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5th International Adventure Therapy Conference, Edinburgh, Scotland, 7th – 11th September, 2009. Monday 7th September. Pre Conference Walk The conference began at 11.00am with an optional walk up Arthurs Seat, a small, Volcanic Range situated directly behind Edinburgh University. A number of conference attendees participated in this guided walk and it was an excellent opportunity to discuss what we do and how we do it with people from all over the world. We later found out that 21 countries were represented at the conference and a number of them were here on this first walk. The weather was kind to us, with beautiful blue skies allowing us to see a considerable distance and enjoy the views. We were informed of the history of the area, and how significant discoveries were made in relation to the age of the planet by early residents. The area had two working quarries and stones were gathered from here and taken to pave the streets of London. It was area where Royalty would come to hunt and in the valley was used for target practice. We visited the ruin of St Anthony’s Chapel which was built in the 1400’s and was thought to be used to keep an eye on neighbouring clans to ensure they don’t cross into their land. Arthur’s Seat is an old volcano and used to stand three times its current height of around 250 metres. Through the shifting of the earth’s plates, the shape of the seat has changed and it now leans on a 30 degree angle. The information we were supplied with on the tour by our guide, Simon, was thorough and informative, but a little bit odd, as Simon was a Canadian who had relocated here 5 years ago, and I think the experience would have been much nicer if we had that fantastic Scottish accent accompanying the information. That being said, a great experience was had by all and prior to the official start of the conference, we had managed to generate a great deal of interest in Operation Newstart Victoria Patron Chief Commissioner Christine Nixon ONV and a number of people were looking forward to presentation. our Conference Opening and Key Note Speakers Thinking About Adventure Therapy as a Profession, was the title of the paper for this keynote speaker, Sally Aldridge (Head of Regularity Policy BACP). She raised a number of points which need to be considered if this were to take place and listed various categories which would need to be addressed in order for title to be adopted. ONV would certainly have fit into a number of these categories but certainly not all of them. Some points were made that there needed to be boundaries around who would be classed as professionals and who wouldn’t and that it would cause a divide within the way we currently operate, not allowing current participants to take part in the field, attend conferences etc. She also posed the questions, does adventure therapy need to become a profession. As far as ONV is concerned, I don’t think it is important. If adventure therapy does become a profession, organisations like ours would most likely find themselves on the outer and not be classed as professionals, which in my understanding, is exactly the opposite of the way it was originally set up and goes against the philosophy of the Australasian contingent, which is that if you identify as facilitating adventure therapy, you are welcome to become a member of AABAT (Australian Association of Bush Adventure Therapists). This presentation was only to provoke thought and no recommendations were put forward. Evening Presentation The first evening consisted of welcome drinks and poster presentations. This was an opportunity to mingle with other conference attendees and network as much as possible, made that much easier by the complimentary wine! Posters were around the room highlighting peoples work and attendees were able to stroll around at their leisure and take in what work is being done at their own pace. A pleasant evening was had by all. “Experiences of Depression and the landscapes of coping” The photos and associated quotes presented were provided by participants in a research study exploring how people with experiences of depression, engaged with the outdoors to maintain or improve their psychological well-being. Participants met the researcher at a location of their choice and then interviewed at this location regarding how they experienced it as supportive. The researcher invited attendees to consider how they might work with such images and descriptions in our therapeutic practice. Operation Newstart Victoria Patron Chief Commissioner Christine Nixon The photos on display were taken by the participants in the study, underneath were their comments on what they observed and how it assisted them. I observed a photo taken of a bridge and surrounding bushland and its reflection into the pond beneath. The quote underneath was expressing how much clearer things were in the reflection and how if the participant looked in a mirror how much clearer things in their life seemed to be. Operation Newstart regularly has young people participate in the program, dealing with depression and related issues. It is felt we could introduce this concept into our program. It is expected that the young people will take photographs of what they have found significant in their journey (no people) and explain why the place they have chosen is special and significant to them and what that place is. Some students will find the task challenging and perhaps through few words and a purely photographic journey a self expression of thought can be embraced and experienced. It I hoped that this artwork could be on display at graduation. We will endeavour to source funding for cameras. Recommendation: To source sponsorship to purchase a set of digital cameras for use by the students for a photographic life reflective journal. Tuesday 8th September. Keynote Speakers It was about this point in the conference, when we had listened to these keynote speakers, when we began to wonder if this conference was indeed for us. As the conference was run by BACP (British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy) most presenters were academics, who were theory driven and speaking in language full of jargon, a large proportion of which was hard to understand. We persisted and then headed off to our morning paper sessions. Paper Sessions An Integral Systems Theory Approach to Adventure Therapy This was presented by David Segal and Duncan Taylor from Canada and was probably the session I understood the least. Two academics, who love their jargon and could not connect with the lay person at all. One key point I managed to take from this presentation was that Operation Newstart Victoria Patron Chief Commissioner Christine Nixon disequilibrium, or putting the participants out of their comfort zone is important, but just as important is allowing the participant some alone time to process what is happening. Experiential Therapy with Inpatients in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry – Special Settings, Indications, Practicability, Evaluation and Research This was presented by Ulrich Ruth from Germany who spoke about inpatients in the one particular hospital in Germany. The Hospital has its own indoor climbing wall and patients get regular use of the wall and progress to walking through a creek and finally on to a caving experience. These patients are psychotic and schizophrenic along with a number of other conditions, but the outdoor experiences were assisting in treating the patients. The presenter stated on a couple of occasions, “I don’t know why, it just works.” Walking as ecotherapy: environmental appraisal and attentional focus during bushwalking, Stewart Dickonson , Australia In this paper session, the presenter was looking at the way in which clients view bushwalking and how physical condition can determine the outcomes of the individual. In this study researchers were looking at how clients felt through different stages of a hike, e.g. at the top of a hill and what features of a bushwalk gave the greatest psychological outcomes. Students were given fitness tests and quantitative evaluation questionnaires pre hike and were also measured at prescribed settings during the hike. The results showed that dependent on the fitness levels of the individual, anxiety levels accordingly i.e. the less fit group were more anxious pre hike. The researchers also measured the focus of the hiker to measure whether the individual were looking at the ground concentrating on each step and the terrain at their feet or whether they were able to enjoy the natural aesthetics such as the views. Qualitative results from interviews and journal entries allowed an insight to the pleasantness that each student experienced. There were no real surprises to these results which indicated that those with the greater fitness felt they conquered and enjoyed their surroundings compared those who were less fit and whose accounts talked of rest spots, lunch and going down hill. What came from this research which is more relevant is the implications that this has for the leaders of such hikes. What considerations should we have when we think about the bush walk as a meaningful experience that impacts psychological outcomes? These include fitness, the planning and design of the hike with respect to landscape, rest stops, rotation of leaders to assist in the motivation of individuals and gender differences. Of Operation Newstart Victoria Patron Chief Commissioner Christine Nixon greater significance is to capitalise on the peak experience by allowing time for individual reflection. The Therapeutic Use of Caves Nigel Olsen The workshop was introduced with the emotive images of photos from inside caves and backed by audio of water dripping. The limestone caves were beautifully displayed and conjured up feelings of security and comfort as well as anxiety and fear because of the dark vastness. Limestone caves are formed by compressed calcium carbonate which is basically skeletons of marine life. The formations inside a cave are formed by water draining through the earth collecting acid which redeposits calcium inside the cave. Caving as an activity allows participants a unique experience with respect to the overcoming of challenges. Natural limestone caves have been important places for shelter and spirituality for human history and promote strong biophillic and biophobic emotions in us. Caves remain a constant temperature (16-18 degrees) but usually are damp with water or creeks running through. Experiments have shown that caves a re high in negative ions which has an effect on the way we feel. It is believed that radon gas and water create a high negative ion environment. Waterfalls, rainforests, beaches are all examples of such places and a relaxed, contented state is often associated with feelings of individuals who spend time at these places. With respect to caving individuals who are in a high challenge situation are more perceptive and responsive to the therapeutic experience producing great psychological outcomes. The workshop explored the idea of the Biophyllia hypothesis which is that human beings have a genetic link to nature. Caves, with its ability to have young people reflect on issues important in their life, have a great therapeutic effect and should take into account the following points when facilitating. -Inform clients, give information -Introduce caving with therapeutic intent -Introduction with risk assessment for understanding and appreciation of risks -Encourage individuals using senses, quiet time, listening to water/sounds, feeling texture of rocks, darkness and feeling comfortable. -Allow students to lead, search ahead, keep safe. Building Bridges – Cross Cultural Perspectives on Using Adventure Therapy to Enhance the Therapeutic Relationship This was presented by Christine Norton from America. This presentation was presented in a practical fashion and was easy to Operation Newstart Victoria Patron Chief Commissioner Christine Nixon understand. We were able to discuss and debate topics within the room, rather than just sit and listen to someone speak for 2 hours. The key to what the speaker was saying was about building rapport with your clients and didn’t necessarily have to be in the crosscultural perspective. We did have an ethicist in the room who wanted to debate her choice of the simplest words, which became a bit distracting, but what she was basically saying was that in any programming we do, the client needs to have 3 things. They need to feel SAFE, to have CHOICE, and for us to have EMPATHY. When working with multicultural groups as we so often do, we need to keep asking ourselves 5 key questions. Who are our clients? How do we keep them safe? How do we acknowledge multicultural factors, issues of power and privilege? How do we provide them with choice? How do we demonstrate empathy? Adventure Therapy and activity based group work: experientially exploring the full range of experiential practice. This was presented by Christian Itin from the Humboldt University in California. Christian is acknowledged as one of the leaders in the field of adventure therapy. The session introduced us to a number of group-work activities that were designed to be ice-breakers that we could use with our new groups. Firstly we had to write what we wanted to get out of the session and then we introduced ourselves to the person next to us and tell them what sort of animal we saw ourselves as. It was then that persons’ role to introduce the other to the group. It became quite outrageous when we then had to make the sound of the animal we saw ourselves as. It was a good ice-breaker and the group felt very comfortable afterwards, even though at the time it may have been a little embarrassing. The main focus of the session was to explore what experiential practices go into making up an adventure therapy program. Christian presented a typology that could be used for mapping the activities that we do and clump them under a series of headings. A well balanced Adventure Therapy program should offer more than just the traditional hiking, rockclimbing and other outdoors peak experiences to be effective in bringing about change. Christian presented the following as experiential methods that needed to be included in a program that would become a catalyst for change. Spiritual, Environmental, Action and Expressive elements and these were further broken down into sub headings which could then be used as a map to examine if practitioners were running a balanced program or were focussing in one area in particular. Operation Newstart Victoria Patron Chief Commissioner Christine Nixon The model is quite complex and I have included the full presentation as an attachment. The presentation also gives you lots of different ways that you can deliver sessions to the group. It was a stimulating discussion and one that I got a great deal from and from it I will attempt to add a wider range of experiences into future programs. Recommendations: That all programs consider undertaking a ‘mapping’ exercise to investigate the range of experiential methods used on their programs. This could be done at a local level with individual programs first and then across all programs. That a wide range of methods is both desirable and more effective for the delivery of programs and we should build them into our schedules. “The thin line between punishment and planned, effective interventions through adventure therapy” The presentation commenced with the reference of ‘Breaking the Child’, which reinforces the child’s distorted conditions of worth that ‘all adults will harm me’. This notion of breaking down the child reinforces the child’s thought patterns of not being able to trust adults. Often what happens after staff have, ‘broken the child’ they do not have the necessary skills to deal with the issues that are essential in putting the child back together. Children and young people’s perceptions of adventure therapy are key to their successful engagement in the process. Many children do not want to engage in therapy as this is a ‘scary’ prospect for them as they are not able to consider how life may be different with a changed and more positive way of life. Some children view adventure therapy as a punishment as this usually happens following a major incident within the home and they are removed from the environment. The discussion then centred on a 13 year old female, case study, who had 13 placements since the age of 8. Her father had sexually abused her which resulted in prostitution and numerous medications for self-harm all with various side effects. The youth worker, began to build the young girls self-esteem by planned outdoor activities. This was in order to build up trust between the young person and adults. There was a time away period built in via camps. The placements were a choice of activities that the young person wanted to do. Activities were front loaded for example in kayaking if we move the paddle we go forward and in life we can go forward an with a backward paddle sometimes we go backwards. Operation Newstart Victoria Patron Chief Commissioner Christine Nixon These concepts were explained to the young person. The young person was still absconding from her residential unit and many activities were analogied by using the front loading concept. During camp a metaphorical rucksack was used and a pile of stones all labelled with the young girls issues were placed inside. She walked on a track and she stopped in places she chose and she would share her issues (by choice) and as she dealt with the issue she threw the rock/stone away and by the end of the walk she was standing upright. In the forest she was able to talk and off load her issues, where she couldn’t be heard, but she off loaded to the worker so strategies could later be put in place. The young girl was under the worker’s care for a period of 5 months and with the exception of camp visitations were weekly. Eighteen months after the initial program the young girl stated things had been good and was being prepared for her independence. I enquired in relation to police charges against the father. The mother was supportive of the father and due to insufficient evidence charges were not laid. Other siblings were not removed as it was the belief that they were old enough to look after themselves. The discussion raised trust issues between young people and adults and if we are to assist young people in need we to build a relationship centred around trust and open communication. Wednesday 9th September Paper sessions Promoting wellbeing in adolescence using therapeutic adventure- development of best practice model. Ian Williams, Australia In this paper the presenter has offered a framework by looking collectively at adventure programs which addresses the problem of the lack of shared understanding around the key elements involved. The framework ,formed from this extensive research of 46 authors, is called ChANGes , an acronym for 5 key elements central to maximising wellbeing outcomes for program participants. The five areas are: 1. Challenge adventure, risk, social and emotional, self awareness, identity formation, decision making 2. Activities experiential learning, exercise ,fitness, engagement 3.Nature open spaces, connection , biophyllia Operation Newstart Victoria Patron Chief Commissioner Christine Nixon 4.Guided experiences reflection, debriefing, metaphoric comparisons, assist in processing experiences 5.Social Milieu connection to self/peers, relating to others, companionship ,conflict management, cooperation The presenter introduced a program, designed and delivered using the ChANGeS framework, for young people at elevated risk for depression. Findings from this program with respect to psychological, emotional and social development, were positive giving assurances that the use of such a framework for the planning and delivering of therapeutic adventure programs is warranted. Visit to the Jubilee Sailing Trust Ship in Leith. This was an optional visit that was offered at the end of the day that all Newstart Facilitators attended. We travelled by bus to the port city Leith just north of Edinburgh. The tall ship Lord Nelson was moored next to the Royal Yacht Britannia and the two made quite an impressive sight. The Jubilee Sailing Trust is a not for profit organisation that offers pioneering sailing trips for mixed ability groups. The aim of the Trust is to promote integration of people of all physical abilities. This is accomplished trough adventure sailing. They have two ships that are the only vessels in the world that have been designed and purpose built to enable people of all physical abilities to sail side by side on equal terms. We were broken up into small groups for a tour of the ship conducted by one of the many volunteers, while the ship has a permanent full time crew, volunteering is encouraged and the passion that the volunteers had for the ship was obvious. Groups of able bodied and disabled passengers crew the ship for voyages of varying durations. The ship has a schedule which takes it on various locations including around Great Britain and the Mediterranean Sea, clients sign up and pay for the privilege of sailing the boat. The disabled are encouraged to be fully involved with all facets of sailing the ship and there were many stories about how this experience has been transformative in their lives. The visit was quite inspirational; I have listed the website below for more information about the Jubilee Sailing Trust. www.jst.org.uk Recommendation: If anybody can source a big bucket of money, one of these programs would add greatly to the opportunities for all mixed ability groups. Operation Newstart Victoria Patron Chief Commissioner Christine Nixon “Youth Vision: Removing the walls and finding the self” What does Youth Vision do? It is a 12 week program for 14-18 year olds. Youth Vision provides support and learning to develop the inner awareness and self-esteem necessary for adolescents to make a healthy transition from childhood to adulthood. They use practical wilderness exercises with therapeutic purposes, survival skills, group outdoor activities using old traditional ways and wisdom to help the young person to find his/her innate gifts. Youth Vision has been running for over 2 years, working in the outskirts of Balerno, Scotland. It has just received its own individual charitable status, thanks to the umbrella of The Foundation for Planetary Healing. They are currently expanding the project and are moving into a more sustainable and permanent base, in Threipmuir Cottage, at the foot of the Pentland Hills. The young people can learn from the old ways, learn how to renovate the building and examine the old ruins and what used to happen on the land. Bringing in Scottish Folklore, history and archaeological work, alongside their therapeutic but fun outdoor exercises, will encourage the youngsters to reflect, become stronger people, establish their own identity as individuals and become aware of the responsibilities that come with that. By in large the program has some similar flavours to Operation Newstart, expeditions, learning skills, solo experiences, team games and a family invited labyrinth ceremony at the conclusion of the course. They also work with a group of 8 students. Youth Vision also utilise African drumming, Celtic ancient ways, Native American wisdom. Thus, the program leans towards a cultural basis. African drumming led to an activity called ‘The Drum Store’, whereby the young people are blindfolded and find their way through the woods to the call of the drums. The activity is completed on their own without a ‘buddy’. It teaches the young people to slow down and trust themselves. The drum beat represents the heartbeat of nature. Native American Wisdom was brought into the program by way of ‘The Circle of Life’. It represents the four seasons we live in, the compass, the sun, moon, sky and earth and colour representations, all with purpose and meaning. The Native Americans also believed that all human beings were connected in a circle. Hence it was also taken as a reflection of the true nature of life and the bigger picture within which all human beings are connected. The team consists of 2 counsellors, a therapist, 2 outdoor survival instructors, a forest schools graduate, High School teacher and a Youth Community Worker, all with clearance via Disclosure Scotland. They have a staff of 10 in total. They currently source their youth via word of mouth, flyers, families and community groups. They currently have their young people self evaluate one another via use of a video camera Operation Newstart Victoria Patron Chief Commissioner Christine Nixon Recommendation: The use of a video camera can be a powerful tool and we could utilise this for the young people in their final solo to self evaluate. Thursday 10th September Workshop The Cure of the Lemon Tree: A therapeutic model for treating trauma through, nature art and metaphor. This workshop was started using a lemon that was passed around the group. Each person smelt the lemon and was asked to comment on its fragrance and what memory it reminded them of. This exercise was a pretext to the use of metaphors and imagery when treating patients who have been suffering from post traumatic stress disorder. The presenter has been treating patients in Israel as a result of the prolonged conflict in the Middle East. In a very institutionalised hospital with limited outdoor space, the presenter has used the inspiration of three lemon trees to empower change and restore mental and physical balance. The characteristics of PTSD are1) Re-experiencing 2)Hyper-arousal and 3)Decline in functioning. When symptoms occur after 3 months then there is chronic stress disorder which then can allow the onset of other disorders making treatment complex. Somatic Experience is when a person freezes or goes into shock. In the neo-cortex part of the brain, the amygdale is activated through fight, flight or freeze responses. In a somatic experience there is a discharge of energy in body after freezing. This frozen residue of energy becomes trapped in the nervous system and forms PTSD. Through a series of techniques using verbal and non verbal methods it is possible to reorganise the chemicals in the brain that will assist in relieving symptoms of PTSD. The uses of images were interesting in this workshop. One example was the use of cards to allow a patient to communicate a painful event in their life. With the inclusion of positive cards the person would wish to add to the story, there is a change the patient’s outlook. This part included the use of cognitive behaviour theory where you change the way someone looks at something by using more favourable images which replace negative thoughts. “Should making a serious mistake be a criminal act? An examination of some possible legal consequences of gross negligence in outdoor leadership and implications for adventure therapy” Whether we are operating as professional adventure therapists, as outdoor adventure specialists working with therapists, a volunteers, or as program managers, we all have a clear duty of care to our client. Operation Newstart Victoria Patron Chief Commissioner Christine Nixon The use of adventure activities as part of therapy implies acceptance of some risk, but the duty of care demands that the level of risk is appropriate to the client and to the therapeutic objectives. Judging that appropriate level of risk is one of the key functions of the therapeutic team. When the level of risk is too high, adventure can quickly turn into mis-adventure and serious injury or death may result. While the concept of civil liability due to the leaders’ negligence is well understood by those working in the adventure therapy field, a few will appreciate that in extreme cases they may also be charged with criminal negligence and possibly jailed. The session explored the appropriateness of judicial punishment in such situations, where outdoor leaders make significant errors of judgement, resulting in serious harm to those in their care. A case study was presented in relation to a ten year old child of a parent helper on a small group camp. The teacher concerned with running the camp was a career teacher who had run these camps once a year for a number of years, but was a geography teacher, and although experienced as a teacher he lacked qualifications in the outdoor education field. His experience was being gained by running the camps on a yearly basis. The ten year old child through a series of events passed away and as a result the teacher was charged with Gross Negligence and jailed. The session explored why the teacher was jailed and the ramifications for the teacher, his family, the school and the wider community. As a result of the subsequent trial this situation is now classed as a Corporate Killing in the United Kingdom. In conclusion, there maybe justifications for legally punishing, grossly negligent outdoor leaders. Those justifications are NOT the commonly understood ones. Frontline staff are the ones most likely to pay the price when things do go wrong and legal punishment will only be part of the penalty. Some of the lessons learnt in this case were that some adventure activities are best seen as ‘hybrid’ activities and there may be no training or qualifications for these. Leaders need to realistically assess their own skills and apply cut-offs. Managers need to check the training, qualifications and experience of leaders before approving activities. Adult supervision and competent outdoor leadership are not the same thing. Recommendation: For Operation Newstart staff whether Police or Education Facilitator’s to acquire and maintain as many activity based and relevant qualifications as possible. Experience in this instance also speaks volumes. For Police staff not to be rotated on too regular basis, so as not to put the burden of experience and qualifications on the Education Facilitators Operation Newstart Victoria Patron Chief Commissioner Christine Nixon Engaging youth in treatment: adventure therapy practices in Switzerland and the United States. This was presented by Christophe Gruring from Switzerland. I attended this session hoping to gain an understanding of some of the philosophical differences to the practice of adventure therapy from two very different countries and was excited about hearing these perspectives. Christophe had experience working in both Switzerland and the United States. As a practicing psychotherapist his presentation was meant to examine how wilderness therapy acted to engage delinquent youth as well as some of the cultural differences that needed to be taken into account when working in different countries. Christophe was obviously overwhelmed by the occasion and very nervous. His material was not at all interesting and he struggled greatly in his presentation skills. I did not gain a great deal from this session. Recommendations: Nil Operation Newstart Victoria Patron Chief Commissioner Christine Nixon