The wilderness therapy (also known as outdoor behavior care) is an adventure-based therapeutic treatment modality for behavioral modification and interpersonal self-development, combining experience education, individual and group therapy in settings desert. The success of the Open Space education program in the 1940s inspired the approach adopted by many of today's wilderness therapy programs, although some adopt survivalist methodologies. Clients are typically between 10-17 for teenagers, and 18-28 for adults. There are different types of different wilderness therapy programs. The most common model is a continuous expedition model or a base camp with typical 8-12 weeks of residence, while another single-style expedition model involves a single 25-35 day trip. Their goal is to guide participants toward independence and self-esteem.
By exposing patients to interpersonal problems, therapies and group activities in unfamiliar contexts away from home, desert therapy encourages the development of healthy self-esteem and social skills. Addressing familiar issues in an unfamiliar context can shed new light on an existing problem. By solving the natural challenges posed by the wilderness environment, patients can build courage to face real-world problems by themselves. In addition, physical activity alone can improve physical and mental health.
Video Wilderness therapy
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The New York Asylum and San Francisco Agnew Asylum played an early role in the development of wilderness therapy, utilizing the philosophy of Kurt Hahn. Although therapy is often used for behavior modification by youth families, the objectives and methods of wilderness therapy are not centered on behavior modification. Many desert therapeutic programs avoid what they see as manipulation, contrived activity, psychological play, and false consequences. Most programs do not use strength, confrontation, point or level systems, or other behavior modification techniques or models, but emphasize firmness, open communication between staff and students, and are strongly group-oriented. There is no single standard model for therapy, since many models of wilderness therapy reflect different programs, although most typically contain the following principles: an increasingly difficult set of tasks to challenge patients; team work activities to work together; the presence of a psychiatrist or therapist as a group leader; and the use of a therapeutic process such as a reflection journal or self-evaluation.
Michael G. Conner of the Mentor Research Institute stated that "the wilderness therapy program traces their origins to an outdoor survival program that puts children in a challenging environment where determination, communication and team effort are the outcome". Alternately, some programs derive from a more ecopsychological perspective, according to the director of the wilderness therapy program at Naropa University, "through contemplative practice and classroom experience, students gain further self-awareness and the ability to respond to whatever appears in the moment." Founders of the ANASAZI Foundation concluded that "we learned that every time we adopt what we call 'artificial' experiences, the overall impact is often diminished for the participants."
Maps Wilderness therapy
Industrial Pioneers
The pioneers in the field of wilderness therapy include Larry D. Olsen and Yehezkiel C. Sanchez at Brigham Young University; Nelson Chase, Steven Bacon, and others in the Colorado Outward Bound School; Rocky Kimball at Santa Fe Mountain Center and more. Madolyn M. Liebing, Ph.D. (Aspen's later achievement, and current Journey Wilderness) is the first clinical psychologist to integrate clinical therapy with the programming of the wilderness.
Controversy
Given the proliferation of such programs, loose regulation, and the absence of research that sets uniform standard of care throughout the program, proponents have called for increased accountability to ensure programs are able to provide care consistent with their marketing claims.
Some programs that advertise as "wilderness therapy" are actually training camps in a jungle environment. It can sometimes be distinguished from other wilderness therapies by programs such as behavioral modification that promises to troubled teenagers, but it is difficult to know just from advertising.
One of the main differences between training camp and desert therapy is the underlying philosophical assumption (wilderness therapy driven by the philosophy of experience education and psychological theory and training camp informed by military models). In addition, most of the wilderness therapy programs have highly trained clinical staff in either the expedition or in an active and ongoing consultation with the team. Training camps may not have clinically trained staff working in the program. Some staff members come from a penitentiary or military background. Among the most controversial programs are those run by Steve Cartisano. or former Cartisano colleagues. However, confirmed incidents and confirmation incidents and youth deaths, have been reported extensively in many wilderness programs that claim to provide a less coercive environment than training camps.
Industry reports that, as with other types of treatment programs, rough situations have been reported and unintentional deaths have occurred in some of these programs, but compared to similar deaths of similar outdoor adventure activities. These statements can not be independently verified because of inadequate regulations, poor monitoring, and unreported patterns of death and the failure of states to prosecute offenders.
There is also controversy about whether parents should be allowed to get their children to attend the wilderness therapy program by force, as is often the case. Regardless of the thousands spent on actual programs (about $ 500/day), some parents pay thousands of teenage escorts to make sure their children get the program in whatever way it takes, without child approval or forecast. Generally "transfer" occurs at night, when children experience disorientation. Due to the trauma and alleged dangers reported by former citizens of the wilderness program being forcibly escorted to the place of placement, psychologists have strongly condemned this approach as inappropriate, and are very inconsistent with building the trust necessary to build therapeutic relationships between youth and providers.
Accountability
October 2007 and April 2008, the United States Government Accountability Office held a hearing to deal with widespread and systemic reports of abuse. In connection with the trial, they have issued a report on the wilderness therapy industry. The Federal Trade Commission has published a list of questions for parents to ask when considering the wilderness program.
Courses seeking additional accreditation and certification often pursue partnerships and membership with such associations;
- Association for Experiential Education
- Outdoor Health Council Behavior
- Independent Education Consultant Association
- National Addiction Careers Association
- Better Business Bureau
- Do not Leave Tracking Center for Backcountry Ethics
- Community Alliance for Ethical Treatment of Youth
After the program
Industry reports many teenagers in the wilderness program reported the experience as positive, helpful, and fun. They claim the youth learn independence, patience, firmness, independence, and maturity. The study results have been completed and industry reports that they show a sustained increase in behavior one year after attending wilderness therapy and new outcome studies are currently underway. Independent researchers, however, have questioned such claims, criticizing the industry's 'bad science' for its methodological weaknesses in research and ethical issues.
After the wilderness therapy program, students can return home or can be transferred to therapeutic boarding schools, young adult programs or intensive residential care centers. Some estimate that 40% of children enrolled in wilderness programs are then sent to long-term residential behavior care facilities.
See also
- Outdoor education
- Experimental education
- Primitive skills
- Bushcraft
- Therapy
- Intervention (counseling)
- Group psychotherapy
- Education consultant
- Ecopsychology
Note
External links
- Media related to Wilderness therapy on Wikimedia Commons
- Lesson material related to Wilderness therapy at Wikiversity
- The dictionary definition of wilderness therapy in Wiktionary
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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