181: York Ast, Parent of a Wilderness Therapy Student

York Ast is the parent of a wilderness therapy student and the membership ambassador for Other Parents Like Me (OPLM.com), an online parent support platform. York shares his family's story of how they learned about wilderness therapy after their son had entered his second inpatient psychiatric stay and continued to struggle. His son would enroll in a wilderness program in Georgia in March 2020. York reveals that everything in their family's life changed due to the timing of the enrollment as the pandemic started and his son began his treatment journey.  York shares the story of his son's battle with anxiety and addiction and how going to two wilderness therapy programs and a therapeutic school helped his son get healthy. York shares how he tried to do all he could to help save his child's life, including leaving his career and becoming active in the recovery community. He has chosen a different path in life by connecting with other parents through York Ast Coaching and becoming the membership ambassador of OPLM. Season 15 of Stories from the Field is focused on parents' stories and is underwritten by Other Parents Like Me (OPLM.com). We are grateful for OPLM.com does to support parents and sponsor this season.