Photo Courtesy Catherine Freer Wilderness Therapy Programs

Membership Criteria

OBHIC is actively seeking new member organizations engaged in outdoor behavioral healthcare to join us in being the leading voice of the outdoor behavioral healthcare industry, working together to share best practices, engage in research and promote treatment excellence.

Organizations wishing to apply for membership will:

1. Be an organization operating a therapeutic program with wilderness expedition as a significant core component of the program.
   
2. The therapeutic program will have licensed clinical oversight of individualized treatment plans.
   
3. The program will be licensed by the state where this option exists for the organization.
   
4. The organization is prepared to endorse and commit in writing on an annual basis to uphold the OBHIC Mission, OBHIC Philosophical and Ethical Standards and OBHIC Statement of Best Practices.
   
5. The organization is prepared, upon approval for membership, to pay the annual dues approved by majority vote of the membership and commit to provide senior management attendance at two meetings per year.

Membership Application Process:

1. Download and complete the membership application. Include as appendices copies of the organization/program’s state licensing/certification and/or accreditation, an organizational chart, title page of liability insurance, program promotional material, copy of land use and other permits, and a letter of recommendation from a program participant in good standing. Submit the application package as a completed electronic copy in pdf format to andreab@redcliffascent.com.

2. The Membership Committee will review the application and follow up with any questions of clarification. Provided the application is complete and the applicant organization appears to meet the five membership criteria set out above, the applicant will be invited to attend the soonest OBHIC meeting, during which the applicant will have an opportunity to speak to the merits of their application. The member organizations shall each cast one vote on a motion to accept the applicant as a Provisional member, requiring a plurality of 50% plus one.

3. A new membership commences as a Provisional Membership for a period of one year, with a Provisional Membership fee of $500 payable upon acceptance.

4. At the OBHIC meeting one year after Provisional Membership commenced, the full members of OBHIC shall each cast one vote on a motion to approve the provisional member as a full member.

5. Full member dues are payable upon acceptance to full membership. There is a “Low Census Program Dues Reduction” equal to 50% reduction for programs with fewer than 2,500 service days, and a 25% reduction for programs with fewer than 5,000 service days.

Special Circumstances

1. Programs which terminate membership in good financial standing and have not changed membership may be considered for re-instatement of full membership immediately upon re-application for membership.

2. Member Programs which change ownership to a non-OBHIC member, will first be considered for Provisional Membership.

3. Programs which abandon membership while owing dues may apply for provisional membership after becoming current in past bad debt.

4. Member programs which fail to meet their obligations (are absent for more than one meeting consecutively OR non-payment of dues) shall be moved to inactive status and the organization’s name removed from the list of member programs. Programs which subsequently wish to return to active membership must become current on dues, attend a meeting, and be accepted back to active membership by a majority vote of the full members of OBHIC. (Note: Participation by teleconference does not qualify as attendance at a meeting.)