Making the Road by Walking: My Learning Experience in Outdoor Therapy with Walkabout Training

A guest student blog provided by social work student Sam Harris. 

The last hurdle before I graduate with a qualifying social work degree is to complete a 600 placement to further my practice experience. I was able to work with my university and friends of the Outdoor Therapy Centre to have a placement focused solely on outdoor therapy. What a treat. 

For 14 years, my work in mental health has been in primary care and complex mental health clinical settings involving structured sessions, formal interventions, and four walls. My placement at Walkabout Training changed that. Recently, I’ve been out in the field with Mark Cartner, the director of Walkabout Training in schools, collaborating with referrals from teachers, Youth Justice, and Child Safety QLD. One of our latest ventures was a canoe camp at Deepwater National Park.

Ten students paddled through the program, far from the recent Cyclone Alfred, discovering space to reflect, connect, and grow.

I always knew outdoor therapy is more than just taking people outside. But, I learned much of a deeply relational approach it really is. During my time with Mark at Walkabout, I’ve worked with a range of adolescents. Some are on parole on parole and others are navigating complex systems like child safety and youth justice. These young people carry trauma, deep mistrust, and a history of fractured relationships with adults. Many have been told directly or indirectly that they are too difficult, broken, and not worth the effort. Over time, they started believing it.

In an outdoor setting, those barriers shifted. Bushwalking, camp setup, and troubleshooting dinner when someone accidentally threw all the sausages into the ocean. Whoops. These moments create space for connection. Laughing together, sitting by a campfire, or figuring out a solution as a group builds trust in ways often limited in the traditional therapy room. Here, young people make real choices not dictated by systems or those in authority. They are active participants, and their participation was never neglected. They decide how to engage, what to participate in, and how they want to show up. This autonomy challenges the belief that they are destined to fail.
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Success, whether lighting a fire, setting up a tent, completing a canoe capsize rescue, or simply engaging in a conversation with a caring adult, plants the seed of a different story: I am capable. I have value. I can choose a different path.

The impact isn’t just anecdotal. Data gathered from the Outcome Rating Scales (ORS) show improved mental health outcomes in this space, reinforcing the power of connection, autonomy, and experiential learning. It was obvious early in the process why Mark's work is recognised with awards at a national level!

Some of the most profound moments during our recent camp came when young people felt seen, heard, and supported without judgment. Disclosures unfold naturally, not because they are forced but because they feel an adult in their life hasn't let them down for the first time in a long time. Walkabout Training is about learning important life skills for the students in the program to live independently and creating a safe space where young people can engage, connect, and heal. More than that, it’s about giving them the freedom to redefine who they are and who they can become.