Outdoor Therapy Centre Podcast

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Welcome Bernie Rupe from Chicago Voyagers to the podcast. This is such a unique program working with youth in the greater Chicago Area. With over 25 years of experience working with at-risk teens, Bernie remains the guiding star of Chicago Voyagers and he joins Daniel and Will to discuss how Bernie has used research to seek funding and grow and evolve this innovative program. 

Thanks for a great year everyone. We hope you have a happy and healthy new year.

Useful Links

We have started a GoFundMe so you can all chip in and send us to the Himalayas where we can hang out and learn from Tanya. You'll understand why we must go watch Tanya in action after listening to this episode. Tanya Ginwala is a clinical psychologist and experiential educator from India, and the country's representative on the Adventure Therapy International Committee (ATIC). Tanya has trained in narrative therapy, somatic therapies, and buddhist psychology. Before starting her own practice, Qualia Mental Health, Tanya worked for the Adventures Beyond Barriers Foundation, an Indian non-profit that aims to use adventure sports to promote social inclusion for people with and without disabilities. There she managed daily operations of an organization with a footprint of over 5,000 individuals with and without disabilities during its founding years, from 2016-2019. 

Tanya is a trailblazer for adventure therapy in India. She established an Adventure and Nature Based Therapy - India Study Group which has grown over the years and has included international presentations, workshops, and training opportunities. In her free time, Tanya enjoys spending time in the pine forests by her home in Dharamshala with her wonderful dog Ziggy, reading, napping in the sun and discovering new music.

To stir the pot, Will's mother sent him Alan's book, Natural: How Faith in Nature's Goodness Leads to Harmful Fads, Unjust Laws, and Flawed Science, last year. Alan's book examines the meaning of "natural" and argues that modern Western culture has divinized nature. That seemed like a worthy conversation to unpack. Alan is an associate professor of religion at James Madison University. His work focuses primarily on the relationship between religion, literature, and science, with particular attention to classical Chinese thought and comparative ethics. In this episode, we talk a lot about psychotherapy, religion, cults, pseudoscience, wellbeing, and ritual. 

Useful Links

We caught up with an icon of our field Denise Mitten as she was driving with her daughter across the US to Will’s homeland of Washington DC! Denise is a widely experienced outdoor adventure guide, leading SCUBA and mountaineering trips in numerous countries. Denise started with the Girl Scouts in the 1960s and brought her passion for sharing the outdoors and adventure with people from all backgrounds, including women survivors of abuse, homeless populations, and maximum-security men’s prisons. Denise’s academic work spans ethics, justice, diversity, and equity in adventure therapy and outdoor education. Her writing speaks for itself and we encourage our listening to take a look at her amazing contributions to the literature.

Useful Links

Denise’s Page at Prescott College

Follow Denise on Twitter

Denise’s Google Scholar Page

Book: The Palgrave International Handbook of Women and Outdoor Learning

Join us to talk to electronic social emotional entrepreneurs Kendra Bostick, LCSW, PhD candidate, and Bryn Lottig, M.S. They visited Will and Daniel to teach us why we should all immediately download Kikori, the app they have developed that is a digital encyclopedia of experiential activities. This episode goes far beyond adventure therapy because Kikori is a tool that is useful for social emotional learning, experiential education, outdoor education, and any form of experiential learning. Come learn about Kendra and Bryn and the award-winning app that they have developed that can help expand your bag of facilitation tools and techniques!

Kikori App

Kendra Bostick

Bryn Lottig 

Russell Chamberlain, LCSW, CADCIII brings over 30 years of lived experience to this episode. Russell is a licensed clinical social worker and certified alcohol and drug counselor. He is also a board member of the Parker Bounds Johnson Foundation and a former chair of the Therapeutic Adventure Professionals Group. In this episode, he shares his knowledge and experience in working experientially in the outdoors with a diverse range of populations. Russell's career working therapeutically outdoors began in the early 1980s, despite previous outdoor recreation experiences beginning in the previous decade. He has worked for Outward Bound, NOLS, and many other programs. Russell was born and raised in Kentucky, he is now based out of Portland, Oregon. Russell established LifeSTREAM Therapy LLC to deliver services for youth and families, and provide consultation for many adventure outdoor therapy organizations. His organization's mission focuses on how relationships can be central to adventure and outdoor therapy practice. Russell has been training in trauma informed therapy, attachment, collaborative problem solving, polyvagal theory, and equine assisted psychotherapy. 

Relevant Links

LifeSTREAM Therapy

Reunification Works

Russell on the Stories From The Field Podcast 

Energy Matters

Contact Russell

All good research requires a good acronym. Welcome to the ATOM...the Adventure Therapy Outcome Monitoring study. In this episode, we invite you to join a community of practitioners to build more evidence and knowledge about adventure therapy practice and, hopefully, help each other get better at doing it. If you're interested in getting involved...and yes, you are the perfect person to get involved, flick us an email and we can get started!

Like camping? Like food? The two join forces in today's podcast with backcountry food guru Stephen Javorski. Stephen brings over 20 years of experience working with youth and young adults to the ATC podcast. He currently teaches Child and Youth Care at  Vancouver Island University. Stephen has worked in a range of settings including schools to challenge courses to multi-week canoe expeditions in Canada’s North. The nearly Doctor Javorski is wrapping up a PhD in Outdoor Experiential Education with a focus on Outdoor Behavioural Healthcare (OBH) with the team at the University of New Hampshire. 

Will and Daniel have a big project coming up. It's been in development for nearly two years and we want adventure therapy enthusiasts from all backgrounds to join. One way we will contact people is through the ATC's member directory which you can join for free.

Useful Links

Did you know our guest, Dr. Terry Williams, has traveled over 15,000 miles by bicycle, 8,000 miles running cross-country, and has earned the ear of U.S. presidents, politicians, and community leaders? The foundation she founded has helped numerous non-profit's build sustainable adventure-based practices across the United States. Terry joins Daniel and Will to discuss her passion for leadership, thoughts on collaborations and important milestones across her amazing journey. If you want to start a non-profit or adventure therapy business, don't miss this episode! 

Join us in wishing Terry and the Children Are Our Future Foundation a wondrous birthday!

Information about the 9IATC

Happy new year everyone...wait it's already February?! We hope you enjoy the podcast - full of belly laughs - with our great friend Margaret Kelso.

Margaret began in wilderness therapy in 2011 as a field guide at a program in southeast Alaska. After receiving her W-EMT in 2013, she continued her wilderness therapy journey holding roles in the medical, case management, program management, and beyond. She has particularly loved the work of developing judgment and decision-making skills with field staff and working with programs to increase mitigation of risk to allow for the primary focus of therapy to thrive as a freelance risk management assessor/auditor. She now holds the title of Director of Operations within one of the leading wilderness therapy programs in the country and while Will and Daniel have many more letters behind their names, Margaret makes up for it in exclamation points with the enthusiasm and energy she brings to each facet of her life including being a mother to her two fantastically wild and curious children with whom she now has the opportunity to continue her love of guiding in a whole new context.

There is so much more to discuss with Margaret, such as the best-thrown party in Alaskan history and Will's competitive dodge ball streak, against 10-year-olds.