Therapeutic Wilderness Programs:
Using ancient wisdom and modern science to benefit At-Risk
Youth
Ben
Kotler, MA, RCC & Corinna Stevenson, Bed.
Youth
who struggle in the traditional education system are some
of the most creative and unique individuals in our communities.
Their assets include leadership, loyalty, an ability to
think outside of the box, passion, determination, and
a keen survival instinct. While each individual's story
is unique, it is fair to say that the majority of these
youth are in crisis. Their crisis may have been triggered
by trauma, grief, the transition from adolescence to adulthood,
or another life-impacting experience, but the one thing
they all have in common is that the crisis has not been
understood or processed in a healthy manner. Add to the
lack of meaningful processing the environmental and social
pressures of everyday life, and youth in crisis often
begin to exhibit symptoms that include anger, rebelliousness,
shock, uncertainty, drug abuse, and disconnectedness.
By incorporating traditional rites of passage themes in
their programming, CanAdventure Education helps youth
to bring meaning to their life stories and can inspire
and empower them to overcome the obstacles that they will
encounter on their journey through life.
Adolescence,
as a developmental stage, is a very new phenomenon in
human culture. It is an ever-growing period of transition
between childhood and adulthood. Psychologically, it is
often marked by a confused sense of self and an inability
to look into the future. Coming of age rites address the
natural confusion of this period of an individual's life.
They serve to initiate a defined sense of self as one
engages in, and passes through the ritual. In indigenous
cultures, the coming of age rites often took place in
the wilderness, involved a high level of risk, and if
successfully completed, gave one the status of attaining
manhood or womanhood. They often involved a mystical element
as well, offering the young person an opportunity to connect,
not just with their physical community, but with a larger
spiritual sense. In completing the ritual, youth gained
a sense of connection and identity that adolescents in
our culture may take years to achieve. In historical societies,
these rites were valued and meaningful and their impression
on youth was lasting.
Contemporary
society poses challenges for youth who are inherently
seeking meaning and identity. The structure of contemporary
culture is in constant flux, and values are rapidly changing.
The result is a generation of youth who are struggling
to find meaning in their lives. These youth will often
create their own rites of passage that include the risk,
challenge and adrenaline rush of ancient rites. Examples
of modern day rights of passage include getting drunk
for the first time, having sexual intercourse, smoking,
and drug use. Young people will ritually engage in these
activities hoping for the recognition and respect they
feel they will gain through completing these milestones,
but in doing so dishonour themselves and neglect to find
a positive focus or vision in life. CanAdventure Education
believes that therapeutic wilderness programs, framed
as a rite of passage, can serve as a powerful tool in
helping youth on their quest to bring meaning to their
lives.
The
first step in the rite of passage is to engage in a process
of severance from ones former life. CanAdventure Education
programs involve the youth leaving their family and friends,
and immersing themselves in an environment that is often
very different from the one in which they live. While
in the program, they engage in conversation and exercises
with facilitators who are well versed in wilderness survival
and metaphor making, helping them bring meaning to their
wilderness experiences. There is no TV, no drugs, no alcohol,
and no rat-race. This rupture takes some getting used
to, but when the youth finally has time to adjust, begins
to trust his guides, and consciously decides to let go
and move on from life at home, they become engage in the
process, and are ready for the second phase in a rite
of passage, the threshold phase. The threshold phase is
when the work begins.
During
this phase of their journey, youth are challenged mentally,
physically, emotionally, and spiritually. This is a phase
that involves processing all of their experiences, past
and present, that impact who they are and who they wish
to become. They learn to honour their assets as well as
their areas of challenge as they find ways to overcome
obstacles. They develop a keen sense of their value system
and who they want to become as adults, spend a lot of
time thinking about strategies that will allow them to
do so, and learn how to walk their talk. Toward the end
of this stage, participants spend solo time reflecting
on their life journey and begin a quest to find their
true selves. They find their power, and as such are empowered.
The
final phase of their journey, the incorporation phase,
takes place when the youth are ready to return home charged
with the responsibility of using their new found power
for their own good and also for the good of their families
and communities. Often, the thought of returning to the
pressures of the real world is an overwhelming and scary
prospect. The youth's mentors will help them see that
they are strong enough and will support them as they prepare
for reintegration. They do so armed with their new skills
and with the knowledge that they are capable and strong,
and that they can make a difference.
In
addition to drawing from traditional rituals, CanAdventure
Education also incorporates contemporary psychotherapeutic
methods. The dynamics of group psychotherapy; creating
emotional safety, building relationships, and learning
from other participants' experiences, come into play during
appointed times of inner processing. There are also many
therapeutic elements at work in the change process provided
by CanAdventure. Group, community, nature, and physical
challenge all contribute to the process of awakening the
inner Self in the participants. As the journey evolves
and community is built, the group process becomes an ongoing
experience bounded by the rules of safety and trust established
at the beginning of the program. Participants also follow
a curriculum that involves a psychoeducational component
where interpersonal skills, including anger management,
cognitive restructuring, and self-awareness, are taught.
However, there are some key differences between traditional
therapy and therapeutic wilderness based programs.
First,
the context of a wilderness program provides an opportunity
for youth to 'buy in' to the process through building
relationships and developing trust. Once they claim membership
to a healthy community, they have a vested interest in
owning the practice engaged in by the community. Another
of the critical elements in the process of change, missing
from many other therapeutic protocols, is time. Participants
are with their mentors, in the wilderness, 24 hours a
day, seven days a week, for the duration of their journey.
The result is an ongoing supportive relationship as the
youth go through their change process.
Youth
are looking for something to believe in and the wilderness
and its capacity for healing gives them the time to slow
down and believe in and experience the simple things in
life that are so important: Community, family, trust,
kindness, care for self and others, living in the moment,
being safe, being honest, and the interconnectedness of
all living things. CanAdventure Education present the
opportunity for youth to really experience these concepts
instead of simply being told about them. This incredible
experience can help struggling teens get the perspective
they need in life to use their leadership skills, creative
thinking, passion, and determination to succeed within
their homes, schools, and communities.
Find
out more about CanAdventure Education's wilderness therapy
programs.
