Helping Teens Overcome Anxiety Episodes in Project Work: The Power of Reframing

Orson, Carolyn N.; Larson, Reed

doi:10.1177/0743558420913480

Cited by 6 publications

(3 citation statements)

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“…Dissonant situations in the wilderness might as easily lead to a fight, flight, or freeze response. Indeed, research shows that the challenges experienced in different types of youth programs (technology, leadership, and OB programs) can be so overwhelming they create a spiral of intense anxiety that disrupts motivation and learning (Larson, Orson, & McGovern, 2018; McKenzie, 2003; Orson & Larson, in press). In addition, might there be other sources of motivation and processes that help youth persist and learn through stressful, challenging experiences in OB course?…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

How challenges and peers contribute to social‐emotional learning in outdoor adventure education programs

Orson

McGovern

Larson

2020

Journal of Adolescence

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Introduction Many youth development programs view adolescents’ process of grappling with challenges as a major driver of social‐emotional learning. Our goal was to understand these processes as experienced and enacted by youth. We focused on the program Outward Bound in the United States because its students experience significant physical and social challenges and it has well‐developed staff practices for facilitating learning from challenges. Methods Group interviews were conducted with 32 youth (ages 14–18; 50% female), immediately following their completion of Outward Bound expedition courses. Students were asked to provide a detailed narrative account of an episode on course in which they learned from challenges. Grounded theory analyses identified three processes that contributed to learning. Results First, students, described developing skills for persistence through successfully enduring distress and a process of experimenting with new mindsets that helped them rise above their anxiety and distress. Second, we found that peers provided skillful and responsive on‐the‐spot support that motivated youth, helped them succeed, and scaffolded students’ learning strategies for dealing with physical, social, and emotional challenges. Third, we found that this peer support and scaffolding was animated by a culture of compassion and mutual commitment, which was cultivated by staff and embraced by youth. Conclusions These findings from Outward Bound illuminate a learning model that may be useful to other youth programs. This model combines intense challenges with attuned peer support for adolescents’ active processes of addressing and learning from challenges. We highlight program structures and staff practices that support these processes.

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Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

How challenges and peers contribute to social‐emotional learning in outdoor adventure education programs

Orson

McGovern

Larson

2020

Journal of Adolescence

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“…Though not a central focus here, it is crucial to recognize the role of programs in supporting emotional learning. PYD programs can contribute by cultivating a program culture that is shared among staff and youth “in which emotions are expected, validated, and discussed” (Orson & Larson, 2021, p. 147). Programs can also: (a) Train staff on practices to support emotional learning.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Responding to Teenagers’ Emotional Meltdowns: How Outward Bound Instructors Facilitate Development of Anxiety Management Skills

Larson

Orson

McGovern

2022

Journal of Adolescent Research

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Rates of intense anxiety among teenagers have risen dramatically, a major concern. Outward Bound (OB), a wilderness expedition program that promotes learning through challenge experiences, is found to help youth decrease anxiety. To understand how program staff support this learning, we asked 30 OB instructors to describe their successful work with a youth following an intense anxiety episode (a “meltdown”). Using grounded theory analyses we identified eight practices OB instructors employed that facilitated the youth’s emotional learning. Examples include: helping them open up to examine their emotions, providing tools for detecting and regulating rising anxiety, and instructor-youth co-planning to manage upcoming anxiety-inducing situations. The analyses also revealed the intentionality in each practice: when it was used, its goals, strategies employed, and how each facilitated youth’s active emotional learning. Youth’s learning processes across practices evolved from being instructor-initiated to youth-driven. The skills youth learned progressed from understanding emotions, to controlling imminent anxiety, to controlling anxiety about future situations, to taking responsibility for the impact of their emotions on others. These OB practices, we suggest, can be flexibly adapted to other youth development settings to help teens build competencies to manage anxiety, including when taking on new demanding challenges.

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“…The literature revealed a plethora of informative studies on ways to help students with anxiety. Examples include assisting teens to overcome anxiety episodes in project work [ 10 ], supporting students in the middle years with anxiety and depression [ 11 ], helping students to cope with mathematics anxiety [ 12 ] and how staff can help youth overcome episodes of anxiety [ 13 ]. Research also clearly suggests effective, collaborative practices to support students with anxiety and depression [ 14 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%