Wilderness Discovery Programme
AN EXPERIENTIAL EDUCATION PROGRAMME WITH SEXUALLY AGGRESSIVE AND SEXUALLY REACTIVE YOUNG PEOPLE BASED ON AN OUTDOOR PROGRAMME INVOLVING WILDERNESS THERAPY AND THERAPEUTIC ADVENTURE CONSTRUCTS TO EVALUATE REOFFEDNING POTENTIALProgramme Venues:
Lake District
Lancashire
Scotland
Dates: We do not organise set dates or venues for this type of programme but are happy to enter discussions with any agency, organisation etc to tailor make a programme for you so long as we had access to water (stream or river) and woods or a forest.
Costs:- We are always open to negotiation.
1.1 Programme summary:
TWIS – Therapeutic Wilderness Intervention Strategy:-
TWIS places special emphasis on supporting and assisting young adolescents who are presenting sexually aggressive and sexually reactive behaviour patterns in order that they can grow and develop appropriately in spite of their presenting inappropriate behaviour.
Many of these young people will be exhibiting behavioural issues which may include self-harm, eating and sleep disorders, challenging behaviour through an inability to concentrate or comprehend acceptable boundaries, have poor interaction skills or find difficulty in building and sustaining relationships, both within their own peer group and within their own local community.
TWIS strongly believes that the quality of life for any individual under ‘normal circumstances’ is a prerequisite for positive change to take place, and more so for those presenting sexually aggressive and sexually reactive behaviour patterns. This is more so with those individuals who through no fault of their own, find it impossible to make changes without external support, guidance and encouragement especially when they resist conventional treatment regimens to effect behavioural change.
The programme offers individuals all of whom have presented sexually aggressive or sexually reactive behaviours, a unique opportunity to explore ways and means of modifying their behaviour without losing self esteem, self worth or responsibility for their earlier actions and behaviours.
The programme will combine environmental initiatives and outdoor activities as the principle tools and metaphors to equip the participants with lasting skills and self-confidence in order to make changes to their behaviour patterns which of course, may exist due to earlier sexual, physical, emotional or psychological abuse.
The project mandate would be to provide a supportive environment that emphasizes quality of life, trust, teamwork and increased community support. The programme would in essence, be a form of human expression, giving the participants an opportunity for self-discovery and personal challenges with a view to helping them to overcome obstacles and adversity within their daily lives.
It is hoped that the programme will in its evaluation increase our knowledge about improving recovery and behaviour change outcomes in young adolescents.
Using a combination of adventure therapy, counselling, social and life skill training, the programme will clearly demonstrate that this unprecedented blending of approaches will prove to be a very useful and positive tool for assisting to ameliorate the difficulties associated with sexually aggressive AND sexually reactive* behaviour presentation.
*Sexually aggressive
The programme will involve the programme participants in a sequence of sessions – residential experiences; community based sessions, both on an individual and group basis, and, adventure based experiences carried out within the outdoor medium and under the guise of experiential education and wilderness therapy.
1.1 Project Criteria and matrix:
From day one the programme will be evaluated and constantly monitor throughout the programme which will be centred around an action research model and involve the collation of information, individual participatory assessments, observations, records and reports of each individual’s behaviour whilst participating in the programme. This will be done ‘at a distant’ and will not interfere with the life of the group or impinge on the participatory levels of each individual young person.
1.2 Project objectives:
1) To demonstrate that an innovative combination of adventure therapy with more traditional approaches to treatment and life skill training is a powerful combination for serving young adolescents who present sexually aggressive and sexually reactive behaviour patterns.
[It will be a meshing of modalities that is innovative and unprecedented in this area of work with young people]
2) Serve as a powerful adjunct to our community partners’ treatment regimes for their own clients who present sexually inappropriate behaviour patterns.
3) Advance the clinical goals of our partner mental health professionals.
4) Reduce risk factors in our youth such as addictions, eating disorders and other anti-social behaviours on the continuum of socially unacceptable behaviours, sexually aggressive behaviour being only one.
5) Advance the cause of leveraging the benefits of adventure therapy into the treatment regimes of our youth by promulgating the results of research on the effectiveness of an innovative programme model.
1.3 Rationale:
Adventure Therapy and Therapeutic Adventure is an emerging health practice that acts as an effective adjunct for other forms of therapy and rehabilitation. It differs from traditional therapeutic techniques in that it demonstrates the value of nature, the environment and wilderness as a healing source for the participant.
Outdoor adventure therapy research literature, indicates that self-esteem, self-agency, and identity development are positively influenced by adventure therapy programmes for young people (e.g. Kaly & Heesaker, 2003). Other outcomes include greater appreciation of the physical body through physical activity (West-Smith 1997), greater sense of self-control as self-sufficiency (Ewart 1989), rise in self-esteem through increased competency (Stromba 1998), positive relationship focus (Berman & Davis-Berman 1996, Mitten 1994), and increased resiliency (Neill and Dias, 2001). Adventure Therapy helps bridge the gap between outpatient services and inpatient programmes. It involves immersing the participant in unfamiliar environments, group living with peers, individual/group therapy sessions and an application of living skills.
1.4 Relevance to Local Health Authorities and the Community in general:
This programme will focus on improving mental health in general to young adolescents by providing cost effective treatment and support, reducing ‘risk’ for those young people exhibiting sexually aggressive behaviours, in addition to start to build community capacity in order to support effective and appropriate treatment programmes for when they leave the programme.
1.5 Target Populations:
The proposed adventure therapy programme will target young people who may be ‘at risk’ as a result of a relapse into sexually aggressive behaviours. This programme will primarily involve young people known to government agencies and health departments throughout the United Kingdom.
Given the high potential risk factors in dealing with a mixed gender group, each programme will only consist of a single gender i.e. there will not be a mixed gender programme.
This decision is based on over twenty years practical experience of working with a mixed gender group in a residential setting where elements of the programme were outdoor adventure based. Experience therefore tells us that a mixed gender group of this section of society just does not work due to the many distractions that arise between genders when daily individual and group process deal with sexuality and negative sexual experiences.
1.6 Descriptions of service strategies and interventions:
The programme will provide participants with experiential and meaningful outdoor journeys, both emotional, physical and hopefully, spiritually. By engaging individuals and groups in adventure-based experiences – particularly nature, experiential challenges, and social relationships – participants will be helped to begin to understand their lives and behaviours in new ways.
Possibilities for change will hopefully be opened and participants will typically come to perceive themselves and their problems in a new light through being able to navigate through the melee of their chaotic and sometimes dysfunctionate and uncertain life styles.
This adventure-based therapy programme will focus on the social, cognitive, cultural, and emotional processes of change for youth who present sexually aggressive behaviour. Through the experience of story telling, connection and adventure, the programmes aim will be to empower adolescents to construct solutions for sustained personal growth and to modify their own perceptions as well as that of their community and society at large in relation to images of their struggles and experiences that may underpin their response and approach to living within their community, family and society in general.
By building relationships with each other, with nature and their adult carers on the programme, young people will be assisted in reconciling their past experiences and helped to discover a new commitment to themselves, their families and to their communities.
We also aim to identify and increase competencies and solutions rather than further problematise or highlight inadequacies. Counsellors, wilderness therapists and activity leaders and outdoor practitioners will collaborate with clients to generate new preferred ways of being – ones that represent counter stories to their challenges. In effect, the young participant will have a major say in their programme within a framework of safety paying due regard to their own safety and well being as well as those of the staff, other participants and members of the public.
Although it is not always easy for adolescents to re-write their stories and to stand up to problems – like abuse, depression, self-harming practices, substance misuse, oppression and so on – outdoor experiences offer a powerful, therapeutic context in which to promote change and healing.
Participants will engage in physical challenges that build inner strengths, physical health and wellness, and somatic connections. Such physical activities can include learning how to prepare healthy food, climbing a 40 foot artificial wall at a certain degree of difficulty, hiking and camping along a coastal trail or recognised mountain path; experiencing the ‘living’ environment, kite making and flying; being challenged to create a solution to a ropes course problem; conducting environmental research in the inter-tidal zone, working as a team to learn navigation and camp craft; facing the challenge of planning and executing an overnight bivvy in a mountain environment or utilising nature as a metaphor to express and understand their inappropriate behaviour which has brought them to the programme. All will no doubt assist the individual to learn about themselves, their actions and their behaviours, although this list is neither conclusive nor exhaustive.
Each young person will have the opportunity to experience a solo vision quest which will be structured (according to their own perceived needs) within which they will be able to engage in personal though processes centred around their sexuality and presenting behaviours.
In effect, participants will be challenged by their own choice and invited to reflect and integrate connections (i.e. metaphorical links between experience and therapy) back into their everyday lives – adolescent's will be supported by clinicians, peers, and members of their community of concern in the reflective process. Participants will also facilitate each other’s development through healthy peer and mentoring relationships.
Each young person will be helped to engage in life affirming perceived ‘risk taking’ in order to help them reduce their risk of relapse through the integration of adventure-based therapy. This approach will be supported by evaluations that highlight changes or competencies in moving through a challenge, efforts by members of the participant’s community of concern, and solidifying solutions through reflective conversations.
The cultural focus of the interventions will revolve around each participant's unique cultural make-up, including: family culture, ethnic culture, gender culture, and youth culture.
Participants will be invited to build observable connections with nature through experiential education, story-telling, and reflective learning; researching weather, watersheds, flora and fauna, marine life, geology, and contemporary local history.
Participants will also have the opportunity to learn concrete skills that they can use in their everyday lives, such as: decision-making, trip planning, compassionate communication strategies, risk assessment, and managing problems through prevention, harm reduction, and the construction of direct solutions.
At the core of our working perspective, is the promotion of spiritual healing and wellness through healthy outdoor experiences. Nature can inspire and enrich the lives of all people (Mortlock, 2000). Clients will be invited to participate in experiential activities that build supportive and respectful spiritual connections with nature, these include: meditation, nature exploration, environmental yoga, and experiential challenges.
Aftercare is an essential element of this program for several reasons:
(1) Such an approach, reinforces and concretes the re-storying process,
(2) It helps to maintain and promote changes that were gained on the program,
(3) Strengthens the development of solutions to everyday challenges,
4) Supports practitioners and professionals involved with the individual, back in
their home community setting.
Aftercare will be provided for each participant for up to four (4) months after the last adventure-based intervention, i.e. the final five day residential experience. The aftercare program will vary for each client. In general, aftercare will include:
(5) Follow-up surveys immediately after the program, and again in three and six
months later,
(6) Use of narrative letters and other forms of communication between the
programme organisers and the individual participants,
(7) Follow-up counselling sessions, if deemed necessary and appropriate,
(8) Follow-up case conferences composed of the client, support workers and the
client’s community of concern,
(9) Follow-up outdoor experiential activities individually and with other members
of the initial group.
(10) Allow for a ‘weaning off’, and de-brief from an intensive group experience.
1.7 Intended outcomes:
Reduce risk factors associated with sexually aggressive and sexually reactive behaviour presentation.
To help participants discover their ability and potential in order to increase their self-confidence.
Provide an alternative treatment regimen for health professionals who are often faced with the ongoing demand of a hospital setting, or social workers who have the similar problem with appropriate secure accommodation.
Improve life skills and accelerate recovery regimens.
Instill an understanding of multiplicity within communities through meaningful connections with people of diverse cultural, health related and economic backgrounds.
Provide an environment that encourages positive relationships, leadership, teamwork, and sharing.
Reduce isolation; consolidate self value to others and self through group experiences.
Incite a reconnection with the natural environment and promote an understanding of its value and inherent restorative qualities to participants and support staff.
Provide unparalleled assessments and treatment tools for participating partner agencies; gain new perspective on participants’ competencies and discover other treatment approaches to working with sexually aggressive young people.
Enhance existing partnerships and developing relationships with new community organizations.
Support community integration and inspire a greater sense of belonging.
Develop new funding mechanisms that support long term program sustainability.
Provide a healing experience that promotes positive health, a higher level of independence and autonomy.
1.8 Evaluation design and plan:
On a national scale, it is hoped that the evaluation of this type of programme will provide educational material for academic institutions and community agencies across the country if not Europe and beyond. Furthermore, this research will provide the much-needed material to support Adventure Therapy as a cost-effective adjunct treatment for our young people suffering from some levels of behavioural issues and problems, not least, sexually aggressive behaviour.
Participants will be invited to experience a wide range of physical, social, cultural, ecological, educational, and spiritual challenges. Specific, expected outcomes, programme strategies and objectives will be constructed after a formal literature review is complete and a consultation process is initiated with a steering committee of community partners.
1.9 Research and evaluation will consider the following;
Understanding patterns of social exclusion for young people at risk through sexually aggressive behaviour (e.g. social mapping)
Exploring opportunities for sharing traditional social knowledge (Culturally Grounded Key Informant Interviews)
Understanding individual and collective child and youth psychosocial benefits of ecological programs (Social Ecology Assessment Tool)
Understanding child and youth decision making (e.g. existing matrices, surveys etc)
Comparing benefits of different settings and contexts (e.g. key informant interviews, surveys, adolescent focus groups)
Identifying contextual influences on child and youth well being (e.g. key informant interviews, surveys)
Tools to assess benefits and challenges of child and youth participation process (Participatory Action Research, observation)
Assess client motivation and readiness to change using the stages to change model (URICA) developed by Proachska and Di Clemente (1992)
Assess key process variables (therapeutic alliance, treatment satisfaction), to examine the relationships of these variables to treatment outcomes (substance use problems, depression levels). Various structural equation models could be presented to test theorized relationships between process (independent) variables and outcome variables (dependent).
In accomplishing the specific aims of these evaluations, it will be possible to better determine how well adventure-based programs and treatment effectuates change in youth entering treatment with sexually aggressive behaviour patterns along with other health related issues such as self harm, depression, eating and sleep disorders.
As many adolescents enter treatment under the influence of external pressure, this proposed study presents an excellent opportunity to explore this relationship. The therapeutic alliance is so critical to outcomes in treatment, that the working alliance between the treatment team and the client will be assessed to examine its relationship to outcome (Blanz and Schmidt 2000). Lastly, treatment satisfaction will also be measured to assess its role in explaining variance in outcome immediately and at follow-up periods.
Material that supports this type of programme approach:
“A Celebration of Youth…the next generation”. Rank Foundation & Joseph Rank Benevolent trust. 1993.
“An Investigation into How Young People Value Informal Environmental Learning Experiences”. Katie Hedges. Dissertation Thesis. 2002.
“Adventure-Based Interventions with Young People in Trouble and At Risk”. Proceedings of 1 day National Conf. 1994.
“Adventure-Based Personal Development Courses for Young Offenders & Staff”. Report on a survey of outdoor activity provision for young offenders and young people at risk. basecamp 1992.
“Brock University’s Proposed Curriculum in Outdoor Adventure Programs”. Compiled by Simon Priest. ND
Brown, M. “Wilderness Vision Quest-A Journey of Transformation”. 1988. A4 stapled paperback booklet.
“Challenge Opportunities for the Inner City Youth”. A Conference report. 1992.
“Child Sexual Abuse-The Silent Victims” Grant, F. Cherry Tree Pubs. 1992.
“Development Work with young women”. Birmingham City Council Youth Service. ND.
“Experiential Education”- A critical resource for the 21st Century. AEE. 1994.
“Exploring the Boundaries of Adventure Therapy-International Perspectives” Edited by Itin, C.
AEE. 1998.
“Healthy Development of Adolescent Youth”. by Gisela Konopka.
“Initiatives in Outdoor Education”. NAOE. No 2. 1985.
“More than Activities”. Roger Greenaway. Save the Children Fund. 1990.
“Home Office”
(1)Organising supervision & punishment in the community.
(2) Partnership in dealing with offenders in the community.
“How to make a team work”. Printed from Harvard Business Review No 87607.
“In Print”. Publications supporting work with Young People. 1995-96.
“Learning through first hand experience out of doors”. Pat Keighley. A compendium of articles written over time by the author. 1998.
“Make it Happen”. Learning for Life. Personal action plan. 1996.
“Solvent Abuse Programme”. National Youth Council of Ireland.
“Why Adventure”. A review of research by Jon Barrett & Roger Greenaway.
Foundation for Outdoor Adventure. ND. [The role and value of outdoor adventure in young people’s personal and social development]
“Working out of doors with young people”. Smith, A. Scottish I.T. Resource Centre. 1987.
“The Importance of |experiential Education within the Outdoor Adventure medium for Young People” Occasional paper. F.Grant. Mosaics. June 1999.
“Therapeutic Application of Adventure Activities”
“Experiential Learning as a Compensatory therapy for victims of childhood
sexual abuse”
“Sexually Aggressive Children and Young People”
“Learners and Learning (barriers to learning through unresolved trauma)”
Chapters from “The Skilled Practitioner” F.Grant. 2005.
