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…

In previous work, Lynch and Moore theorised that the current popularity of adventure in recreation and education contexts is deeply paradoxical at social, economic and technological levels. Extending this thesis, we investigated the extent to which "adventure culture" can be considered quantitatively and qualitatively specific to…

To be outdoors and involved in adventures concerns the movement between safety and risk, the familiar and the unfamiliar. Deep involvement in activities and the seriousness found in play are essential in "Bildung." Findings in this paper stem from ethnographic fieldwork conducted in a kayak community, between late autumn 2006 until the…

This study compares a first-year experience (FYE) course utilizing outdoor adventure experiences to a more traditional FYE class at a large mid-Atlantic university. This study compares the quantitative differences between responses by participants in the two classes using the First Year Initiative Survey (FYI), a measure of FYE outcomes related to…

Less than one third of early childhood educators have a bachelor's degree, yet national indicators of high-quality early childhood program standards emphasize the importance of higher education for these practitioners. In order to adequately serve and retain these nontraditional learners as they strive to earn their degrees, teacher education…

Wilderness orientation programs (sometimes referred to as outdoor orientation programs) use adventure programming for incoming college/university students to aid students' adjustment to college. These experiences usually occur in the days or weeks immediately prior to the first semester of the students' college coursework. They are typically…

All "friluftsliv," or "open-air living," is to some degree a "quest." This certainly applies to paddling the big, open waters, although William James (1981) originally used the term to deepen the understanding of the Canadian soul during expeditionary travel on the great northern rivers. James was inspired in his task…

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 paper considers the definitions, role, and use of metaphor in adventure therapy. It provides an overview of theoretical perspectives on metaphor and the related ways in which metaphor is used in adventure therapy. Research on the use of metaphor in counselling and from neuropsychology and linguistics is applied to a model of metaphor use in…

As a comparatively recent development, the adventure-sports coach struggles for a clear and distinct identity. The generic term "instructor" no longer characterizes the role and function of this subgroup of outdoor professionals. Indeed, although the fields of adventure/outdoor education and leadership are comparatively well researched,…

Wilderness therapy (WT) provides an alternative treatment modality for a number of mental health issues. It holds particular appeal for at-risk youth, a population that is often less responsive to traditional psychotherapeutic interventions. Anecdotal accounts on the effectiveness of WT often show positive outcomes. Still, some researchers have…

In this article, the author discusses British Columbia's integrated curriculum programs (ICPs). In this province of sea and mountains, outdoor adventures figure prominently in its ICPs--with a healthy dose of environmental and sustainability education mixed in. The author presents five examples from British Columbia's ICPs: (1) Earthquest Outdoor…

In this article, the author shares her experience attending a panel discussion during a Council of Outdoor Educators of Ontario (COEO) conference. It was her research of an integrated curriculum program (ICP) that initially brought the author to COEO and her ongoing research of that program and other programs that, at least in part, brought her…

The wilderness expedition experience will always be a confluence of emotional, cognitive and bodily processes. The author wants to show that the body is an important but often forgotten part of the wilderness expedition experience. In society, the focus on the body is often polarised. Sometimes, there is an extreme focus on the thin and fit body…

The purpose of this study was to examine the association between the retention rate and 9 first-year student programs at Liberal Arts Colleges in the Mountain South, a region in the southern Appalachian Mountains of the United States. Nine first-year programs were studied: Summer Bridge Programs, Preterm Orientation, Outdoor Adventure Orientation,…