Wilderness Therapy Provides Inconsistent Outcomes Among Youth
June 8th, 2012
According to a recent study conducted by Michele Lariviere, clinical psychologist and associate professor at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine in Canada, the results achieved through wilderness therapy continue to be varied and difficult to gauge. Wilderness therapy (WT) is an alternative therapeutic approach that can be useful in helping individuals who do not respond to traditional treatment methods. Primarily, WT is designed to address behavioral problems and is becoming more popular because it appeals to at-risk teens who are unable to make progress through psychotherapy or other means of treatment. Because therapists can observe behaviors and reactions over the course of several days and during a variety of situations, WT can provide insight into domains that might not be explored in an office environment. Additionally, young adults and teens who are fearful of the stigma associated with mental health problems and how they may be perceived by their peers may choose not to accept help when offered. Self-esteem and image often trump positive mental health for young people conflicted about their identity and self-worth.
One of the biggest challenges of WT is the conflicting outcomes that have been reported by therapists. Existing research has provided differing outcomes, which leaves clinicians wondering if and how this type of treatment can help their clients. Lariviere’s goal was to gather outcome measures from three therapists after they observed a week-long session of WT delivered to nine teens ranging in age from 15 to 18 years in order to establish some degree of consistency. However, this result was not achieved. Lariviere said, “Even when equipped with validated and behaviorally anchored instruments, there appears to be little consistency among observers in terms of the degree to which WT influences participant change.” In sum, the three clinicians reported significantly varying degrees of gains in the youth. These findings support other research that has established a wide range of observer outcomes in WT. Taken together, the results of this study and others suggests that more research is needed in order to develop a valid tool that can be used in various WT settings with a broad range of clients in order to accurately assess the effectiveness of treatment.
Reference:
Lariviere, M., Couture, R., Ritchie, S. D., Cote, D., Oddson, B. (2012). Behavioural assessment of wilderness therapy participants: Exploring the consistency of observational data. The Journal of Experiential Education, 35.1, 290-302.
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Comments
Well what dies wilderness therapymostoy include? Outdoor therapy? Or nature based?
And moreover such a small base for a study is insufficient if you ask me.
I worked in a camp like this for about two years after I graduated from college. And yeah, the results were varied depending on the groups that I worked with. But I would argue that there are not ever going to be truly consistent results across the board with any type of therapy. What works for some is not always going to work for another. Right? I think that’s fair to say. Yes some of the guys responded better than others and have probably had better outcomes over the years than some of my guys did. But I think that no matter the long term results, every one that I worked with in some way got something positive out of the experience and I don’t think that can be discounted.
I have always been a little wary of any form of camp like this that promises so much to the parents but that in the end they get so little in return. For the most part the kids that these camps are geared toward are the kids who are not going to want to be there in the first place. And if this is not something that is done long term then the chances that this one stint at wilderness camp will make a huge difference in their lives is pretty slim. I know that maybe it could take them out of the environment that was causing them trouble, but is it really making the sorts of changes that will be lasting? According to the research here, apparently not.
My brother and sister in law sent my nephew to a wilderness camp, not because he was necessarily doing anything wrong yet that we knew of, but he was running with the worng sort of crowd and I think that we were all getting a little concerned for him.
This camp that he went to in NC did wonders for him. I have never seen a sulky teen turn into a polite young man almost overnight. And this is no Eddie Haskell thing. I think it’s the real deal.
It is as if his counselors there gave him the courage and his self esteem back that he had lost somewhere slong the way. That is what he needed to get back in with his older set of friends who had been by his side forever, and showed him that it’s okay to be a teen with morals and convictions and the ability to atand up for what you believe in.
some people not gaining a lot does NOT mean the improvements in others is to be forgotten.there are many different forms of therapy and if one is not suitable for some then there must be another for them!
Were the clinicians who were judging the effectiveness of the regimen actually looking at the smae things with a critical eye? You have to remember that “consistency” is not necessarily something that can be given a set empirical value. Humans have a difficult time seeing any two things the same way: what one person may deem as beneficial another person could look at as being detrimental. So I think that is key to keep in mind. Of course this kind of program may not be right for just any teen, but it could be right for some, and the validity of that should not be automatically discounted.
Wilderness camp really does create a life-changing experiences for struggling teenagers & young adults through outdoor therapeutic programs that help students learn to make better choices and live healthy, productive lives. Thank you for the info!
Does anyone know to get ahold of a list of the good ones, camps that could be good for a male teen going through a tough time? I want a good one that is reputable and that I know will be worth the money.
There are so many teens who have benefitted from wilderness therapy and that kind of outdoor treatment that helps them get a little more in touch with nature and a little less concerned with what others think.
Of course there are going to be those kids who think of this as a prison, sort of like being sent to military school, but I think that if most of them would just give it a chance they would see what a wonderful opportunity this could be for them.
But like any other treatment facility, the success of the program strongly lies in how good the employees are and how strong the program is that this wilderness program is advocating. Please make sure that you are comfortable with the counselors and the program that they are espousing before turning your child over to them.
Treat it as an option and things will be much better.If results from a certain therapy are mixed then it goes into the mid-level of satisfaction shelf,simple.After all,every treatment form is bound to work better for some individuals than others.
When a teenager is adamantly against being a part of something like WT then he or she will never reap the full benefits of what a treatment program like this has to offer.
They are young, they haven’t had the life experiences that many of us have had so the fact that they could really be screwing up their lives with their current decisions is too much for most of the to be able to grasp.
WT is a way to teach them about making strong choices about their life but without all of the other distractions that we are often surrounded with. I think that if most of the were given the chance to participate and go into it with an open mind then theer would be a lot of teens out there telling you that this is the best thing that ahs ever happened to them.
This is unsurprising. Wilderness programs are the new institutions for children with disabilities.
Wilderness programs for teens should be completely outlawed. No therapy, only a way to squeeze money out of parents. Several kids have died in these programs and there is no way to regulate them. Many kids report being sent to another long term program after wilderness. if there is abuse from staff, there is no way to ask the outside world for help. Communication is either nonexistent or monitored between kids and family. Google H.R 3126 112th congress and Greg Kutz findings of abuse and death in wilderness programs. He works for the Government Accountability Office. Plus these programs are frauds…..they use exhaustion, deprivation and constant peer pressure to hollow out the poor kid’s brains. This study is a great start…need to interview “survivors” of these camps. Program Death list: http://www.teenadvocatesusa.org/INMEMORIAM.html I know one kid in New York who got frostbite on his foot and the staff just laughed at him. Michelle Sutton and Aaron Bacon, were simply hiked to death….as were many others. http://teenadvocatesusa.homestead.com/deadlydiscipline.html
The majority of commenters here obviously have never actually been to a camp like this, or else they wouldn’t be spouting the same bullshit PR that these programs advertise.
We sent our Daughter to a Program in Maine last winter.
the results were minimal, the practices were poor and the outcome was the school wanting to send her on. We brought her home and she is doing much better than being sent away. Children who are sent away are at huge risk for never recovering.
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