The purpose of this study was to collect and analyze demographic characteristics and job related difficulties experienced by field instructors in outdoor behavioral healthcare programs which utilized wilderness therapy as well as other treatment modalities. Three state-licensed outdoor behavioral healthcare programs in the United States provided a…

Outlines the adventure-based counseling process used with adolescent sex offenders at Treetop Adventure. Discusses the nature of "success" in this program, processing of participants' reactions to stressful situations, and building trust in preparation for intensive campfire sessions that draw out disclosures of sexual offenses. (SV)

A solution-focused therapeutic approach to processing adventure experiences shifts the focus of debriefing sessions from problem to solution, helps clients recognize exceptions to their problem behavior, and sensitizes clients to seeking positive behaviors versus avoiding negative ones. Techniques include clients' rating of their own abilities on…

Hypnotic language can increase the transference of learning from an adventure activity to a therapeutic goal by absorbing the client in the experience, ratifying that absorption, and eliciting the client's resources to address problematic situations. Provides examples of using this approach in adventure therapy to enhance a client's experience and…

Ninety-eight adventure therapy professionals analyzed a proposed definition of emotional safety and rated 26 factors hypothesized to affect an individual's level of emotional safety during adventure activities. Factors were related to specific techniques used by instructors, instructor skills and abilities, the physical environment, and group…

The purpose of this study was twofold: (a) to empirically evaluate the effects of a 21-day wilderness therapy program (WT) on the defense styles, perceived psychosocial stressors (expressed concerns), dysfunctional personality patterns, clinical syndromes, and maladaptive behaviors of 109 troubled adolescents, as measured by the Defense Style…

Examination of 31 therapeutic wilderness programs specializing in mental health treatment revealed that most programs served high-risk youth using a variety of outdoor modalities; that there was not a consensus on the definition of therapeutic; and that, in most cases, nonprofessional staff were responsible for therapeutic interventions. (LP)

Two reviewers present divergent points of view concerning a book that provides a comprehensive overview of the field of wilderness therapy. The first reviewer sees the book as valuable in bridging the gap between the mental health profession and outdoor experiential education, whereas the second reviewer suggests that the book gives ambiguous…