According to a number of authors, character is dead. On their view, the evidence is in, and all of our attempts to inculcate character in our students have not only failed, but are in fact destined to fail for various reasons. They base their conclusions in part on a number of experimental results that have been obtained since the 1920s,…

Gunther and Diekema (2006) have described a controversial intervention they provided to Ashley, a 6-year-old girl with profound and multiple impairments, which they refer to as "growth-attenuation therapy." This intervention, approved and apparently promoted by the parents, consisted of high doses of estrogen to bring about a permanent attenuation…

The anthropomorphic paradigm in psychology and psychotherapy has prevented nature from being considered a factor in the curative relationship in adventure therapy. The effectiveness of therapeutic interventions are credited instead to human factors such as program design and facilitation. A paradigm shift is needed in adventure therapy to accept…

Described is a new approach to family therapy which treats emotional problems by exploring here-and-now interpersonal relationships within the basic human group. This approach portends a drastic revision of the role that psychotherapy should play in our society. (Author/KC)

Creativity is the ultimate therapeutic experience because it validates the creator's abilities and allows the risk taking that enables growth. An adventure therapy session involving a group of recovering adult substance abusers illustrates how creativity is used to organize the group, determine the group's needs, generate meaning, and translate…

Historical and present-day ideas concerning recovery of higher brain functions and cognitive retraining after traumatic brain injury are considered. Clinical guidelines for helping patients understand and compensate for residual higher cerebral deficits are suggested. A holistic- or milieu-oriented program is considered the most helpful…

Reports on a therapeutic program for juvenile offenders that uses drum playing and drum building to provide alternatives for youth activities. Drums play five important roles for youth: creating a sense of community, reconnecting with history and heritage, promoting healing, educating, and celebrating victories or rites of passage. Provides…

When speech language pathologists collaborate with classroom teachers to develop language rich environments with many reading, writing, speaking, and listening opportunities, they increase the likelihood that the goals of therapy for language-impaired children will be supported throughout the school day. (Author/DB)

One of marital and family therapy's key contributions to counseling is its use of systems theory; that is, studying a phenomenon in relation to its context. This paper addresses several contexts which will influence marriage and family counseling: (1) the future of psychotherapy; (2) marriage and family counseling's projected future; and (3) the…

The integrated ecology program at World Peace University (Washington) uses a therapeutic approach to environmental awareness that enables participants to connect with nature and fill the sensory voids that encourage apathy, dysfunction, and dependencies. Suggests personal difficulties result from the difference between how nature works and the way…

Outdoor leaders should address emotional safety and anxiety in program planning and reconsider the common practice of pushing participants, particularly troubled youth, out of comfort zones by purposefully increasing perceived risk. An alternative model of adventure education is proposed in which the greatest amount of change and growth comes from…

A young man who completed Project Adventure's Legacy Program for young sex offenders in Georgia explains how group therapy and adventure programming help participants understand their behaviors and develop empathy for their victims. A follow-up program uses adventure to develop healthy living habits, requires completion of high school or GED, and…

In the United Kingdom, no outdoor practitioner is working as a professional therapist and little formal training in outdoor therapy exists. Practice of this type requires supervision and professional accreditation. Interested undergraduates should check social work, probation, mental health, educational psychology, or occupational therapy…

Identifies and discusses six specific factors that distinguish group therapy from family therapy: epistemology, goals, membership, continuity, rules/norms, and power. The implications of these differences for therapist training and practice are discussed. (TE)

A trainee in psychotherapeutic counseling conducts an allegorical trip to the Greek underworld via a caving trip to demonstrate the healing and learning potential within the risk-based experience. The acknowledgement of one's fears and their origins can have a powerful effect and serve as a metaphor for transformation in other areas of life.…