Resilience in Adventure Based Counseling

Resilience in Adventure Based Counseling Carolyn W. Kern, Ph.D., NCC, LPCS David Christian, M.S., LPC-Intern University of North Texas Counseling Program TEXAS COLLEGE COUNSELING ASSOCIATION Fort Worth, Texas 2012

Overview of Presentation Resiliency Definition Protective Factors Personal resiliency builders Fostering resilience Adventure Based Counseling (ABC) History Uniqueness How it works Resilience & ABC Integrated Getting Started Definition

Resilience Approach It is an asset-based approach that can assist counselors in supporting students mental health needs and promote academic persistence.

Resilience Defined: Resilience is the ability to adapt positively in the face of significant adversity, trauma or stress, and develop social and academic competence despite exposure to severe stress Or simply the stress of today s world From Resiliency In Schools: Making It Happen for Students and Educators by Nan Henderson and Mike Milstein

Protective Factors moderate, buffer, insulate against and thereby do mitigate the risk on behavior development. Richard Jessor, Ph.D., Institute of Behavioral Science, University of Colorado Resiliency happens because of Protective Factors

Resources An individual can use internal and external protective factors to reduce the impact of stresses (Egeland, Carlson, & Sroufe, 1993)

Personal Resiliency Builders: Individual Protective Factors that Facilitate Resiliency Relationships Service Life skills Humor Inner direction Perceptiveness

Personal Resiliency Builders continued Independence Positive View of Personal Future Flexibility Love of Learning Self-Motivation Competence Self-worth Spirituality Perseverance Creativity

FOUR MOST IMPORTANT STEPS TO FOSTERING RESILIENCY: APPT ATTITUDE -- The Resiliency Attitude I am not going to judge you based on your past... I believe in your capacity to overcome... What is right with you is more powerful than anything that is wrong with you... 2. PERSPECTIVE OF STRENGTHS -- Work from a Strengths Perspective Use The Resiliency Chart T-chart, formally and informally Ask: What is on the strengths side of the chart that can be used to intervene with problems? Teach people about their strengths: name them, share how they are being used, suggest how they can be used in the future.

3. Create a PROTECTIVE WEB -- Use the Resiliency Wheel (as a web around each person, family, organization, community or yourself) 4. TAKE TIME -- Persist: Don t Give Up! Mind these three: TTT; hear their chime: Things Take Time! Emmy Werner, Ph.D.

Adventure Based Counseling Strategies that can enhance Resilience

What is ABC? Adventure Based Counseling (ABC) is a mode of counseling that can be tailored to fit a multitude of settings and intentionally utilizes adventure activities to facilitate social-emotional and personal growth as well as behavior change in participants. (Fletcher & Hinkle, 2002; Gass, Gillis, & Russell, 2012; Project Adventure, 2007)

History of ABC Early 1900 s Outward Bound Mid 1900 s to Present Wilderness Therapy Present Adventure Based Counseling (Schoel & Maizell, 2002)

What Makes ABC Unique? Tuckman s Model Elements Setting Additional required skills Use of metaphor Transfer of new knowledge to real life (Fletcher & Hinkle, 2002)

Elements Elements another term for the activities used in ABC Examples: Ropes Course, Obstacle Course, hiking, rock climbing, low elements.

Setting & Skills Setting: Heavy reliance on outdoors/wilderness Nature has a healing effect and captures attention Creates disequilibrium Can foster deeper reflection and introspection Provides outlet for frustration & anxiety Skills Physical (hard) skills Traditional (soft) skills (Fletcher & Hinkle, 2002; Miles, 1987; Kaplan & Talbot, 1983)

Metaphor Intentionally used to help clients connect an activity to real life. Can be implied or stated. Often clients can create their own metaphors during an activity. (Fletcher & Hinkle, 2002)

How It Works ABC Process Frontloading Activity Processing

How It Works RISK Creates an opportunity for clients to develop new coping skills by experiencing a state of disequilibrium Real vs. Perceived Risk (Fletcher & Hinkle, 2002)

Experiential Learning Cycle Doing: (Concrete Experience) Transfer: (Application) Reflection: (Reflective Observation) Generalization: (Abstract Conceptualization)

Experiential Learning Cycle Activity Now What? What? So What?

Here and Now Avoid He said, She said Bring issue to the present. Move focus from outside to inside Share your observations and your experiences Yalom & Leszcz, 2005

Benefits of ABC Psychological, sociological, educational, physical, and spiritual Ewert (1989): Enhanced self-concept, personal efficacy, self-confidence, and wellbeing Marx (1988): Builds trust and camaraderie Russell & Phillips-Miller (2002): Clients feel less like they re in treatment Ewert & Yoshino (2008): Increased resilience and sense of accomplishment

Benefits of Group Instillation of Hope Universality Imparting Information/Advice Altruism Imitative Behavior Develop Social Skills Interpersonal Relationships Yalom & Leszcz, 2005

Getting Started Think about your campus 1. Selecting members 2. Planning Place Time Activity Length Leader 3. Personal Tips Get Excited Have fun!

Putting it all Together Adventure Based Counseling Helps Build: Relationships (ability to form a relationship) Service (Giving of self to help others) Life Skills (assertiveness, impulse control) Insight (perceptiveness) Flexibility (Adjusting to change) Confidence (self worth) Trust Perseverance (keeping on despite the challenge) Creativity (using creative imagination)

Resilience References Bernard, B. (2004). Resilience: What we have learned. San Francisco, CA: West Ed. Connor, K. M., Jonathan, R. T., & Davidson, R. T. (2003). Development of a new resilience scale: The Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC). Depression and Anxiety, 18, 76-82. Evans, N. J., Forney, D. S., & Guido-DiBrito, F. (1998). Student development in college: Theory, research and practice. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Gallagher, R. (2009). National Survey of Counseling Center Directors. Retrieved from International Association of Counseling Services website: http://www.iacsinc.org

Resilience References (continued) Henderson, N. (Ed.). (2007). Resiliency in action: Practical ideas for overcoming risks and building strengths in youth, families and communities. California: Resiliency in Action. Howe, N., & Strauss, B. (2007). Millennials go to college (2 nd ed.). Virginia: LifeCourse Associates. Werner, E. E., & Smith, R. S. (1982). Vulnerable but not invincible: A longitudinal study of resilient children and youth. New York: McGraw- Hill. Werner, E. E., & Smith, R. S. (1992). Overcoming the odds: High risk children from birth to adulthood. New York: Cornell University Press. Wolin, S., & Wolin, S. (1993). The resilient self: How troubled families rise above adversity.new York: Villard Books.

ABC References Cain, J. (2008). Raccoon Circles website information. http://www.teamworkandteamplay.com/resources.html Cassidy, K. (2001). Enhancing your experiential program with narrative theory. Journal of Experiential Education, 24(1), 22-26. Ewert, A., & Yoshino, A. (2008). A preliminary exploration of the influence of short-term adventure-based expeditions on levels of resilience. Journal of Experiential Education, 30(3), 262-266. Fletcher, T. B., & Hinkle, J. S. (2002). Adventure based counseling: An innovation in counseling. Journal of Counseling & Development, 80(3), 277-285. Gass, M. A., Gillis, H. L., & Russell, K. C. (2012) Adventure Therapy: Theory, Research, and Practice. New York, NY: Routledge.

ABC References (continued) Glass, J. S., & Myers, J. E. (2001). Combining the old and the new to help adolescents: Individual psychology and adventure-based counseling. Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 23(2), 104-114. Hill, N. R. (2007). Wilderness therapy as a treatment modality for atrisk youth: A primer for mental health counselors. Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 29(4), 338-349. Kaplan, S., & Talbot, J. F. (1983). Psychological benefits of a wilderness experience. Human Behavior & Environment: Advances in Theory & Research, 6, 163-203. Miles, J.C. (1987). Wilderness as a healing place. Journal of Experiential Education, 10, 4 10.

ABC References (continued) Project Adventure. (2007). Adventure Based Counseling Training Manual. Beverly, MA: Project Adventure, Inc. Russell, K. C., & Phillips-Miller, D. (2002). Perspectives on the wilderness therapy process and its relation to outcome. Child & Youth Care Forum, 31(6), 415-437. Schoel, J., & Maizell, R.S. (2002). Exploring the islands of healing: New perspectives on adventure based counseling. Beverly, MA: Project Adventure, Inc. Texas Education Code, Title 2, Subtitle F, Chapter 33, Subchapter A. Tuckman, B. (1965). Developmental sequences in small groups. Psychological Bulletin, 63, 384-399. Yalom, I. D., & Leszcz, M. (2005). The Theory and Practice of Group Psychotherapy. New York, NY: Basic Books.