Talk:Adventure therapy

Prison Farm

I removed the link to prison farm, as I could find nothing in the article (nor in that of 'prison farm' or 'prison labor') that relates to adventure therapy. Feel free to add it back if you can show why they should be linked together. -- Aaronwinborn 20:50, 16 March 2006 (UTC)

sources

There are sources...but yuck! So cluttered I can barely read the article! We need to get to work on making this cited with footnotes, NOT messy parenthetical documentation. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 75.73.155.34 (talk) 01:18, 24 February 2007 (UTC).

This entry reads like someone's Master's Thesis

This entry does not accurately reflect adventure therapy. It appears to be someone's master's thesis - and unfortunately someone without a great deal of experience in the field. I would vote for scrapping much of this. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Dr adventure (talk • contribs) 02:05, 8 October 2007 (UTC)

This entry reads like someone's Master's Thesis - Response from Author

I welcome and encourage Dr. Adventure to please provide clearer, concrete, and more accurate comments concerning the accuracy of this article. This article was not my master's thesis. This article was developed through a thorough and extensive review of the literature. I also believe that this article was reviewed by current researchers in the adventure therapy field who offered edits and comments to improve format and not content.

As for comments on my experience with the field. I hold a MA in clinical psychology with an emphasis in adventure therapy. I am currently putting the final touches on my doctoral dissertation on adventure therapy. I am trainer of trainers on the Challenge Ropes Course. I have designed two therapy based adventure programs (one in Vermont in 1998 and one in Connecticut in 2000). These programs were developed on the research and theories of this article. These programs are still in operation. I also have developed a series of adventure augmentations to existing therapy programs in Colorado. I would be more than happy to openly discuss and debate my experience and knowledge of Adventure Therapy.

I believe in constructive debate and I welcome Dr. Adventure and others to engage in constructive debate with me. It is that type of discussion that helps to improve and expand the field. I politely ask that criticisms and comments are stated clearly and backed with research. (Flyingzen (talk) 23:35, 23 January 2009 (UTC))

return ""; —Preceding unsigned comment added by 122.166.0.71 (talk) 13:35, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

Lacking inline citations

"This article includes a list of references or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. Please improve this article by introducing more precise citations where appropriate."

The article includes the necessary citations that are from the America Psychological Association (APA) manual of style. It is unclear to me, as the author, where more precise citations are need. If a direct example can be provided on the talk page then we can explore more clearly the issue. (Flyingzen (talk) 23:03, 23 January 2009 (UTC))

WP has it's own expectations on how to cite an article. Please see all 5 wikilinks built-into that notification template to find out more about this topic. -- 208.81.184.4 (talk) 23:36, 10 March 2011 (UTC)

Merge wilderness therapy here

Additional discussion of this proposed merge is talking place at Talk:Wilderness therapy#Merge with Adventure Therapy. -- 208.81.184.4 (talk) 23:33, 10 March 2011 (UTC)

The creation of the wilderness therapy article started by trying to draw a distinction between it and other forms of outdoor education. It was gradually taken over by authors who had a negative experience with a wilderness program. Some work has been accomplished in an effort to bring it back to wp:NPOV. But what has become apparent is that wilderness therapy is a variation within the Adventure therapy concept. Therefore I intend to create a section here and move content from that article before merging the two. I will do my best not to infuse the resulting merged article with any bias, I will move everything over that is properly sourced. If there are no strenuous objections I will do it fairly soon.I ♥ ♪♫ (talk) 02:10, 24 September 2010 (UTC)

I have not seen any adventure therapy programs where the participants are collected from their home with force and in restraints as it often is the case with wilderness therapy programs. However should it be the case I would not oppose the merger Covergaard (talk) 09:10, 11 March 2011 (UTC)

I have deemed the merge proposal as failed & removed the tag. -- 208.81.184.4 (talk) 17:34, 1 April 2011 (UTC)

To bring this point up again: Why should this not be merged? I don't understand the arguments in favor of keeping it separate. The article says it is a kind of adventure therapy, then there is some unclear waffling about whether or not it involves behavior modification, and then there is text describing controversies surrounding this subtopic. The editor above said that they don't know of any other form of adventure therapy where people are forcibly removed from their homes, but that would be a justification for making wilderness therapy a subcategory (as it is the form of adventure therapy that involves forcible restraint), rather than simply deleting the topic altogether. I don't see it as an argument against a merge. Besides, my understanding from reading the article is that the restraints and force is not a part of the therapy per se anyway: it is the use of escort companies to get people to the wilderness therapy that involves the force and the restraints. That is a controversial element that might only apply to this subcategory, but the fact remains that this is a subcategory of adventure therapy. ParticipantObserver (talk) 19:51, 8 April 2019 (UTC)

Text copied without attribution?

There may be many sentences on this page lifted directly from http://www.terracentricadventures.com/therapeutic/ or it might be the other way around, of course. I have never dealt with this potential problem before, and I tried to read https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Plagiarism but I did not make any progress. Using the tool, http://www.copyscape.com/compare.php, there were multiple identical sentences. Since I am unsure of the next steps, unfortunately, I must merely dump the problem here. hunterhogan 14:09, 14 February 2015 (UTC)

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WP:CITEVAR

This article started out with parenthetical referencing. Now it uses mostly footnotes with a few parentheticals left. I'm willing to harmonize the citations, but we need consensus on which style to follow. – Finnusertop (talk ⋅ contribs) 01:24, 20 May 2019 (UTC)

With no one opposing, I've harmonized the article to use footnotes. – Finnusertop (talk ⋅ contribs) 15:13, 13 November 2019 (UTC)

grammatical errors

I have fixed a few grammatical errors. I put in some commas in the definition section of the article, and deleted a word that was unneeded in the lead section. Take a look at this to let me know what you think.Eadevlin (talk) 19:24, 30 September 2020 (UTC)Eadevlin

The article hasn't been edited since May, where are these corrections you say you've made? Revirvlkodlaku (talk) 14:07, 30 September 2021 (UTC)

Update Sources

It seems that the facts in the article were once all valid and backed up by research, but now several are outdated, and many of the links to citations no longer work. It would be valuable to include any new research on the topic and to correct citations. — Preceding unsigned comment added by [[User:{{{1}}}|{{{1}}}]] ([[User talk:{{{1}}}#top|talk]] • [[Special:Contributions/{{{1}}}|contribs]])

Sounds good! Please indicate what facts need updating, and what citations no longer work, so that they can be fixed. ParticipantObserver (talk) 21:36, 1 October 2021 (UTC)

I would agree that many of the research articles that were used in this article were beneficial in understanding more about Adventure Therapy but may be outdated. These articles came from 1995, 2000, 2001, and 2003. There was one article that was dated in 2016, but the majority are 20+ year old articles. The links and citations for "Addison Gilbert Hospital, Learning Activities Group, Adventure-Based Counseling, experiential therapy, Salesmanship Club Camp, and operational thinking" (found throughout the article) are no longer pages that exist. Mray39 (talk) 04:52, 20 January 2022 (UTC)

Merger proposal

I propose merging Wilderness therapy into Adventure Therapy. The topics of the articles are redundant. In Adventure therapy, wilderness therapy and adventure therapy are defined as different concepts... but the source that provides that definition (the Ewert, McCormick, and Voight article) considers them to both be minor variations of Outdoor Experiential Therapy. They are variations of the same concept. ParticipantObserver (talk) 16:35, 9 May 2022 (UTC)

Note that the sole image on the Adventure Therapy page is an image depicting "wilderness therapy". ParticipantObserver (talk) 16:37, 9 May 2022 (UTC)

• '''Don't merge''' – <Wilderness therapy and adventure are different topics. With Wilderness Therapy there is a whole bunch of human rights issues and dark history> 1keyhole (talk) 11:26, 30 December 2022 (UTC)

  The human rights issues and dark history appear to be primarily related to the USA variation of this practice, not to the practice as a whole. If we are to globalize wilderness therapy then we will be discussing programs in Canada, New Zealand, Norway, etc., which are identified as "wilderness therapy" (often interchangeably with "adventure therapy") but are not (so far as I have seen) associated with the "dark history" you are referring to. ParticipantObserver (talk) 12:13, 30 December 2022 (UTC)

  Here is a reliable source specifically identifying involuntary transport and other human rights issues with programs that use the term "adventure therapy":

  "...all the ways in which wilderness therapy — which many industry professionals prefer to call 'adventure therapy' — had sought to end the kidnapping of teenagers as a way to transport them to its programs. These programs often use other euphemisms besides 'adventure therapy' — they call the kidnapping of children from their beds at the behest of parents, 'transportation' or 'interventions.'"

  - https://www.businessinsider.com/trouble-with-troubled-teen-label-and-behavioral-modification-industry-2021-2 ParticipantObserver (talk) 12:17, 30 December 2022 (UTC)

...and the Wilderness therapy page describes wilderness therapy as "adventure-based therapy". The terms are being used synonymously. ParticipantObserver (talk) 16:41, 9 May 2022 (UTC)

I definitely disagree that wilderness therapy should be merged with this page. Wilderness therapy is outdoor “behavioral therapy”, which involves involuntary treatment where the majority of kids are kidnapped from their beds in the middle of the night and taken to the woods for tough love for several months. I’m not sure that’s considered adventure therapy even if the troubled teen industry insists it is. I think it’s more appropriate to leave the articles separate. Farr4h2004 (talk) 07:35, 14 May 2022 (UTC)

I have not seen any source that says that wilderness therapy always involves involuntary treatment. Is there a reliable secondary source that provides a definition for these two things that is not an overlapping definition? ParticipantObserver (talk) 23:36, 14 May 2022 (UTC)

Most teenagers are involuntry infact most of them delivered by Teen escort company's to wilderness programs or Therapeutic boarding school.

they can't leave or quit these programs and the conditions are nightmare at wilderness program for quick example clients sleep under a tarp sheet held by rope tied to trees even in winter months. 1keyhole (talk) 00:44, 8 November 2022 (UTC)

I have seen sources saying that most wilderness camps do not rely on teen escort companies, and no reliable sources indicating that most of the teens are enrolled involuntarily. But even if most kids were involuntarily enrolled, that doesn't clarify how wilderness therapy and adventure therapy are different. ParticipantObserver (talk) 01:23, 8 November 2022 (UTC)

Will to claify the difference as much as possible.

Wilderness therapy came out of brigham young unviersity they started running a survival course in 1970s and later on they devoloped the Youth Outcome Questionnaire.

the survival course staff members then went to start such programs as anasazi foundation and aspen achievement academy.

wilderness therapy programs have strict conditions such as:

Average duration of stay in wilderness therapy program is 90 days and most client then move on to therapuetic boarding schools such as carlbrook for example or a residential treatment center like provo canyon school.

Communications at wilderness programs are controlled and monitored the client can only communicate with parents and that is normal a letter sent weekly in these letters clients are coerced to cofess all your transgressions.

Sleeping conditions: client sleep under a tarp in sleeping bag.

Food and cooking: most programs use dehrydrated or dry food that is cooked over camp fire.

There is no fun actitivies such rope courses or mountain biking etc.

1keyhole (talk) 22:42, 8 November 2022 (UTC)

Can you provide reliable sources for these things? I tried to search for some of these claims, but could not readily find anything supporting them. For example, this page ( https://childresidentialtreatment.com/wilderness-therapy-programs/ ) claims that the anasazi foundation has an average length of stay of about 56 days, and also claims that most programs are up to 90 days (not an average duration of 90 days). This New York Post article ( https://nypost.com/2017/01/21/mom-wants-insurance-company-to-pay-for-sons-wilderness-therapy/ ) also claims that 90 days is the upper end of the range. This center offers one week 'contained' wilderness therapy expeditions ( https://prevailrecoverycenter.com/treatment-services/wilderness-therapy/ ). None of the scholarly articles I found seem to mention a duration (although a few say that wilderness therapy involves an overnight component, not all of them even require that... some of the sources listed in the Wikipedia article as it currently stands require only that the program be therapy that takes place outside). It seems to me that the duration of the program is not part of the definition as the term is actually used. Similarly, there are programs advertising fun activities such as mountain biking (for example, this one: https://trailsmomentum.com/young-adult-wilderness-therapy-program/ ) and rope courses ( https://elementstraverse.com/the-experience ). This program ( https://www.allkindsoftherapy.com/blog/keeping-wilderness-therapy-clients-safe-in-winter ) claims to at least sometimes use cabins and heated shelters, not just sleeping under a tarp in a sleeping bag. All of those programs use the term 'wilderness therapy'. ParticipantObserver (talk) 08:54, 9 November 2022 (UTC)

All kinds of therapy is advertisment website for the industry.

Deschutes Wilderness therapy

Families should expect students to be enrolled at NVW for 60 – 90 days.

Embark

A typical stay is 30 to 120 days and includes outdoor skills, camping, hiking, and adventure activities, along with an intensive, sophisticated, and customized clinical intervention.

Standard article

Brat Camp changed my life: "On arrival, they were strip-searched and all personal possessions, including piercings, were removed. Then they were blindfolded before being driven three hours into the wilderness where they had to build their camp from tarpaulin and wood."

Redcliff ascent wilderness therapy program accredited by the joint commison and advertised on all kind of therapy.

Where Do We Sleep? Wilderness Therapy at Work

"The typical shelter at RedCliff is made up of a large blue tarp strung between two or more sturdy juniper or pinon pine trees. It is attached to the trees and pulled tight with the parachute cord or lengths of 2-inch webbing that the students also use to make their survival packs. An A-frame, or shuttle, is made using rocks, sand, logs, or snow weighing the sides down ensuring that rain and snow will run off easily and that the wind won’t blow the sides loose. In bad weather the open ends are tied shut, keeping body heat in and rain or snow out. In these simple shelters hundreds of RCA staff and students have laid down to sleep in all sorts of weather."

Independent article

America’s controversial ‘troubled teen’ wilderness therapy camps - and why survivors like Paris Hilton want to stop them

“In reality, they take a vulnerable, untrained kid out of their environment with or without their consent, and place them in a wild environment with undertrained and undereducated staff, and it often runs rampant with abuse and neglect of all kinds.” 1keyhole (talk) 14:10, 9 November 2022 (UTC)

Article from 2021 on trails carolina

The June 21 inspection found Trails Carolina failed to properly administer medications, did not allow participants to call their parents and had begun making physical improvements to the facility without permission from state regulators, which is required.

An inspection report detailing the violations found six of seven participants whose experience were revised for the inspection had been unable to contact their parents during their time at Trails Carolina. The facility had not yet filed a plan of correction in response to the deficiencies.

State law requires children be able to contact their parents, according to a statute cited in the inspection report.

A spokeswoman for Trails Carolina did not respond to multiple messages seeking comment for this story.

Previous state inspection reports show Trails Carolina has a history of violations cited as the result of inspections over the past ten years, including multiple citations for failure to properly administer medications. 1keyhole (talk) 14:26, 9 November 2022 (UTC)

Thank you, but those sources and quotes are referring to specific programs, not stating definitionally that all (or even most) wilderness programs are that way. The problems with specific programs are notable and are already discussed (though perhaps too briefly) in the wilderness therapy article, and would still be discussed if that text were moved into the relevant sections of the adventure therapy article. I'm not understanding how the existence of awful programs is a reason not to merge the articles. Do all of the terrible involuntary child abuse programs advertise themselves as "Wilderness Therapy" instead of "Adventure Therapy"? Are there no bad "adventure therapy" programs? If a bad wilderness therapy program rebrands as 'adventure therapy', would it suddenly be okay? Bad wilderness therapy programs are a subset of wilderness therapy programs and wilderness therapy is a subset of adventure therapy and therefore all three kinds of programs should all be in the same article. ParticipantObserver (talk) 17:04, 9 November 2022 (UTC)

As a side note, the way that the adventure therapy article currently reads, a reader unfamiliar with the topic could read the whole article and never know that some of the programs are awful and negligent and abusive. That seems problematic; we're omitting some clearly notable controversies here. ParticipantObserver (talk) 17:08, 9 November 2022 (UTC)

Do companies only call themselves 'wilderness therapy' programs when they involuntarily treat kids and call themselves 'adventure therapy' programs when they don't? That seems unlikely to me. ParticipantObserver (talk) 09:29, 8 November 2022 (UTC)

From the wilderness therapy page: 'The term "wilderness therapy" is sometimes used interchangeably with "challenge courses, adventure-based therapy, wilderness experience programs, nature therapy, therapeutic camping, recreation therapy, outdoor therapy, open-air therapy and adventure camps".' See also https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/00938548221078002#bibr51-00938548221078002 There are also many other reliable sources indicating that the terms are often used interchangeably. The adventure therapy page considers the terms to be variations of the same concept. If the terms are sometimes used interchangeably, the material from both of these pages are relevant to a general reader trying to look up the term. I suspect that the opposition to the merge stems from the same issues as the globalize tag on wilderness therapy: the term 'wilderness therapy' appears to be the main term applied to certain programs in the USA. But that does not appear to be the global usage. Instead, worldwide, the terms appear to be interchangeable and the articles should be merged. ParticipantObserver (talk) 09:32, 30 December 2022 (UTC)

I'm not sure yet, partly because in terms of literature there's a great deal on wilderness therapy specifically rather than adventure therapy, which does seem to encompass wilderness therapy but also covers more urban environments. This means that we'd need to keep the two separate within this article. I think I'd like to finish developing wilderness therapy first, as that will either give us something worth merging or distinguish better between the two. - Bilby (talk) 09:45, 30 December 2022 (UTC)

We've already estblished there two different things.

• Goverment accountability report makes no mention of adventure therapy.
• Adventure therapy programs are not conducting involuntry transports.
• No mention of human rights abuse.

1keyhole (talk) 11:15, 30 December 2022 (UTC)

'Goverment accountability report makes no mention of adventure therapy.'

One report doesn't use both terms. That doesn't signal anything with respect to general usage. Also, that is one particular government and--as stated above--the global usage appears to be to use the terms interchangeably. We should not keep the pages separate just because people within the USA culture understand the terms in a particular way.

'Adventure therapy programs are not conducting involuntry transports.'

Neither are all wilderness therapy programs. That might be a fine reason to include wilderness therapy as a subsection of the adventure therapy article (in line with all the sources that say that wilderness therapy is a subset under the umbrella term adventure therapy) but not a reason to keep the articles completely separate. And it's certainly not the defining difference between two forms of therapy. I have seen no reliable source that says that wilderness therapy and adventure therapy programs are different in that wilderness therapy programs all use transport services and no adventure therapy programs use transport services.

'No mention of human rights abuse.'

I think we should make sure that the merged page includes mentions of notable abuses. Unless you're disagreeing and think we should omit discussions of human rights abuses? But personally I think the abuses are notable (being widely reported by reliable sources) and should be included. As things currently stand, a reader who thinks the terms are synonymous might end up on the adventure therapy page and never see the notable controversies. The way that the adventure therapy article currently reads, a reader unfamiliar with the topic could read the whole article and never know that some of the programs are awful and negligent and abusive. That seems problematic; we're omitting some clearly notable controversies here. Merging the pages would make the controversies more visible, not only visible to people using one of the two search terms. ParticipantObserver (talk) 11:52, 30 December 2022 (UTC)

Mutiple people have explained to you to that is wilderness therapy is form of trouble teen program.

You have aruging with mutiple for since 2018 and won't accept the facts so I am done this with dicussion. 1keyhole (talk) 12:01, 30 December 2022 (UTC)

I would be happy to discontinue discussions with you.

In case other editors are interested and are considering this merge: The term "adventure therapy" has also been applied to troubled teen programs and not every "wilderness therapy" program is the kind of program that involuntarily transports troubled teens into unsafe (and often deadly) situations. This is particularly true when considering a more global worldview, rather than solely focusing on Utah, USA. ParticipantObserver (talk) 12:37, 30 December 2022 (UTC)

I think that is a good idea. If we can clearly establish what the articles are discussing, and if/how they are different, that should clarify whether or not the pages should be merged.

Just throwing this out there (not proposing this for now) but one possibility would be to have an article specifically focused on Wilderness Therapy Programs in the USA, and then a broader article focused on Adventure/Wilderness Therapy more generally. It seems as though that might separate out some of the issues we've been having. But you are right: any decision should probably wait until things have cleared up. ParticipantObserver (talk) 12:41, 30 December 2022 (UTC)

Comments: Wilderness versus adventure: Study.com states: "Adventure therapy employs challenging man-made obstacles and wilderness therapy uses only the weather and landscape." So "What Is Adventure Therapy?", Sources above and others show: 1)- Wilderness therapy, 2)- Adventure-based therapy, and 3)- Long-term residential camping (sailing etc...). All three appear to be forms of behavioral intervention therapy, recognized by the APA as experiential therapy. One company, listed as an adventure therapy program, states: Adventure Therapy Activities may Include Canyoneering, Mountain Biking, Rock Climbing, Backpacking, Alpine Skiing, Snowshoeing, and leadership initiatives.

In a paper, jointly sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI), and the Educational resources Information Center (ERIC), titled International Models of Best Practice in Wilderness and Adventure Therapy, by Simon Crisp, studied programs in the UK, USA, and New Zealand. The author defines "adventure therapy as a therapeutic intervention, which uses contrived activities of an experiential, risk taking and challenging nature in the treatment of an individual or group. This is done indoors or within an urban environment (i.e., not isolated from other man-made resources)", and Wilderness therapy may involve living (camping) "isolated from other man-made resources in an environment and expeditioning." A third type, a multi-modal therapy, includes a combination Wilderness-adventure therapy. There is also family adventure therapy. (page 66 of the paper).

The author also states (page 68): "It is both surprising and concerning that client rights and ethical issues don't take a greater place in the literature and discussion within the field".

The names are sometimes confused with one another by experts and the lucrative industry. The Newport Academy's website states: 7 Benefits of Adventure Therapy for Teen Mental Health. Just scrolling down the page provides evidence of "Wilderness therapy", as some of their activities may include "using a compass, scaling rock walls, navigating a river, or other challenges." The sessions last from 60 to 90 days and cost around $40,000 a month. The Elements Traverse website states: "families pay tuition costs up front and then apply for reimbursement after treatment is complete". A search produces a company called Confluence Behavioral Health with the title "Wilderness Therapy Program - For Struggling Young Adults" and states "Vermont Based Adventure Therapy Program for Those With mental health challenges". Epic Adventures website states: "Adventure therapy is an emerging, cutting-edge treatment model in the psychotherapy field, which focuses on physically active and experiential approaches that engage, challenge and educate." Activities include low ropes activities, kayaking and paddleboarding, snorkeling, hiking, and cycling. Pure Life Adventure Therapy's activities includes surfing, white water rafting (class II and III), rain-forest backpacking, wilderness first-aid course, cultural "Homestays", rappelling through waterfalls, sea kayaking, community service, rock climbing, swift Water rescue course, and technical rope rescue.

Crisp offered the following definitions; Adventure therapy, "a therapeutic intervention, which uses contrived activities of an experiential, risk taking and challenging nature in the treatment of an individual or group. This is done indoors or within an urban environment (i.e., not isolated from other man-made resources), and does not involve living in an environment...), Wilderness therapy, "the impact of an isolated natural environment' and the use of a living community. Uni-modal Therapy is wilderness or adventure therapy that is the only therapeutic intervention used.

The bottom line is that both are closely related and considered experiential Therapy. The industry does appear to use the wording interchangeably. That was mentioned ("wilderness therapy" (often interchangeably with "adventure therapy")) by ParticipantObserver (talk · contribs). Any human rights issues will be reflected, at some point or another, on the entire concept or "field". The State of New Jersey uses the term "client rights"

Concerning any "human rights issues and dark history" it would be a horrible error if any of this was omitted from relevant articles.

"GOA reports and testimony, 24-APR-08, GAO-08-713T that involved deaths, abuse, and deceptive Marketing, released on April 24, 2008, covering 1994 to 2006. wilderness therapy programs, boot camps, boarding schools, a private psychiatric residential treatment facility, and referral services among other names. A similar report and testimony was issued on October 10, 2007, GAO-08-713T covering 1994 to 2006, and involved wilderness therapy programs, boarding schools, academies, behavioral modification facilities, and boot camps, among other names.

Other countries: Studies by Crisp were performed in Otago, and Portobelo, Dunedin NZ, as well as Cumbria, England UK, and Dumfries, Scotland UK, defining, "Adventure therapy as a term that is frequently used to include, more-or-less, the entire field of wilderness, outdoor and adventure interventions. Other times it refers to specifically short-term, non-wilderness based non-residential approaches such as ropes course and initiative activities".

The industry as a whole, especially Wilderness therapy settings An industry in need of legal and regulatory oversight legal and regulatory oversight. The authors note (Part I. A Clinical Viewpoint: Strengths and Weaknesses of Wilderness Therapy): "The term "wilderness therapy" is often used interchangeably with adventure therapy, wilderness adventure therapy, wilderness experience programs, challenge courses, outdoor behavioral healthcare (OBH), and other outdoor programs that vary in their structure and focus." The authors added, "It is important to note, however, that the sites where these abuses occurred were under-regulated private (often for-prot) facilities as opposed to more highly regulated, licensed wilderness therapy settings". Issues: 1)- the clinical staff verses field staff ratio and "aftercare", if provided at all, has been described as inadequate, 2)- Removal by force and other forced attendance modes have been scrutinized, 3)- Some programs offer a "brief assessment" while "others provide a more comprehensive program with specific behavioral or emotional goals for the child.", 4)- There are concerns that programs that exclude "the whole family" (deemed a critical factor) can mask family issues that contribute to problems. This may lead to "clients" having to attend other programs, 5)- The cost is expensive and some programs work with insurance companies while others do not and some have been found to present false and misleading information that reimbursement can be applied after completion, 6)- "Much of the research on wilderness therapy has been conducted with programs that are members of the Outdoor Behavioral Healthcare Industry Council (OBHIC), which represent only a small fraction of the available wilderness therapy programs. Some that are members do not participate in research, 7)- a lack of psychiatrists involvement in the treatment team’s decisions leading to a host of problems, 8)- Untrained or under-trained staff members (field staff) that is with the clients the vast majority of the time and ultimately in charge of group and individual safety, 9)- Parental contact. Some programs do not allow any contact and some only minimal contact, 10)- Issues of rights violations: To include sexual and non-sexual abuse, that has resulted in more than a few deaths and the fact that many are settled out of court, allegations of verbal and emotional abuse, physical restraint, psychological and emotional abuse, neglect and humiliation. Other complaints include battery, intentional negligent infliction of emotional distress, false imprisonment, and negligence.

Conclusion: The entire "troubled teen field" has been scrutinized from at least the first GOA report and testimony (starting in 1990), the 2nd, and other writings, that there is enough confusion in naming alone to consider merging, as a very clear disambiguation between highly regulated, licensed therapy programs, and other "self-styled" programs may be impossible to achieve per NPOV. -- Otr500 (talk) 07:51, 8 January 2023 (UTC)

I agree, and the issue of definitions for both terms has already led to arguments re: POV issues for the reason you mention (that it is difficult or impossible to disambiguate perfectly between these terms; reliable sources both in the industry and among scholarly experts have used the terms interchangeably or with different, often overlapping definitions). ParticipantObserver (talk) 11:43, 10 January 2023 (UTC)

One such argument about the definition as a POV issue took place here ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Neutral_point_of_view/Noticeboard#Wilderness_therapy ), for instance. ParticipantObserver (talk) 11:50, 10 January 2023 (UTC)

Semantics of names used in other countries

An article in the South China Morning Post titled Adventure therapy: how nature is good for mental health and a challenge can help us see ourselves in a new light, shows a group white water rafting. I did not read the article but included it because it could be "adventure therapy, as a recognized clinical therapy or a self-styled form. -- Otr500 (talk) 17:14, 8 January 2023 (UTC)

Third Opinion request

The Third Opinion request made in regard this merger dispute has been removed (i.e. declined). Mergers have their own process for resolution. Please use the process set out at WP:MERGEINIT to do that. — TransporterMan (TALK) 20:33, 10 January 2023 (UTC) This is an informational posting only and I am not watching this page; contact me on my user talk page if you wish to communicate with me about this.

References