Stories from the Field: Mental Health and the Outdoors

200: The End of Wilderness Therapy?


Listen Later

In the celebratory 200th episode of Stories from the Field: Mental Health and the Outdoors, guest host Jake Weld catches up with the podcast's creator, Dr. Will White, who reflects on the transformative changes witnessed in outdoor therapies in the last 200 episodes. Will sees the field in a transformative era, with more acceptance of outdoor therapy's impact on mental health. However, he also notes a contraction in segments due to controversies surrounding adolescent programs that enroll students via transport.

Will analyzes the popularity and reach of the podcast, noting that the most downloaded episodes focus on controversies, research, and change within wilderness therapy. He explains this led to the rebranding of the podcast from "Stories from the Field: Demystifying Wilderness Therapy" to "Stories from the Field: Mental Health and the Outdoors," aiming to better reflect the diverse stories and topics discussed.

In the discussion, Will shares insights about varying perspectives on wilderness therapy, adventure therapy, and outdoor behavioral healthcare, all underscored by recent Google search trends. He emphasizes the need for mental health practitioners to incorporate outdoor therapy into their treatment approaches, justifying the podcast's name evolution.

Looking to the future, Will reveals that the next season will focus on treating anxiety in different settings. Upcoming special episodes include celebrating the 20th Wilderness Therapy Symposium and announcing a new outdoor mental health treatment program. For his personal journey, Will is investing his time in advocating for outdoor therapy integration, supervising younger mental health practitioners, and working on a new podcast about anxiety titled "Fearless."

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Stories from the Field: Mental Health and the OutdoorsBy Will White

  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7

4.7

98 ratings


More shows like Stories from the Field: Mental Health and the Outdoors

View all
Science Friday by Science Friday and WNYC Studios

Science Friday

6,055 Listeners

Radiolab by WNYC Studios

Radiolab

43,826 Listeners

This American Life by This American Life

This American Life

90,837 Listeners

Fresh Air by NPR

Fresh Air

38,176 Listeners

The Social Work Podcast by Jonathan B. Singer, Ph.D., LCSW

The Social Work Podcast

501 Listeners

The Moth by The Moth

The Moth

27,225 Listeners

Freakonomics Radio by Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher

Freakonomics Radio

32,066 Listeners

The Recovery Show » Finding serenity through 12 step recovery in Al-Anon – a podcast by The Recovery Show

The Recovery Show » Finding serenity through 12 step recovery in Al-Anon – a podcast

1,574 Listeners

Hidden Brain by Hidden Brain, Shankar Vedantam

Hidden Brain

43,214 Listeners

Finding You: by Dr. Brad Reedy by Dr. Brad Reedy

Finding You: by Dr. Brad Reedy

332 Listeners

Where Should We Begin? with Esther Perel by Esther Perel Global Media

Where Should We Begin? with Esther Perel

14,836 Listeners

The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett by DOAC

The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett

6,458 Listeners

SmartLess by Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, Will Arnett

SmartLess

57,728 Listeners

Huberman Lab by Scicomm Media

Huberman Lab

28,358 Listeners

All There Is with Anderson Cooper by CNN

All There Is with Anderson Cooper

9,705 Listeners