Tailoring Adventure Therapy to Target Age Groups Study
Principal Researchers: Kylie Agnew Assoc MAPS (Youth Psychology SA / ConnectedSelf) & Dr Will Dobud (Charles Sturt University)
Funding: No funding was received for conducting this study.
Special Thanks: Thanks to Unda Avota, Nicky Treadway, Wayne Enright, Johanna Bechtle, and Kylie Wielechowski for aiding in developing this research project, providing supplementary materials, and co-facilitation
Human Research Ethical Approval: Based on the guidelines in the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research (Australia), Charles Sturt University's Human Research Ethics Committee approved this study on 30 April 2024 until 30 April 2026. The study's protocol number is H24054.
Funding: No funding was received for conducting this study.
Special Thanks: Thanks to Unda Avota, Nicky Treadway, Wayne Enright, Johanna Bechtle, and Kylie Wielechowski for aiding in developing this research project, providing supplementary materials, and co-facilitation
Human Research Ethical Approval: Based on the guidelines in the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research (Australia), Charles Sturt University's Human Research Ethics Committee approved this study on 30 April 2024 until 30 April 2026. The study's protocol number is H24054.
Adventure Therapy Outcome Monitoring (ATOM) Study
Principal Investigator: Dr Will Dobud
Co-Investigator: Dr Daniel Cavanaugh
Funding: The Adventure Therapy Outcome Monitoring (ATOM) study was awarded $10,000 USD in 2022 which was spent on guest lecturing, research consultation with Dr Scott D Miller, Professor Nevin J. Harper, and Steve Javorski.
Outdoor therapy (Harper & Doherty, 2020) is an umbrella term used to describe the range of therapies intentionally using adventure and experiential techniques to engage people in psychotherapy services. This study will invite outdoor/adventure therapy practitioners, such as those practicing adventure, wilderness, surf, or nature-based therapy, to integrate Feedback-Informed Treatment (FIT), a “pantheoretical approach for evaluating and improving the quality and effectiveness of behavioral health services” (Bertolino, Bergmann, & Miller, 2012, p. 2), into their practice. The FIT Manuals utilised to inform this research project and methods are endorsed by the United States’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and Practices. FIT involves administering two self-report, ultra-brief measures to evaluate the quality of psychotherapy services. The Outcome Rating Scale (ORS; Miller et al., 2003), administered at the start of each session, is a measure of general wellbeing. Administered in the last five minutes of a session, the Session Rating Scale (SRS; Duncan et al., 2003) is a measure of quality of the therapeutic relationship. This study aims to explore the potential and feasibility for routine outcome monitoring in outdoor/adventure therapy practice.
Co-Investigator: Dr Daniel Cavanaugh
Funding: The Adventure Therapy Outcome Monitoring (ATOM) study was awarded $10,000 USD in 2022 which was spent on guest lecturing, research consultation with Dr Scott D Miller, Professor Nevin J. Harper, and Steve Javorski.
Outdoor therapy (Harper & Doherty, 2020) is an umbrella term used to describe the range of therapies intentionally using adventure and experiential techniques to engage people in psychotherapy services. This study will invite outdoor/adventure therapy practitioners, such as those practicing adventure, wilderness, surf, or nature-based therapy, to integrate Feedback-Informed Treatment (FIT), a “pantheoretical approach for evaluating and improving the quality and effectiveness of behavioral health services” (Bertolino, Bergmann, & Miller, 2012, p. 2), into their practice. The FIT Manuals utilised to inform this research project and methods are endorsed by the United States’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and Practices. FIT involves administering two self-report, ultra-brief measures to evaluate the quality of psychotherapy services. The Outcome Rating Scale (ORS; Miller et al., 2003), administered at the start of each session, is a measure of general wellbeing. Administered in the last five minutes of a session, the Session Rating Scale (SRS; Duncan et al., 2003) is a measure of quality of the therapeutic relationship. This study aims to explore the potential and feasibility for routine outcome monitoring in outdoor/adventure therapy practice.
Youth, Inc. Program Evaluation
Principal Investigator: Dr Will Dobud
Co-Investigator: Dr John Paul Healy
Funding: No funding was received for conducting this study.
Informed by Youth, Inc.’s Student Outcomes Framework and the decline in youth engagement and wellbeing in South Australia, this present study intends build knowledge on student experiences. Though Youth, Inc. has collected data regarding student achievements, such as the number of students receiving certificates of education, little empirical research has been conducted to gain better understanding of students’ experiences relating to improving their transformative capacities, wellbeing, and student engagement. Though a standard pre-/post-program evaluation is helpful for benchmarking a service’s effectiveness, this study will employ an outcome monitoring framework to routinely monitor student experiences and inform practice, with the aim of improving student outcomes throughout the course of the study.
Co-Investigator: Dr John Paul Healy
Funding: No funding was received for conducting this study.
Informed by Youth, Inc.’s Student Outcomes Framework and the decline in youth engagement and wellbeing in South Australia, this present study intends build knowledge on student experiences. Though Youth, Inc. has collected data regarding student achievements, such as the number of students receiving certificates of education, little empirical research has been conducted to gain better understanding of students’ experiences relating to improving their transformative capacities, wellbeing, and student engagement. Though a standard pre-/post-program evaluation is helpful for benchmarking a service’s effectiveness, this study will employ an outcome monitoring framework to routinely monitor student experiences and inform practice, with the aim of improving student outcomes throughout the course of the study.
The Adventure & Outdoor Therapy Education, Professionalism, and Practice Survey
Chief Investigator: Dr Daniel Cavanaugh
Co-Investigators: Dr Will Dobud, Dr Cristy Cummings, Christopher Russo, LICSW, Kellie Pertl, Wen-Chen Liu
These researchers are adventure therapy researchers and students who are interested in learning more about what has led people to this field and how they became prepared for professional practice. We hope to share the information gathered in this survey in journal articles and conference presentations so that we may better understand how people become prepared to work in this field. For the purpose of this survey the term adventure & outdoor therapies is used as a blanket term to include adventure therapy, therapeutic adventure, outdoor therapy, wilderness therapy, bush adventure therapy, nature-based therapy, eco-therapy, & other experiential therapies and therapeutic activities that utilize indoor and/or outdoor experiential challenges and activities in the therapeutic process. The survey developed by the research team was being administered internationally so we are using a broad definition of adventure & outdoor therapies that includes practitioners at a variety of backgrounds and educational levels. For this reason we are not limiting responses to only person's with a graduate degree or license to use the title of therapist. We are interested more broadly in all folks who work in the fields of adventure & outdoor therapies and offer services to clients at any level in these fields. We are interested in hearing the perspectives of folks who work in this field that include therapists, educators, field guides, program staff, peer-support workers, and anyone who considers themselves to be a practitioner at any level in the adventure & outdoor therapies field. Additionally, we are asking that all participants be at least 21 years of age.
Co-Investigators: Dr Will Dobud, Dr Cristy Cummings, Christopher Russo, LICSW, Kellie Pertl, Wen-Chen Liu
These researchers are adventure therapy researchers and students who are interested in learning more about what has led people to this field and how they became prepared for professional practice. We hope to share the information gathered in this survey in journal articles and conference presentations so that we may better understand how people become prepared to work in this field. For the purpose of this survey the term adventure & outdoor therapies is used as a blanket term to include adventure therapy, therapeutic adventure, outdoor therapy, wilderness therapy, bush adventure therapy, nature-based therapy, eco-therapy, & other experiential therapies and therapeutic activities that utilize indoor and/or outdoor experiential challenges and activities in the therapeutic process. The survey developed by the research team was being administered internationally so we are using a broad definition of adventure & outdoor therapies that includes practitioners at a variety of backgrounds and educational levels. For this reason we are not limiting responses to only person's with a graduate degree or license to use the title of therapist. We are interested more broadly in all folks who work in the fields of adventure & outdoor therapies and offer services to clients at any level in these fields. We are interested in hearing the perspectives of folks who work in this field that include therapists, educators, field guides, program staff, peer-support workers, and anyone who considers themselves to be a practitioner at any level in the adventure & outdoor therapies field. Additionally, we are asking that all participants be at least 21 years of age.
