Behavioural Assessment of Wilderness Therapy Participants: Exploring the Consistency of Observational Data

Larivière, Michel; Couture, Roger T.; Ritchie, Stephen D.; Côté, Daniel; Oddson, Bruce; Wright, Jesse H.

doi:10.5193/jee35.1.290

Cited by 3 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…Since nature-based therapies are still quite new in Western social work, there exists a majority of positivist and biomedically-driven research in this field (Barton, Griffin, & Pretty, 2012;Bettman & Tucker, 2011;Blay, Batista, Andreoli, & Gastal, 2008;Corring et al, 2013;Duvall & Kaplan, 2014;Hawthorne, Green, Folsom, & Lohr, 2009;Lariviere, Couture, Ritchie, Cote, Oddson, & Wright, 2012;Mills, Wilson, Iqbal, Alvarez, Pung, Wachmann, Rutledge, Maglione, Zisook, Dimsdale, Lunde, Greenberg, Maisel, Raisinghani, Natarajan, Jain, Hufford, & Redwine, 2015;Norton, 2010;Tucker et al, 2012;Unterrainer & Lewis, 2013). As a result, the voices of interpretive and critical researchers, as well as any "alternative" "mental health" practitioners, are limited.…”

Section: Chapter 3 Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Roots of Practice: An Anti-Colonial Critical Discourse Analysis of Western Nature-Based Mental Health Therapies

Chui¹

2023

Preprint

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<div>This study seeks to explore how nature-based therapies are understood in Western “mental health” practices. Specifically, horticultural and equine-assisted therapeutic models are examined for discursive themes tied to mind-body connections, attachment and healing. Additionally, texts used to teach specific therapeutic modalities are examined to further explore common concepts such as mindfulness and coping. In conducting a review of relevant literature, similar themes were revealed which contributed to a base knowledge for understanding the discourse around nature-based therapies. Engaging in an anti-colonial theoretical framework and a modified critical discourse analysis methodology, this qualitative study explores the research question: “What are the discourses which inform Western nature-based therapies?” Ultimately, this study aims to develop a more thorough understanding of how these therapies are linked to Indigenous approaches, how practices may be appropriated and used by Western practitioners, and the shift in social work towards more wholistic therapeutic practices. </div>

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Section: Chapter 3 Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Roots of Practice: An Anti-Colonial Critical Discourse Analysis of Western Nature-Based Mental Health Therapies

Chui¹

2023

Preprint

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“…Many post hoc assessments use anecdotal or self-reported data, raising issues of validity (Bailey, Johann, & Kang, 2017; Lariviere, Couture, & Ritchie, 2012; Schary & Waldron, 2017). Also, many assessment tools fail because of confounding variables (Ewert & Sibthorp, 2009), ignorance of how the brain learns (Kirschner, Sweller, & Clark, 2006), or the complex nature of experience, which has both objective and subjective elements (Qualters, 2010).…”

Section: Review Of Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Even when educators contextualize the experience, emphasize the spontaneous, unordered, and complex nature of experiential learning, and emphasize reflection during and after the experience, measuring growth can be difficult. Anecdotal accounts are methodologically suspect (Lariviere et al, 2012). Measures such as focus groups, interviews, and written surveys depend on self-reported data, which is only as reliable as the participants are honest and perceptive.…”

Section: Review Of Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Self-reported data in the form of surveys are subject to confounding variables such as social desirability of positive outcomes and post-experience euphoria (Ewert & Sibthorp, 2009). Self-reported data can be especially problematic when gathered from vulnerable populations (Lariviere et al, 2012). Behavioral assessment (such as structured observation) and physiological data (such as heart-rate monitors and measurement of brainwave data) are concrete and specific measures of social or psychological aspects of learning (Lariviere et al, 2012).…”

Section: Review Of Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Self-reported data can be especially problematic when gathered from vulnerable populations (Lariviere et al, 2012). Behavioral assessment (such as structured observation) and physiological data (such as heart-rate monitors and measurement of brainwave data) are concrete and specific measures of social or psychological aspects of learning (Lariviere et al, 2012). However, the psychological tests and physiological measurements are difficult to use outside of laboratory conditions.…”

Section: Review Of Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Asking the Right Questions: Using Reflective Essays for Experiential Assessment

Bennion

Cannon

Hill

et al. 2019

Journal of Experiential Education

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Background: Experiential educators face difficulties assessing participants and programs because there are so many measurement tools to choose from, many measures have validity issues such as those based on self-reported data, objective tests may not adequately measure social or psychological outcomes, and tests in content disciplines often assess knowledge rather than skill in synthesis, analysis, or evaluation. Purpose: We hypothesized that an open-ended essay final would reliably measure individual growth, internalization of foundational threshold concepts in our disciplines, and the effectiveness of our outdoor, interdisciplinary program. Methodology/Approach: Student essays contained 36 student-generated concepts spread across our four disciplines (biology, writing, history, and recreation) which we compared with 20 threshold concepts from professional literature. Findings/Conclusions: Individual students identified about half of the concepts generated by the whole group, illustrating that their learning varied significantly. Our group identified 13 of the published threshold concepts. Students demonstrated comprehension of threshold concepts—foundational ways of seeing—as opposed to restatements of information from teachers’ lectures. Implications: Writing essays aids permanent cognitive and behavioral learning; coding responses to open-ended essay questions for threshold concepts can be a valuable tool for both individual student and program assessment in experiential education.

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Wilderness Therapy

Becker¹,

Russell²

2016

Encyclopedia of Adolescence

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Behavioural Assessment of Wilderness Therapy Participants: Exploring the Consistency of Observational Data

Cited by 3 publications

References 17 publications

The Roots of Practice: An Anti-Colonial Critical Discourse Analysis of Western Nature-Based Mental Health Therapies

The Roots of Practice: An Anti-Colonial Critical Discourse Analysis of Western Nature-Based Mental Health Therapies

Asking the Right Questions: Using Reflective Essays for Experiential Assessment

Wilderness Therapy

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