Facility profile Utah

Second Nature Wilderness Program

Formerly Second Nature Uintas

Also known as Second Nature Therapeutic Program

Open Duchesne, Utah

Second Nature Wilderness Program is a wilderness therapy in Duchesne, Utah. It has operated since 1998.

About Second Nature Wilderness Program

It was founded by Cheryl Kehl and Devan Glissmeyer.source It was run by Second Nature Wilderness Family Therapy, LLC.source

Its address was 382 W. Main Street, Duchesne, UT 84021.source It cost about $500 per day.source 8-10 weeks reported by program, 12-16 weeks reported by survivors.source Owners reorganized programs into two companies: Second Nature Entrada & Cascades and Second Nature Uintas & Blue Ridge.source

It cost nearly $500 a day.source HEAL says it uses the same Positive Control Systems methods as Eagle Ranch Academy and WWASPS.source It locations include Duchesne, Utah (Uintas), Santa Clara, Utah (Evoke/Entrada), Bend, Oregon (Evoke/Cascades) and Clayton, Georgia (Blue Ridge Wilderness).source

It joined NATSAP in 1999.source It was a member of NATSAP (Brad M. Reedy sits on its board).source It was a member of NATSAP.source

Survivor testimony

What people who lived or worked here say happened. Survivors' own words are published with their permission; forum accounts are what was posted publicly and are reported as claims, not findings.

Reported on survivor forums

Timeline

From the records: who ran it and the deals that moved it, its names, and the deaths, incidents, inspection findings, lawsuits and news stories on file. Point at an event, or tap "More about this", for the details.

199820122013201720192021202219982022

  1. 1998

    1. Opened

      Opened in Duchesne, Utah

  2. 2012

    1. Lawsuit

      King v. Second Nature

      King v. Second Nature

      Plaintiffs filed a lawsuit against Second Nature - Cascades, Inc., and individual defendants alleging violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act. The parties reached a confidential settlement agreement, which the court reviewed and approved after briefing on public access. Subsequently, the parties filed a notice of voluntary dismissal, and the court dismissed the case with prejudice.

      Outcome: The case was dismissed with prejudice following the court's approval of the confidential settlement agreement.

      Court
      District Court, D. Oregon
      Case number
      6:12-cv-00007
      Status
      Dismissed

      All lawsuits on record

  3. 2013

    1. IncidentJune 2013

      Lawsuit

      In June 2013 a former resident and his father filed a complaint against the program and its transport company Right Direction Crisis Intervention alleging...

      Lawsuit June 2013

      In June 2013 a former resident and his father filed a complaint against the program and its transport company Right Direction Crisis Intervention alleging false imprisonment, assault and other claims; the case was deemed in default in 2015.

      source

  4. 2017

    1. Lawsuit

      Frederic Yeomans IV v. Discovery Ranch, Inc.

      Frederic Yeomans IV v. Discovery Ranch, Inc.

      Frederic Yeomans IV, an Arizona resident, filed a complaint against Discovery Ranch, Inc., a Utah residential treatment facility. The plaintiff alleges that the facility failed to adequately screen and supervise another resident, resulting in repeated sexual assault of the plaintiff while enrolled.

      Outcome: Related federal case 2:17-cv-00768 (D. Utah) dismissed without prejudice Dec 14, 2017.

      Court
      Fourth Judicial District Court, Utah County, Spanish Fork Division
      Status
      Dismissed

      All lawsuits on record

  5. 2019

    1. Incident

      Abuse

      In 2019 a staff member was fired after a DHS report that he verbally abused two teenagers.

      Abuse

      source

    2. Lawsuit

      lawsuit

      lawsuit

      Parents filed a lawsuit against a residential treatment center alleging breach of contract and breach of fiduciary duty after their daughter was administered an excessive dosage of prescription medication and subjected to isolation during her placement.

      Outcome: Trial court orders granting motions to dismiss without prejudice affirmed.

      Court
      Court of Appeals of North Carolina
      Case number
      COA18-1158
      Status
      Unknown

      All lawsuits on record

  6. 2021

    1. In the newsJune 29, 2021

      Provo Canyon School Closure

      1 article in Refinery29.

      Provo Canyon School Closure June 29, 2021

      Multiple survivors have come forward with allegations of emotional, physical, and psychological abuse within various residential treatment facilities and behavioral modification programs.

  7. 2022

    1. IncidentReported September 2022

      Abuse

      HEAL said it had received over 25 e-mail reports from families and survivors alleging abuse and violations at the program.

      Abuse Reported September 2022

      HEAL said it had received over 25 e-mail reports from families and survivors alleging abuse and violations at the program. (HEAL, staff list for Second Nature Wilderness Program(s) (archived 2022-09-26))

As Second Nature

Lawsuits

  • King v. Second Nature 2012 | Dismissed | District Court, D. Oregon | 6:12-cv-00007 Names this facility

    Outcome: The case was dismissed with prejudice following the court's approval of the confidential settlement agreement.

    Plaintiffs filed a lawsuit against Second Nature - Cascades, Inc., and individual defendants alleging violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act. The parties reached a confidential settlement agreement, which the court reviewed and approved after briefing on public access. Subsequently, the parties filed a notice of voluntary dismissal, and the court dismissed the case with prejudice.

As Second Nature Wilderness Program

Incidents on record

  1. Reported September 2022 Abuse

    HEAL said it had received over 25 e-mail reports from families and survivors alleging abuse and violations at the program. (HEAL, staff list for Second Nature Wilderness Program(s) (archived 2022-09-26))

Lawsuits

  • lawsuit 2019 | Unknown | Court of Appeals of North Carolina | COA18-1158 Names this facility

    Outcome: Trial court orders granting motions to dismiss without prejudice affirmed.

    Parents filed a lawsuit against a residential treatment center alleging breach of contract and breach of fiduciary duty after their daughter was administered an excessive dosage of prescription medication and subjected to isolation during her placement. The trial court granted the defendant's motions to dismiss the claims under Rule 12(b)(6), concluding that the claims arose from medical treatment and constituted medical malpractice. On appeal, the North Carolina Court of Appeals affirmed the trial court's dismissal of the claims.

  • Frederic Yeomans IV v. Discovery Ranch, Inc. 2017 | Dismissed | Fourth Judicial District Court, Utah County, Spanish Fork Division Names this facility

    Outcome: Related federal case 2:17-cv-00768 (D. Utah) dismissed without prejudice Dec 14, 2017.

    Frederic Yeomans IV, an Arizona resident, filed a complaint against Discovery Ranch, Inc., a Utah residential treatment facility. The plaintiff alleges that the facility failed to adequately screen and supervise another resident, resulting in repeated sexual assault of the plaintiff while enrolled. The complaint asserts claims of negligence, negligent infliction of emotional distress, medical negligence, and sexual abuse. The plaintiff seeks relief for physical and psychological harm.

Every case in the lawsuit directory

Incidents on record

  1. June 2013 Lawsuit

    In June 2013 a former resident and his father filed a complaint against the program and its transport company Right Direction Crisis Intervention alleging false imprisonment, assault and other claims; the case was deemed in default in 2015.source

  2. 2019 Abuse

    In 2019 a staff member was fired after a DHS report that he verbally abused two teenagers.source

  3. Abuse

    Survivors report severe medical neglect, solitary confinement, over-medication, humiliation tactics and restriction of food.source

  4. Injury

    A survivor alleges staff beat a student and that the student has a deformed eye and ocular bone as a result.source

  5. Sexual abuse

    A survivor alleges that a former therapist used Facebook to seek out and sexually abuse a previous patient after leaving the program.source

News coverage

  • Refinery29 Jun 29, 2021 Expose

    An Examination of Allegations and Practices Within the Troubled Teen Industry

    Multiple survivors have come forward with allegations of emotional, physical, and psychological abuse within various residential treatment facilities and behavioral modification programs. Former residents report practices including involuntary transport, isolation, forced labor, and peer-to-peer shaming sessions, prompting increased public scrutiny of the troubled teen industry.

  • Woodbury Reports Nov 1, 1999 General

    Seen 'n Heard, 11/1999 - Short news clips about Special Schools & Programs

    This industry news compilation reports on staff movements, program updates, and administrative changes across various private residential schools and wilderness programs. It includes a financial investigation involving an executive at an Idaho and Hawaii-based teen-reform program, alongside updates on program length reductions and clinical model adjustments at other facilities.

1 article about celebrities and viral stories

  • Yahoo News Dec 23, 2025 Expose

    Inside the Wilderness Rehab That Changed Nick Reiner Forever

    Nick Reiner, son of Rob Reiner, attended a wilderness therapy program in Utah as a teenager. Former attendees have described harsh living conditions and emotional mistreatment at the program. Nick Reiner has spoken about the negative impact the program had on his life, including introducing him to heroin. His parents have expressed regret over their decision to send him to the program.

Videos

Link to Nate's Survivor Testimony Watch on YouTube

Staff

Administration

Notable staff

Rules and practices

Practices

  • Seclusion or isolation
  • Level system
  • Strip searches
  • Confrontation groups
  • Limits on contact with family

Licensing and inspections

Licensed as
Second Nature Therapeutic Program, LLC
License category
Outdoor Youth Program
Licensed capacity
60
License expires
05/31/2027
Licensing action
Licensed
Phone on file
4357382040
Licensed address
382 W Main St, Duchesne, UT, 84021

20 inspection reports on file. Search all Utah reports

Every report, by date

Connections on the network map

The companies, people and programs our research map ties to this program. Open it on the network map.

Other staff

Ownership

  • Second Nature Uintas & Blue Ridge

Documents

Documents on file (10)
Woodbury Reports Mentions (10)

Research that mentions this program

The whole research library

From the Unsilenced archive

124 documents about Second Nature Wilderness Program that Unsilenced collected and Kids Over Profits does not hold a copy of. They open on Unsilenced's Google Drive. Their whole folder: Second Nature Wilderness.

Documents (124)

Wiki entries

Materials and links

External links

Survivor posts and discussion

Reference and research

Archived pages

Other links

Record updated . Generated from the Kids Over Profits facility database. Suggest a correction