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Emerging for Recovery: A Descriptive Analysis of Adventure Therapy for Substance Abusers

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Abstract

Examines client characteristics, referral and screening procedures, program characteristics, treatment goals, financial arrangements, and staff characteristics in 50 programs using adventure experiences with substance abuse populations. Notes needs for specific program evaluation research and for the development of prescriptive treatment modalities for specific client populations. Contains 17 references. (SV)
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... OAIs have been actively researched since the 1950s (Gass et al., 2012), with the majority of such work having been conducted in the United States (Bowen & Neill, 2013a). There have been three noteworthy descriptive studies of OAIs in the United States (Davis-Berman, Berman, & Capone, 1994;Gass & McPhee, 1990;Russell, Gillis, & Lewis, 2008). In addition, there has been a recent international meta-analysis of adventure therapy programs (Bowen & Neill, 2013a). ...
... In addition, there has been a recent international meta-analysis of adventure therapy programs (Bowen & Neill, 2013a). Gass and McPhee (1990) provided a descriptive analysis of adventure therapy programs (N = 50) for substance abusers in the United States. Participants ranged in age from 5 to over 80 years (40% were aged 15 to 20 years). ...
... Psychosocial goals were more frequent than cognitive development goals. Most programs were run by two staff members, with one member usually possessing a master's degree or higher and the other a bachelor's degree (Gass & McPhee, 1990). Davis-Berman et al. (1994) surveyed 31 therapeutic wilderness programs, which specialized in mental health treatment in the United States. ...
Article
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In this study, we describe characteristics of outdoor adventure interventions (OAIs) that aim to address problem behaviors in young people in Australia. A national online survey was completed by 98 program leaders and 24 program managers. OAIs for youth in Australia are diverse, but typically incorporate several days in the outdoors, during which participants engage in adventure activities and group activities requiring teamwork, with intentional involvement of program leaders. The main outcomes, as perceived by staff, were recreation and personal and social development. OAIs appear to be well positioned to make a unique and valuable contribution to the development of young people, addressing their behavior problems and potentially supporting prevention and treatment of mental health problems. A more targeted, sector-wide study of adventure therapy programs in Australia is recommended to qualify and extend on the findings of this study.
... In the 1960s and 1970s, while Outward Bound Model were used as an alternative treatment for criminal adolescents (Russell 2001), there are some other researches which conducted with individuals who have received substance abuse treatment (Gass Psikiyatride Güncel Yaklaşımlar -Current Approaches in Psychiatry and McPhee 1990, Davis-Berman and Berman 1994), traumatized individuals (Mitten 1994, individuals with behavioral disorders (Pommier 1994), individuals who have confidence problems or interpersonal problem solving problems, depression or anxiety (Williams 2000), weight control for overweight adolescents (Jelalian et al. 2006). A meta-analysis study of the results of the researches about adventure therapy shows that adventure therapy programs are effective at favorable levels in psychological, behavioral, emotional and interpersonal domains, and these changes persist in the long time (Bowen and Neill 2013). ...
Article
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Bu çalışmanın amacı, doğanın insan üzerindeki iyileştirici gücünün terapötik bağlamda kullanılması düşüncesi ile ortaya çıkan macera terapisinin tanıtılmasıdır. Çalışmada, macera terapisinin tarihsel kökenleri, amaçları, faydaları, özellikleri ve süreci, hakkında bilgi verilmiştir. Ayrıca kimlerin macera terapisti ya da danışan olabileceği, macera terapisinin sınırlılıkları ve alanda yürütülen çalışmalardan da bahsedilmiştir. Son olarak macera terapisinin teorik ve uygulama noktasında güçlenmesi için önerilerde bulunulmuştur.
... Similar to other descriptive studies of OAIs (e.g., Davis-Berman, Berman, & Capone, 1994;Gass & McPhee, 1990;Pryor, 2009;Russell, Gillis, & Lewis, 2008), the current study profiles the breadth, depth, diversity, and commonalities of OAI organisational, program, staff, and participant characteristics. The most common type of program was two to four days in duration, involved adventure activities (hiking, continuous ropes challenge courses, and canoeing), group activities requiring team work, cooperation, mutual support and communication, with the intentional involvement of program leaders as a basis of learning. ...
Thesis
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Adventure therapy involves use of small groups, nature-contact, adventure activities, and therapeutic processes to create opportunities for psychological change in participants, usually with the purpose of supporting an individual (or family) to move towards greater health and well-being. Adventure therapy programs involve diverse target groups, settings, program models and aims; yet too little is understood about their characteristics and efficacy. This thesis including published works assists in improving the health and well-being of Australian youth by providing up-to-date information, consolidating and advancing understanding of the therapeutic uses and treatment effectiveness of adventure therapy. Further, by evaluating two specific therapeutic adventure-based interventions for youth, this thesis provides valuable insight about the current utility and therapeutic outcomes of adventure therapy programs in Australia. This thesis includes four studies reported in four papers, each of which contributes to its overall aims. Study 1 examines the efficacy of adventure therapy programs internationally through a meta-analysis of outcomes and moderators. Study 2 provides an up-to-date description of outdoor adventure interventions for youth in Australia based on a national survey of program managers and leaders. Study 3 examines the efficacy of the Wilderness Adventure Therapy® (WAT) model of clinical treatment for Australian youth, while Study 4 examines the efficacy of the Queensland Police-Citizens Youth Welfare Association Bornhoffen Catalyst program for Australian youth-at-risk (Study 4). Meta-analytic results from Study 1 confirmed that adventure therapy programs are moderately effective (.47) in facilitating positive short-term change in psychological, behavioural, emotional, and interpersonal domains and that these changes appear to be maintained in the longer-term. Such magnitude of benefit is comparable to the majority of efficacious treatments for patients across the age span reported in the literature. As the most comprehensive and robust meta-analysis of adventure therapy studies to date, the findings from Study 1 can be recommended for use in benchmarking and monitoring program effectiveness. Results from Study 2 indicated considerable breadth, depth, diversity and differences in the organisation, program, staff, and participant characteristics of outdoor adventure interventions in Australia. The main outcomes of outdoor adventure interventions, as perceived by staff, were recreation, and personal and social development. Surveyed staff believed that the majority of participants obtained significant long-lasting benefits. Findings from Studies 3 and 4 suggest some cautious promise that two Australian adventure therapy programs (WAT and the Catalyst program) each offer a viable alternative to traditional psychotherapeutic approaches through prevention and intervention programs for youth at-risk. Overall, the findings of this thesis confirm that adventure therapy has the potential to play important roles in improving the health and well-being of Australian youth. While adventure therapy is not a panacea, these findings indicate that it is useful in a wide range of settings and for a broad spectrum of clients. Thus, findings from this thesis strongly support the assertion that adventure therapy should be in the suite of therapeutic interventions that operate in diverse service settings across Australia. Future research could build on Study 2 by conducting a dedicated survey of adventure therapy programs in Australia. In addition, research utilising a comparison or wait-list control group, multiple sources of data, and a larger sample, could help to qualify and extend findings of Studies 3 and 4. Overall, despite the promising findings, more rigorous research evaluations of adventure therapy programs (e.g., quasi/experimental, case study, observational, mixed method, and longitudinal design) are needed to strengthen the reliability, validity, and usability of adventure therapy research.
... E incluso a pesar de la existencia de multitud de problemas escolares (Álvarez, et. Al., 2008; Félix, Soriano, Godoy y Martínez, 2008), existen diversos estudios de alumnos problemáticos (con comportamiento alterado, alumnos con problemas de alcohol o drogas, futuros delincuentes, etc.), (Gass y McPhee, 1990; Golins, ISSN: 1989-6247 Stich, 1983; Wright, 1982), que han demostrado la mejora alcanzada con estas actividades, no conseguida con otros programas educativos más específicos. Por lo que con este artículo, hemos podido comprobar que el alcance de estos contenidos en Educación Física es mayor al pensado hasta ahora, contribuyendo perfectamente a la adquisición de las competencias básica. ...
... Los programas de EA, son además utilizados con efectos muy beneficiosos en poblaciones muy diversas. Por ejemplo, la mayoría de los participantes en los programas de aventura de la escuela Outward Bound, han sido estudiantes o gerentes, aunque hay que destacar que algunos programas, contemplan específicamente a los adolescentes con comportamiento alterado, pacientes psiquiátricos, alcohólicos en recuperación, pacientes con esquizofrenia, personas con trastorno del estado de ánimo, delincuentes, personas con problemas de alcohol y adolescentes con abuso de drogas (Gass y McPhee, 1990; Golins, 1979; Kelly y Baer, 1968; Sachs y Miller, 1992; Stich, 1983; Wright, 1982). Se ha investigado, cómo los niños de diferentes edades desarrollan estrategias cognitivas interactuando con el medio natural, para por ejemplo, saber volver a casa después de una ruta de senderismo. ...
Article
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El presente trabajo, tiene como objetivos conocer las características de los diferentes programas de Educación y Aventura utilizados en educación física y diferenciar los pasos seguidos por cada uno de ellos. Se ha realizado una revisión documental explicativa, basándose en las principales bases de datos internacionales, obteniendo, un gran número de documentación. Tras seleccionar los artículos válidos y realizar los análisis documentales, se responde y discute a los objetivos de esta investigación
... Statistical analysis revealed significant differences between effect sizes associated with longer programs when compared with effect sizes associated with shorter or moderate length programs. A survey of substance abuse treatment programs found the mode of treatment for that population to be one day (Gass & McPhee, 1990). The results of this meta-analysis would suggest that adventure programs are more effective if they are longer, however, this analysis was unable to determine an optimal length of adventure programming. ...
Article
Full-text available
Adventure practitioners asked to justify their work with adolescent populations have no one study to point to that statistically sums up major findings in the field. Whether it be a school board, treatment facility, or funding agency, one study is needed which can combine statistics from many studies into a format to show overall effectiveness of adventure programming. This study used the statistical technique of meta-analysis to demonstrate that adolescents who attend adventure programming are 62% better off than those who do not. While combining various populations and outcomes resulted in an overall effect that could be considered small by some accounts, the study did point to major problems with current research and offers some direction for future researchers to explore.
Thesis
Full-text available
Adventure therapy as a therapeutic model for the treatment of mental health has been a growing area of psychology for more than 50 years. This quantitative study was conducted to explore the theoretical orientation beliefs to clarify the theoretical framework of this therapeutic approach using Coleman’s theoretical evaluation self-test (TEST) to gather data on self-identified adventure therapy practitioners’ theoretical beliefs. Data were collected from 150 participants recruited through their membership or affiliation with adventure therapy professional organizations or social media groups. Data were analyzed using a paired t-test to determine if adventure therapy professionals have higher scores on the cognitive, ecosystems, and humanistic domains of the TEST than the domains of psychodynamic, family, biological, and pragmatic as suggested in previous research. Data were analyzed using chi-square goodness-of-fit test to determine if theoretical orientation beliefs differ depending on degree emphasis and depending on licensure among adventure therapy professionals. Analysis confirmed that adventure therapy professionals had higher scores on the cognitive, ecosystems, and humanistic domains of the TEST. However, the chi-square results indicated no difference in theoretical orientation beliefs among adventure therapy professionals regardless of degree emphasis or licensure. The findings of this research have potential implications for positive social change by being the first to identify the theoretical orientation beliefs among adventure therapy professionals, that can influence the practices and development of this field, which could lead to greater uniformity in treatment with this modality and improved patient outcomes.
Chapter
Viele empirische Studien belegen, dass die Therapiemethoden, die beeinflusst von der Erlebnispädagogik meist Outdoor-Aktivitäten beinhalten, nachhaltige Wirkimpulse für Menschen mit psychischen Störungen und Abhängigkeitserkrankungen bereithalten. Es werden vor allem amerikanische Untersuchungsergebnisse zusammengefasst, die unerheblich der Methodenbezeichnung, z. B. als Erlebnis-, Wildnis- oder Abenteuertherapie, wichtige räumliche, zeitliche, persönliche und soziale Aspekte für den erfahrungstherapeutischen Ansatz deutlich machen. So führen Gruppenübungen und Herausforderungen in der Natur häufig zu einer Reduktion der klinischen Symptome, ermöglichen die Erfahrung von Selbstwirksamkeit, steigern das Selbstwertgefühl, die Selbstwahrnehmung, trainieren Basiskompetenzen und die Freude an körperlicher Bewegung. Metaphorische Bezüge zwischen Alltagsproblemen und gelösten nichtalltäglichen Aufgaben in der Therapie öffnen den Blick für eigene Stärken und neue Formen der Krisenbewältigung.
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Examines theories of specific, nonspecific, and metaphoric transfer of learning and outlines 10 factors and techniques to assist adventure educators in linking challenging experiences to students' future learning. (LFL)
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Identifies series of predictable stages through which small groups progress: pre-affiliation, power and control, intimacy, differentiation, and separation. Shows application of group development for each area as group passes through various stages. Outlines model for each area summarizing group interaction and instructor roles for each stage. (NEC)
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Treatment of alcoholism and public policy decisions are likely to be misguided when based on the uncritical adoption of treatment-effectiveness claims. Thoughtful consideration of any assertion of effectiveness of treatment of alcoholism rests on an understanding of external and internal validity issues as well as the issue of comprehensiveness of evaluation. Treatment-outcome figures are influenced by such external validity factors as patient characteristics, sample selection and attrition, patient experiences outside of and after treatment, time of evaluation in relation to treatment, type and definition of criterion variables, measurement of criterion variables, and the analysis and interpretation of data. Among the internal validity factors affecting outcome rates are investigator bias, demand characteristics, and efforts to compare patient self-report data with other sources of information. A comprehensive assessment of treatment effectiveness requires the use of multiple-outcome criterion measures such as treatment completion, recidivism, physical health, and social and emotional functioning as well as evaluation of drinking behavior. (75 ref)
Article
The paper addresses two significant risk management considerations in conducting an adventure program in a therapeutic setting: the potential hazards of psychiatric medications and psychological emergencies. Focusing on the potential hazards of psychiatric medications, the first section discusses climatic conditions (heat, cold, and sun) and the limitations of propranolol, phenothiazines, tricyclics, or antiparkinsonian medications on program activities. The symptoms of orthostatic hypotension, dystonia, akathisia, pseudo-parkinsonism, and tardive dyskinesia are discussed. The second section discusses two types of psychological emergencies: primary (symptoms are produced by emotional illness) and secondary (the behavior is a manifestation of a medical problem). Basic guidelines for properly labeling and managing a problem as either medical or psychological are outlined. These basic guidelines cover three steps: (1) assessment procedures--a mental status examination to assess cognitive functioning, indicators of emotional distress, and a symptom assessment; (2) intervention--observation, evacuation, interviews with individual, and outcome; and (3) evaluation of intervention--evacuation of individual and use of incident as a learning experience. (NQA)
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Describes the wilderness adventure experience for offenders at Santa Fe Mountain Center. The experience can reveal a composite picture of a client's global personality in the way s/he responds to tasks, demands, and stimuli. An example of a client evaluation is provided. (ERB)
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This study examined two issues related to the distinction between unitary and multidimensional models of alcoholism treatment outcome. First, does treatment outcome vary along a variety of relatively independent dimensions? Second, how important is abstinence to improved health and psychosocial adjustment? A sample of 266 alcoholics were evaluated at intake and 1 year following inpatient treatment using an extensive battery of assessments. Correlational analysis and factor analysis provided limited support for both the unidimensional and multidimensional approaches. A synthetic measure of posttreatment drinking showed a clear linear relationship between level of consumption and lack of improvement in medical status, biological function, life stress and psychopathology. The findings are discussed in terms of the methodological difficulties in treatment evaluation and the need for more systematic research on the effect of posttreatment drinking on multiple dimensions of outcome status.
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The Addiction Severity Index (ASI) is a structured clinical interview developed to fill the need for a reliable, valid, and standardized diagnostic and evaluative instrument in the field of alcohol and drug abuse. The ASI may be administered by a technician in 20 to 30 minutes producing 10-point problem severity ratings in each of six areas commonly affected by addiction. Analyses of these problem severity ratings on 524 male veteran alcoholics and drug addicts showed them to be highly reliable and valid. Correlational analyses using the severity ratings indicated considerable independence between the problem areas, suggesting that the treatment problems of patients are not necessarily related to the severity of their chemical abuse. Cluster analyses using these ratings revealed the presence of six subgroups having distinctly different patterns of treatment problems. The authors suggest the use of the ASI to match patients with treatments and to promote greater comparability of research findings.
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