Who are They? A Descriptive Study of Adolescents in Wilderness and Residential Programs – Although residential and wilderness treatment programs are growing in popularity, little is known about the adolescents placed within them. This study analyzed a random sample of 473 psychological evaluations of adolescents in residential and wilderness treatment centers for participants’ cognitive […]
Unpacking the Black Box of Wilderness Therapy: A Realist Synthesis – Despite considerable progress within wilderness and adventure therapy research over the last decade, researchers are still unable to precisely answer why, how, and for whom this treatment modality works. There is also a need for more knowledge regarding the circumstances under which the […]
The Troubled Teen Industry and Its Effects: An Oral History – The troubled teen industry (TTI) is a term used to describe a system of underregulated residential youth treatment facilities that operate primarily in the United States. My research, which was funded by a 2021 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) through the Hamel Center for Undergraduate […]
The Problem – The growth of the largely unregulated and improperly monitored troubled teen industry (sometimes called boot camps, wilderness camps, therapeutic boarding schools) has given rise to wide spread inhumane treatment of youth. Between July 17 and December 26, 2006, the Alliance for the Safe, Therapeutic, and Appropriate use of Residential Treatment (ASTART) […]
Residential Treatment Programs: Concerns Regarding Abuse and Death in Certain Programs for Troubled Youth. Testimony before the Committee on Education and Labor, House of Representatives – Residential treatment programs provide a range of services, including drug and alcohol treatment, confidence building, military-style discipline, and psychological counseling for troubled boys and girls with a variety […]
Preventing Fatal Incidents – Apart from deliberate deaths or some deaths associated with transport to or from a program, counterfactual analysis of incidents shows capable individuals responsible for a program could prevent most outdoor education deaths. This chapter summaries what is required of organizations and individuals to take all reasonable fatality prevention measures. Fatality […]
Outdoor Therapies An Introduction to Practices, Possibilities, and Critical Perspectives – Drawing on the leading voices of international researchers and practitioners, Outdoor Therapies provides readers with an overview of practices for the helping professions. Sharing outdoor approaches ranging from garden therapy to wilderness therapy and from equine-assisted therapy to surf therapy, Harper and Dobud have […]
Experiences of secure transport in outdoor behavioral healthcare: A narrative inquiry – Often synonymous with wilderness therapy, outdoor behavioral healthcare (OBH) is a residential treatment in the United States for young people, more than half of whom are sent via secure transport services. While empirical evidence suggests the secure transport of adolescents to OBH […]
Commentary—The Profits of Misery Revisited – This commentary is prompted by Dr. Sandra Thomas’ (2008) editorial on wilderness programs that was published in Issues in Mental Health Nursing.
Wilderness Therapy: Ethical Considerations for Mental Health Professionals – As the field of wilderness therapy continues to grow and evolve as a treatment modality, it is important for mental health professionals to consider the unique ethical issues that may arise when therapy moves far beyond the four walls of a therapist’s office. This article […]
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