
With its sweeping desert vistas, millions of acres of public lands to hike through and parent-friendly laws around who can make medical decisions for teenagers, Utah became known as the place to send so-called “troubled teens” for wilderness therapy. For decades, the state fostered the growth of an industry that made its money on a promise that time spent in the outdoors — and far away from home — would help a child struggling with behavioral issues or substance abuse. But the wilderness therapy industry is now struggling in a...