Background: Despite access to nature-based recreation, many college students do not take advantage of these experiences to improve their mental and physical health. Virtual reality experiences provide a potential pathway to motivate this population to recreate outdoors, but research is needed to determine whether virtual recreation can lead to…

Background: The use or non-use of mobile technologies and social media in residential outdoor adventurous education (OAE) remains contested and generates an often-cited for-and-against argument in both theory and practice. Purpose: This qualitative study explored instructor perceptions of mobile technologies and social media in their practice as…

Background: As a psychological construct, inspiration has not received extensive examination in the outdoor literature. Inspiration can be characterized in terms of evocation, motivation, and transcendence. Purpose: This qualitative study explored the experience of inspiration in response to natural landscapes utilizing Bergson's qualitative…

Background: Biophilia is becoming an important theme in contemporary design practice. Research in this area has demonstrated measurable improvements in human health and wellbeing when built environments are able to connect people to nature. However, there is much debate about how design students can best learn to fluidly implement biophilic…

Background: One of the core environmental studies learning objectives at NOLS is for students to develop a "sense of place" by experiencing wilderness and exploring relationships with their surroundings. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore how students report developing a sense of place after completing a course based out…

We report on an environmental scan (ES) of adventure therapy (AT) literature, organizations, and activities in Canada. The ES methodology involved (a) an examination of final reports related to a series of national symposiums on AT in Canada, (b) a review of academic literature related to AT in Canada, and (c) a summary of AT programs and courses…

Outdoor orientation programs represent a prominent area of experiential education with over 25,000 participants annually. More than 191 outdoor orientation programs currently operate in the United States and Canada. The research examining outdoor orientation programs consists of 25 peer-reviewed published studies and 11 dissertations. A new theory…

A lack of clarity exists regarding how different clients respond to outdoor behavioral health care (OBH). In this study, specific client and treatment characteristics were assessed for 186 young adults completing an OBH therapeutic wilderness program. Clinical outcomes were measured with the Outcome Questionnaire-45.2. Hierarchical linear modeling…

Today's complex societal problems require both critical thinking and an engaged citizenry. Current practices in higher education, such as service learning, suggest that experiential learning can serve as a vehicle to encourage students to become engaged citizens. However, critical thinking is not necessarily a part of every experiential learning…

With roots in experiential education and Outward Bound, wilderness therapy (WT) is a growing field of mental health care for youth. WT uses outdoor modalities combined with therapeutic interventions to assist youth to promote clinical changes. Previous research has shown it to be effective in improving the mental health of clients; however, little…

Wilderness Experience Programs (WEPs) have been shown to enhance psychological well-being for numerous populations. However, among veteran populations, these studies have historically evaluated programs that are short-term experiences, usually less than 1 week. The current research sought to evaluate a WEP for post-9/11 combat veterans engaging in…

This article seeks to provide a review of the theoretical and empirical literature in the field of wilderness therapy, the intent of which is to gain a greater conceptual understanding of the importance of the physical environment in therapeutic intervention. A review and consolidation of the existing literature reveal that the theories used to…

Research of wilderness programs indicates a clear need for additional investigation of specific program components and their influence on participant outcomes. This study examines one component of the Outward Bound wilderness program--the Final Expedition. The Final Expedition is a student-led wilderness expedition and is also referred to as an…

This study explores differences between Outward Bound (OB) and National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) participant perspectives on programmatic factors and their relation to outcomes. Although OB and NOLS are assumed to be similar in many ways, as each program offers wilderness expeditions for students in backcountry environments, the mission…

Characterized by acute changes in attachment relationships, adolescence is a time of balancing autonomy and attachment needs. For adolescents in wilderness therapy programs, the setting often challenges their understanding of their own attachment relationships. The current study evaluates the narratives of 13 adolescents in a wilderness therapy…