Wilderness Therapy uses exploration into the wilderness to facilitate therapeutic change. Usually used for behavioral health issues in adolescents, Wilderness Therapy uses skills training, group exercises, and nature explorations to engage clients in counseling.
Counselors usually use Wilderness Therapy for groups of adolescents or young adults experiencing mental health concerns or substance use issues.
Wilderness therapists rely on the absence of any negative life influences (such as the pressure to engage in risky behaviors). Skills training can include starting a fire, finding and foraging for food, and building shelters.
Group exercises help bring clients together, mimic healthy family dynamics, and are free of toxic patterns of relating. Exploring the wilderness encourages clients to rely more heavily on themselves and the strength of the group.
The challenge of Wilderness Therapy includes physical activities, encouraging a mind-body connection. Wilderness therapy also encourages creativity, self-expression, and trust within oneself and the group. These dynamics can model and demonstrate healthy relationships with others that youth might not have in their life.
If you are interested in Wilderness Therapy for you or for a loved one, seek out a properly accredited and safe program, as placing youth in environments they are not used to can come with some risks.
Therapists Who Specialize in Using Wilderness Therapy
Hi, I'm Emily. I specialize in trauma treatment and primarily see emerging adult and adult clients who are wounded by adverse childhood experiences. My clients often find me when they feel that they've exhausted all other options, or have taken plain old "talk therapy" as far as they can take it.
I am a virtual teletherapy business providing counseling services throughout the state of Iowa and nature-based therapy (walk and talk therapy) in the Dubuque, IA area.
I am a Licensed Professional Counselor Candidate proudly serving the Boulder, Colorado community. It is my passion to collaborate with young adults and adults in their healing and self-discovery journeys. I strive to bring my clients cutting-edge therapy options to get to the root of their behavior patterns and help them develop updated ways of responding to their world.
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Whether you are an individual or couple looking for personal support, or a therapeutic practitioner looking to take your practice to another level of potency, the Somatic Wilderness Therapy Institute guides you in taking your ongoing growth and evolution to the next level. Our goal is to provide you with powerful, cutting-edge information and practices that support you in deeply listening to an...
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I integrate body-centered and strength-based psychotherapy with wilderness interventions to offer a holistic and creative approach to working with clients. I focus on supporting clients addressing eating disorders, trauma, anxiety, depression and sexual identity development. I am passionate about supporting gender diverse, non-binary and transgender clients from a gender-affirmative approach. M...
Sam Field is a licensed professional counselor, certified addiction counselor and trained extensively working with the LGBTQ community. Sam earned her MA in Wilderness Therapy from Naropa. She works towards providing a unique therapeutic approach blends talk therapy, wilderness and equine therapy, somatic trauma informed, mindfulness practices, and horticultural therapy. She offers a nurturing,...
*All programs currently full. Check back in 2021* I work best with clients who are seeking a supportive and safe environment to explore their struggles, successes and to seek healing. My approach includes a mix of modalities, including mindfulness-based approaches, AEDP, DBT, and play therapy. Therapeutic approaches will be tailored to your needs and goals. I understand the importance of holdin...
I specialize in working with adults, college students and adolescents dealing with trauma, abuse and dissociation issues, mood disorders, and life changes including transitions, grief and loss issues. Clients seeking lasting change in their lives or just looking for help to identify goals towards finding balance in their daily lives, as well as individuals seeking to align with and live their...
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