion to serve,
Doing what he enjoys with purpose and verve!

08/02/2024

🔷MYSTERY TRIP REVEAL🔷
🔷CLUE #2🔷

No motors here, just nature’s force,
With charts, winches, anchor and wind as your course.

Harnessing the breeze, with canvas held tight,
An adventure on water, the journey feels right!

08/02/2024

🔷MYSTERY TRIP REVEAL🔷
🔷CLUE #1🔷

It’s time to unveil the final trip of the Explorations 2024 Summer Adventure Experience! Drumroll, please……

A long drive will take you, to a place quite sublime,
Not Puerto Rico, but a spot worth your time.

With madrona trees and water all around,
A hidden gem is waiting, where tranquility's found.

08/02/2024

🌸🙂🌸🙂🌸🙂🌸

08/02/2024

Students and outdoor adventure staff enjoyed a float down the river to help escape 100 degree days. They took to the water in kayaks, canoes and a raft and spent the better part of the week floating and enjoying some leisure time along the banks of the river.

Two more events before summer’s end: 1) wilderness first aid training and a MYSTERY TRIP! Stay turned for more details!

07/29/2024

Staff - including our Director, Penny James - and students are taking Wilderness First Aid and CPR this week.

It’s clear to see we are preparing for worst case scenarios!

This is but one of the fantastic offerings taught by . Thanks Katie for another year of helping us keep one another safe in back and front country settings.

07/22/2024

‼️ ALERT ‼️ JAIL BREAK ‼️

Never a dull moment! Night staff were wrangling goats this morning. These rascals are becoming professionals at the task of elopement.

07/22/2024

Good Morning from Montana’s beautiful rivers!

07/22/2024

Kayaking School was a success!

Explorations partnered again this year with Tarkio Kayak Adventures for a spectacular week of kayaking! Tarkio Adventures provides excellent instruction with an emphasis on safety with a big side of FUN!

Wait for the next post -
SUCH
GREAT
KAYAKING

Thanks to Todd at Tarkio for his wonderful instruction! Tarkio Kayak Adventures

07/12/2024

Just a typical night at our place!

07/08/2024

Having served hundreds of students and their families, these are the letters that remind all of us at Explorations why we love the work we do. Thank you for reaching out and sharing. ❤️

06/28/2024

Raft Guide Training was a success!

As a part of our Summer Adventure Curriculum, Explorations students attended raft guide school. Instructed by the amazing team at , students learned how to read the river, rig their boats, and executed basic techniques such as downstream ferrying, exiting eddys and avoiding hazards. Now each participant is skilled in the basics that keep everyone safe while on the river.

Having partnered with for many years, all we can say is thank you for an amazing experience! You guys are the best!

06/22/2024

We take safety seriously!

This week Explorations students were enrolled in a Swift Water Rescue Certification Course and completed white water guide training through Whitewater Rescue Institute.

This is always one of the first experiential adventure units students complete over the summer. This training prepares them for any time on the water over the course of the summer and beyond. The instructors at are top notch and staff and students leave with an invaluable skill set.

More photos to come! It was a great training!

06/21/2024

Relationships at Explorations are at the foundation of everything we do. And Bob is a big helper. He’s a friend to all.

There are days when conversations aren’t easy. Petting Bob is easy. Taking Bob down the driveway in a wheelbarrow isn’t hard. Laughing out loud at Bob’s shenanigans is easy and just makes tough days that much better. That much easier.

All the Explo four-legged friends are wonderful. But today is Bob’s day to shine. (He actually shines every day!) Follow him and his pal Peter on IG so you can watch the joy they bring to so many!

06/20/2024

Day trip!!

Students and staff toured the incomparable Garden of One Thousand Buddhas located on the land of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai tribes of the Flathead Reservation in Arlee, Montana. This beautiful public park and garden also serves as a Buddhist Center! A trip to visit this beautiful spectacle is an immersive cross-cultural experience that one might find hard to believe is possible in rural Montana!

Students and staff enjoyed the beauty of the gardens juxtaposed against the craggy and snow capped Mission Mountains. Everyone decided it’s a great stop for a walk or picnic or flower and mountain gazing.

Thank you for maintaining such a beautiful and serene spot away from the hustle and bustle of life!

06/15/2024

An extraordinary painting created by one of our students that we just had to share!

Your thoughts? Tell us what you think!

09/24/2020

Look who came to visit this week’s presentations by our students! Oh, deer!

09/18/2020

HaPpY FrIDaY!
Be safe out there and have a great weekend!
🙌

09/18/2020

Presentations today!

Explo students are learning remotely this semester like many students across the country. To augment online learning, we have prioritized off campus experiential learning opportunities. As a part of our remote learning curriculum, students give presentations about the highlights of the learning experiences that occurred outside the classroom over the course of the week. It’s such a treat to listen to the impact these experiences have on our students! The experience may be an opportunity to serve others or something you best learn by doing; either way, our students are provided a variety of rich and varied learning platforms this semester. While it’s hard to find a silver lining for COVID, we are enjoying this aspect of learning!

08/22/2020

Gratitude: Sometimes we forget just how lucky we are.

We are fortunate to be able to see and explore wild places and share them with our students. We go to places that simply make your heart expand by just being there. Places that cause you to take pause. Places many others will never see. Now that is good fortune.

The ability to see abundance in our lives versus scarcity helps fuel gratitude. Be grateful. Be thankful. Be reminded how lucky you are.

08/21/2020

Summer has been so great!

08/21/2020

These women!! ❤️

We’d like to shine our staff spotlight on Maggie Riddell, Outdoor Instructor/Residential Counselor and Sarah Polmounter, our Adventure Education Coordinator. These women guided our students through amazing outdoor adventures throughout these summer months. We thank them both for their thoughtful guidance and their commitment to providing opportunities for our students to grow confidence and learn by doing. Thank you, Ladies. We’re lucky to have you!

Address

Trout Creek, MT
59874

Telephone

+14068273863

Website

http://www.explorationsMT.com/

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Videos

Here’s to another year of sports! Go TFalls! #explorations #explo #explostudentsareawesome 📸 Sarah Naegeli @snaegeli18

Throw Back Thursday! We are already counting the days between our summer adventures and snow season! #explo #explorationsmt #explostudentsoutside #explostudentsski #tbt

Just another Montana morning!

Students capped off their summer with an amazing trip cruising the San Juan Islands off the Washington coast! Blue skies, amazing sunsets, crab catching….it was an amazing end to Explorations’ 33rd Summer Adventure Experience! Again, we extend our thanks to co-founder Lorne Riddell for coming out of retirement to offer this experience to yet another group of teens! #explo #explorationsmt #explostudentsoutside #explostudentslearnbydoing #explostudentsonthewater

A little something fun from our last trip! (Unless you’re a crab!🦀) #explo #explorationsmt #explostudentslearnbydoing

🔅WE ARE ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR THE 2024-25 SCHOOL YEAR 🔅 Explorations is a proven and trusted transition program for teens who would benefit from some practice time in the real world before returning to home or enrolling in college or boarding school. With over 30 years of experience, a seasoned and talented staff team and very dynamic and individualized student support, Explorations could be the perfect spot for a teen to build a foundation from which to launch into the next best thing. Our secret sauce is a combination of a strong peer support group, individual and family counseling, strong and experienced adult mentors, academic support, extra-curricular involvement and lots of immersive outdoor rec activities in our beautiful neck of the woods. If you have questions about the incredibly cool things we do and accomplish, please pick up the phone and give us a call! Contact info is in our bio! #explo #explorationsMT #explostudentslearnbydoing #explostudentsandfamily #letsgo #reallifeinrealtime

Check out how GREAT this flower garden pathway turned out! One of our students has taken to weeding and is in the garden - creating these beautiful walkways! #explo #explorationmt #explostudentscontribute #explostudentsinnature

We interrupt our normally scheduled summer program for a soirée at our riverside campsite! Thank you to our fun and fabulous entertainers! #explo #explorationsmt #explostudentshavefun #explostudentsoutside #explostudentsdancethenightaway

Better than Coffee! A snippet of another beautiful morning on the river. To beat our strong heat wave, students have their gear prepped and ready to go at nearly sunrise. 🌅 #explo #explorationsmt #explostudentsgetitdone #explostudentsprepare

Kayaking School was a success! Explorations partnered again this year with Tarkio Kayak Adventures for a spectacular week of kayaking! Tarkio Adventures provides excellent instruction with an emphasis on safety with a big side of FUN! Wait for the next post - SUCH GREAT KAYAKING Thanks to Todd at Tarkio for his wonderful instruction! Tarkio Kayak Adventures #explo #explorationsMT #explostudentsoutside #explostudentslearnbydoing #explostudentsonthewater #explostudentskayak

Here’s what Explorations students learned last week! Experiences like these not only teach lifetime rec skills but build confidence and belief in one’s self. Thank you to Tarkio Kayak Adventures for their safe, FUN, and skillful instruction! #explo #explorationsmt #explostudentsoutside #explostudentslearnbydoing #explostudentsareawesome #explostudentskayak #explostudentsbuildconfidence

It’s all fun and games on a summer day….unless perhaps you’re a fish! #explo #explorationsmt #explostudentsoutside #explostudentsgetitdone #explostudentsdance *USFS lands were not used to harvest this fish*

Just plain FUN! (And check out the safety features! Great job!) #explo #explorationsmt #explostudentsplay #explostudentsoutside

At Explorations, we heat our main house with wood. It’s a more deliberate way of living. It’s a way of life for many families in Montana. And, we all contribute to this simple - but not necessarily easy - feat every year. This weekend, students and staff worked to fill the woodshed. Every student worked diligently on one the their few ‘days off’ to make sure we are toasty warm all winter. Before we begin this activity, there is a safety meeting and all must be wearing appropriate safety gear. Whether stacking, hauling, splitting or making kindling, each student is taught how to do the task and must be ‘checked off’ for proficiency by staff before doing the task. Whether or not any of our students heat their own homes with wood heat in the future, the life skills of contributing, dividing a big task into smaller parts and working as a team are invaluable. #explo #explorationsmt #explostudentswork #explostudentsgetitdone #hewhocutshisownwoodistwicewarmed