What Is Adventure Therapy?
Adventure therapy is an experiential type of therapy that uses challenging adventure activities to help aid the therapeutic healing process. Adventure therapy is a form of psychotherapy that started back in the 1960s. This form of therapy uses nature, community, and daring exercises for therapy. It is a highly effective form of therapy and is used to help improve an individual’s social, physical, spiritual, and psychological well-being. In addition, adventure therapy can help build trust amongst people in treatment and is also very effective at stimulating clients.
Benefits of Adventure Therapy at Garden State Treatment Center
Adventure therapy is often done in groups or can even be done with family. It encourages a sense of responsibility and helps to build positive relationships. Some of the other benefits of adventure therapy can include:
- Decreases depression, anxiety, PTSD, trauma, and other symptoms
- Helps in relationships and with family
- Increases self-efficacy
- Improves interpersonal skills and executive functioning
- Helps with identity development
- Improves passion and perseverance
- Trauma resilience
- Helps to teach self-advocacy for needs
Adventure therapy has been proven to be highly beneficial in improving mental and behavioral health issues. It is also commonly used to help teens and adolescents with various mental health issues.
How Does Adventure Therapy Work?
Adventure therapy at Garden State promotes growth, development, rehabilitation and enhances physical, social, and psychological well-being. It helps people to become more physically, socially, and psychologically healthy. Adventure therapy uses hands-on activities in a group. It is also commonly done with families. The activities that are done require participants to cooperate, trust one another, and problem-solve together.
Adventure therapy involves outdoor activities and high adventures. Once the activity has been completed, the group comes together to discuss the activity. This helps everyone to understand what happened in the process and to discuss their experience. This also allows each person to connect the adventure to their personal goals and recovery.
