The Effect of Therapeutic Wilderness Programs on Mental Health and Academic Performance of At-Risk Adolescents
The Effect of Therapeutic Wilderness Programs on Mental Health and Academic Performance of At-Risk Adolescents

Author: Madelyn Wheeler

Publisher:

Published: 2017

Total Pages: 36

ISBN-13:

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The purpose of this meta-analysis was to research a possible relationship between academic performance of at-risk adolescents and their successful completion of a term in a wilderness therapy program. In this paper, the mental and cognitive aspects of academic performance are examined in relation to the effects of therapeutic wilderness programs on at-risk students. Academic performance is centered on the emotional stability of one’s health combined with one’s personality and one’s personal experience while learning (Angelkoska, Stankovska, and Dimititroviski, 2015). Depression, stress, anxiety, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are the four mental health challenges investigated for this study. The research suggests that all four of these mental disabilities greatly affect academic performance for students. Wilderness therapy programs offer a unique experience for at-risk adolescence which involves intensive therapy sessions and lengthy excursions in a natural environment. It has been found that wilderness therapy programs are successful because the participants are out of their normal environment and typical standards, and are in a neutral environment that allows them to rehabilitate using the natural healings and consequences of being out in mother-nature. This meta-analysis suggests that a positive correlation likely exists between completion of a wilderness therapy term and improved academic performance post completion for at-risk adolescents; further study is recommended.--Abstract

Help at Any Cost
Help at Any Cost

Author: Maia Szalavitz

Publisher: Riverhead Books (Hardcover)

Published: 2006

Total Pages: 344

ISBN-13:

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The troubled-teen industry, with its scaremongering and claims of miraculous changes in behavior through harsh discipline, has existed in one form or another for decades, despite a dearth of evidence supporting its methods. And the growing number of programs that make up this industry are today finding more customers than ever. Maia Szalavitz's Help at Any Cost is the first in-depth investigation of this industry and its practices, starting with its roots in the cultlike sixties rehabilitation program Synanon and Large Group Awareness Training organizations likeest in the seventies; continuing with Straight, Inc., which received Nancy Reagan's seal of approval in the eighties; and culminating with a look at the World Wide Association of Specialty Programs-the leading force in the industry today-which has begun setting up shop in foreign countries to avoid regulation. Szalavitz uncovers disturbing findings about these programs' methods, including allegation of physical and verbal abuse, and presents us with moving, often horrifying, first-person accounts of kids who made it through-as well as stories of those who didn't survive. The book also contains a thoughtfully compiled guide for parents, which details effective treatment alternatives. Weaving careful reporting with astute analysis, Maia Szalavitz has written an important and timely survey that will change the way we look at rebellious teens-and the people to whom we entrust them. Help at Any Cost is a vital resource with an urgent message that will draw attention to a compelling issue long overlooked.

Innovative Interventions in Child and Adolescent Mental Health
Innovative Interventions in Child and Adolescent Mental Health

Author: Christine Lynn Norton

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2010-09-13

Total Pages: 209

ISBN-13: 1136924140

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Innovative Interventions in Child and Adolescent Mental Health is a unique composite of the literature on various innovative interventions for children and adolescents, and provides a developmental and neurobiological rationale for utilizing innovative interventions with this population. Based on the latest research, this book emphasizes that children and adolescents need more than just talk therapy. These innovative interventions can be applied in a variety of practice settings including schools, juvenile justice, community-based counseling centers, and residential treatment. This book bridges the gap between theory and practice, and provides a historical, theoretical, and research-based rationale, as well as a helpful case study, for each type of intervention being discussed.

Adventure Therapy
Adventure Therapy

Author: Michael A. Gass

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2020-03-11

Total Pages: 513

ISBN-13: 1000043886

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This revised text describes the theory substantiating adventure therapy, demonstrates best practices in the field, and presents research validating the immediate and long-term effects of adventure therapy. A leading text in the field of adventure therapy, outdoor behavioral healthcare, and wilderness therapy, the book is written by three professionals who have been at the forefront of the field since its infancy. This new edition includes fully updated chapters to reflect the immense changes in the field since the first edition was written in 2010. It serves to provide information detailing what is occurring with clients as well as how it occurs. This book provides an invaluable reference for the seasoned professional and is a required source of information and examination for the beginning professional. It is a great training resource for adventure therapy practices in the field of mental health.