This paper addresses pluralistic understandings of wilderness in the context of wilderness therapy (WT). The term wilderness perpetuates a modern worldview of place that beyond 'civilisation' exists an environment defined by risk, fear and an unpredictable nature. WT utilises outdoor travel and living practices during therapeutic intervention and…

This paper begins by examining the therapeutic work of wilderness and adventure therapy through the lens of narrative counselling and the concept of the narrative-self. The terms "wilderness" and "adventure" are unpacked and attention is drawn to the risks of working uncritically with these concepts. Illustrations of alternative understandings of…

Rites of passage models, drawing from ethnographic descriptions of ritualized transition, are widespread in adventure therapy programmes. However, critical literature suggests that: (a) contemporary rites of passage models derive from a selective and sometimes misleading use of ethnographic materials, and (b) the appropriation of initiatory…

Wilderness therapy programs continue to be a possible treatment modality for at-risk youth who require out-of-home care. Issues associated with wilderness therapy also continue to be a spirited topic with professionals in the field and the general public. This commentary will add additional considerations, and continue the discussion concerning…

Adventure therapy (AT) and the use of activities and outdoor experiences for educational and therapeutic purposes have a long and rich history. In recent years, the popularity and use of adventure programs in schools, clinical treatment facilities, and various other settings has increased. This increased use of AT in a therapeutic context has…

Recent studies analyzing juvenile delinquents participating in wilderness therapy programs have reported little statistical effectiveness. Interpretation of these findings may be unjustified due to definitional confusion more than a clear examination of program effectiveness. Using a research methodology similar to Jones, Lowe, and Risler (2004),…

Follow-up surveys of 23 adolescent participants in the Wilderness Therapy Program examined self-efficacy, behavioral symptoms, and locus of control at 4 months, 1 year, and 2 years after the program. Results suggest a regression to pretest levels at 4 months, with a return to the original posttest change levels at 1 and 2 years. (Author/SV)

Performed a meta-analysis of 22 wilderness challenge programs to assess impact on delinquent behavior. The overall effect size for delinquency outcomes (0.18) was equivalent to a recidivism rate of 29% for program participants versus 37% for nonparticipants. Greatest reductions in delinquent behavior came with intense physical activities or…

This study examines a sample of 35 male children and adolescents involved with a northeastern district of the Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice. Subjects who participated in wilderness adventure therapy programs are compared to those who participated in group home programs. The study examines the rates of recidivism among the subjects within…

Project Adventure's adventure-based counseling text, "Islands of Healing," uses language and simplistic conceptions of individualism and community to create an ecology of ideas. In this framework, moral and social complexities of modern life are exchanged for an artificial cyberspace-like microworld where unthinking acquiescence to group…

The Northland Wilderness Experience (NWE) was established in 1985 to provide outdoor therapeutic programs for at-risk youth from the Northland region of New Zealand. The program involved a physically challenging 10-day expedition, followed by an 18-month followup period of group outdoor activities offered every 2 weeks. By the end of 1989, 280…

The Colorado Outward Bound School (COBS) provides successful adjunct programs for special populations undergoing therapy at the Adventure Home (Boulder, CO), the Juvenile Justice Program and the St. Luke's Hospital Alcoholism Recovery Unit (Denver, CO), and the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center Department of Psychiatry (Hanover, NH). The goals of…