Many people hear words like research, statistics, and outcome and quickly become disinterested or stare blankly into space! Others get excited to hear about MANOVAS or degrees of freedom or significance levels. Research in psychology tends to be a bit more interesting, especially since it relates to human conditions that many of us can identify within our own lives.
A cairn is a pile of stones or rocks, often used as a trail marker, landmark, or memorial. We use cairns in the field to mark where the group is so we can find it when we go to the field. Wilderness participants also look forward to cairns, as they mark where camp is and represent the end of a hike. On a solo, the cairn represents where staff will come to deliver water, food, or other needs while the young man or woman is reflecting and considering things. Over the course of a stay in Wilderness Therapy, the young person will see and build many cairns which represent a variety of things: starting and ending points, art in general, part of a sculpture of some kind, something done in group while they listen to others, and steps along the journey of their experience. In many ways, research in outdoor behavioral healthcare is like cairns, marking the way, representing steps as we investigate and evaluate this innovative therapeutic intervention.
What about medications in wilderness therapy? Let’s bring data to the conversation!Questions about medications often arise in conversations with families and educational consultants. There are valid concerns about changes and increases in medications, and also about how effective the meds their child is currently taking. In response to these concerns, we generally talk about how our goal is to get the best baseline assessment possible; so we are not going to suggest new medications or make big changes, unless it is really warranted. We talk about our fantastic team and the fact that we can do any kind of med management.
Clients and parents tell us how things are going 1.5 years after graduatingAt Second Nature we have been conducting research to evaluate our programs for more than six years, and we recently completed an 18-month follow-up. While we use sophisticated standardized and validated questionnaires to measure change in functioning; for this 18-month follow up, we also wanted to hear from clients in a more simple and personal way.
Nearly two decades ago when I was looking for a job, a mentor suggested I apply at a Wilderness Therapy program. I left several introductory phone calls with the clinical director to inquire about a potential job opening, but my attempts went unanswered. So I decided to make the three-hour drive to their base camp office in Loa, Utah. I arrived with my resume in hand, a flannel-lined sleeping bag in my duffel, and the confidence that I was right for the position.
The Journal of Residential Treatment for Children and Youth published an article by Second Nature researchers entitled, “Efficacy of Wilderness Therapy for Young Adults: A First Look”. This is one of the first studies examining outcomes for young adults in wilderness therapy, and suggests promising results for this group.