Elements Wilderness Program Hiring for Wilderness Therapy Field Mentor at Huntington, Utah Full Time

Elements believes everyone belongs outdoors, and we’re committed to providing the gear, training, and safe learning environment to get all future outdoor professionals up and running, regardless of where you’re starting out. As you read the job description below, please keep reading even if (and especially if!) you’re feeling influenced by the confidence gap or imposter syndrome. We’d love to talk to you!

Upcoming Trainings: December 1-8, January 19-26, March 2-9

Job Description

As a Field Mentor for Elements, you are the foundation of our program. You are a teacher, outdoor educator, mentor, friend, advocate, and role model. Our primary responsibility is to keep our clients physically and emotionally safe. We provide a space for them to be challenged and grow while learning and practicing new skills through the experience of living with a group of peers and mentors in the wilderness. As a Field Mentor, you will facilitate group therapy sessions, outdoor skills clinics, one-on-one conversations, lead hikes, teach coping skills, and run mindfulness activities (among other things!). You will build meaningful relationships with our clients, and will guide them in all facets of our program. As a Field Mentor, you are part of a collaborative treatment team, working closely each week with a clinical therapist and a team of your peers to facilitate a productive therapeutic experience for each client.

Schedule

• 8 days on / 6 days off 

  • Field Mentors sleep outside for 8 days in a row Tuesday to Tuesday. On your off shift of 6 days, you’re on your own to adventure or scroll TikTok at your leisure. 

  • A typical week consists of:

    • Backpacking 3-4 times (distances averaging 1 to 5 miles)

    • Cooking on a fire

    • Outdoor skills learning, practice, and teaching

    • Adventure activities (a day of climbing/rappelling/fly-fishing/or something else!)

    • Therapeutic groups

    • One-on-one check-ins with clients

    • Layover days for clients to work on assignments and wilderness skills

Compensation and Benefits

• Training/Signing bonus up to $1000

• Pay starts at $175/day (first 3 weeks) is $180/day thereafter and can reach $240/day

• Paid Time Off – two full shifts a year which translate to two 20-day vacations.

• Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance – 75% paid by the company after a 30-day waiting period

• Retention bonuses

• Access to a Professional Development Fund – with a commitment, get money to pursue personal interests which promote your own professional development

  • Examples include: canyoneering, SPI cert, art therapy, yoga  training, primitive skills, mountain biking, etc

• Pro Deal Discounts on Gear

• Wilderness First Responder course – paid for! 

• If you’ve already got your WFR, you earn an additional signing bonus

• Within the first year of employment, you can earn up to $3750 in incentives (aka extra money).

Required Skills

• Growth mindset

• Willing and able to give and receive feedback

• Ability to empathize and show compassionate care

Qualifications

• At least 20 years of age

• Must pass a background check (not all items on a background check disqualify you)

• Random Drug Screenings

• Legally eligible to work in the United States

• Basic First Aid and CPR Certification (not necessary to apply)

• Ability to hike with ~40lbs on your back

Upcoming Trainings: December 1-8, January 19-26, March 2-9

Our Clients

Elements works with adolescent boys between the ages of 13 and 17 as well as young adults of all genders (typically between 18 and 25 years). Each individual is their own person with their own experiences, perspectives, strengths, and challenges. While the foundation of our program remains the same, we are able to tailor our approach depending on what each person needs. Our clients could be struggling with a variety of emotional or behavioral issues such as, low self-esteem, mood dysregulation, anger and defiance, and poor relationships with friends & family. Many of our clients have begun to experiment with or abuse drugs or alcohol as a result of peer pressure or in an attempt to manage their own uncomfortable emotions. The people we work with will have a wide range of challenges and each person is different. They also have in common the ability to engage in therapy productively, form new, prosocial ways of dealing with life challenges, and enter healthy, independent adulthood.

Life of a Field Mentor

Our field office is centrally located in Utah, allowing staff to choose where they live based on their interests and needs. Like big city vibes with recreation opportunities out your back door like skiing, climbing, biking, hiking, etc? Salt Lake City offers world-class options! Want the sun and sky of desert living? Moab and St George are tucked up against some of the most famous national parks and are both rock climbers’ and mountain bikers’ dream! Grand Junction, Colorado is also within range, and many of our staff don’t limit themselves to a permanent location at all, choosing to live out of their vehicles and roam between adventures far and wide when not at work. Staff can live wherever they want, as long as they arrive to work on Tuesday at 9 am well rested and ready to go. We also provide a mentor bunkhouse, including a shower and small kitchen, that mentors may use at the beginning and end of each shift. Wherever you choose to live, the Elements community is tight knit and finding folks with whom to recreate or hang out during off time is always a possibility. 

Company Culture

We’re a small company that focuses on supporting and developing the people that work here. Many of our field mentors come to their training week having no significant outdoor experience. Every individual has a unique perspective to offer and can learn how to live outside in the wilderness. Our team is, first and foremost, filled with people who care and people who want to grow and aid in the growth of others. You don’t need to come with years of outdoor experience or years of experience working in a therapeutic setting. As a team, we pride ourselves in being able to teach the skills necessary to do the job. As a Field Mentor, your coworkers and management team are focused on building you up and providing you with the space to succeed in the work that we do.

Elements is committed to fostering an inclusive environment for our employees and clients.  We believe our programs will continue to grow as we foster a culture of equity and belonging. Elements is an equal opportunity workplace. All applicants for employment will be considered without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, genetics, or veteran status. We hire people from a wide variety of backgrounds and aim to help them succeed in reaching their personal and professional goals. We strive for an environment where we actively promote curiosity and incorporate principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion with our employees and clients through education and honest dialogue. In doing so, we believe we can provide the most engaging and effective treatment program for our community.

Vision & Mission Statements of Elements

Vision

We envision a world where everyone has the skills and support necessary to live a full and healthy life.

Mission

We provide young people with the most effective and engaging treatment program in the outdoors.