The Impact of Wilderness Therapy

Abstract

With roots in experiential education and Outward Bound, wilderness therapy (WT) is a growing field of mental health care for youth. WT uses outdoor modalities combined with therapeutic interventions to assist youth to promote clinical changes. Previous research has shown it to be effective in improving the mental health of clients; however, little research has looked at the impact of WT on physical outcomes as well. This study examined changes in the body composition and mental health outcomes of adolescents participating in one WT program. On average, youth in the sample moved to a more healthy weight and body mass index (BMI) or were able to maintain at a healthy level. Youth also experienced significant improvements in their mental health functioning. Given the adolescent obesity crisis along with adolescent female challenges with body image, these results show that WT could be a promising intervention for youth struggling with these issues.

Mental, physical and social health benefits of immersive nature-experience for children and adolescents: A systematic review and quality assessment of the evidence

“…Adolescent participants were both underweight, normal weight, and overweight; and partook for 73 days, on average. Similar changes towards healthy weight and BMI were found amongst participants enrolled in residential wilderness therapy after on average 79.8 days (Tucker et al, 2016).…”

Effects of an Eight-Week Wilderness Adventure Program on Body Composition and Mental Health of Adolescents

“…They were specifically interested to see if physical improvements were related to improved scores on the Youth Outcome Questionnaire (Y-OQ). Although they found no significant relationships for normal, overweight, and obese youth with scores on the Y-OQ, they did find some positive correlations for underweight youth and some Y-OQ subscales (Tucker et al, 2016a(Tucker et al, , 2016b. The physical activity and diet components of an OBH program (as well as improvement in sleep routines and change in environment) may partially explain the psychological benefits suggested in previous studies (Nemet et al, 2005;O'neil et al, 2014;VanKim & Nelson, 2013).…”

“…Some adventure therapy programs are operated in schools or by community-based agencies. In wilderness adventure therapy programs participants live outdoors in the wilderness in small groups, participate in adventure experiences and are provided with individual, group, and family therapy for an average of 8 weeks (Tucker et al, 2016a(Tucker et al, , 2016b. Gass et al (2012) suggests adventure therapy is the prescriptive employment of outdoor adventure experiences directed by licensed therapists, which engage participants on physical, emotional, and behavioral levels.…”

“…The general health benefits of improving dietary quality and increasing physical activity in adolescence are well known (Knai et al, 2006;Saxe-Custack et al, 2021). A previous study examined the potential relationship between body composition and psychological outcomes (Tucker et al, 2016a(Tucker et al, , 2016b. They were specifically interested to see if physical improvements were related to improved scores on the Youth Outcome Questionnaire (Y-OQ).…”

Young Adults in Transition: Factors That Support and Hinder Growth and Change

“…Most of the major research initiatives come out of collaborative work with the OBH Center and the NATSAP PRN. These initiatives combine to provide a growing base of research that supports positive outcomes for private therapeutic programs (Behrens et al, 2010;Behrens, & Satterfield, 2007;Bettman et al, 2016;Hoag et al, 2016;Koperski, Tucker, Lung, & Gass, 2015;Liermann & Norton, 2016;Russell, 2000Russell, , 2003aRussell, , 2003bRussell et al, 2008;Russell & Sibthorp, 2004;Tucker, Norton, DeMille, & Hobson, 2016;Tucker, Paul, Hobson, Karoff, & Gass, 2016).…”