Stories from the Field: Mental Health and the Outdoors

This episode examines research studies regarding transporting teens to wilderness therapy programs with Dr. Christine Norton, a research scientist at the OBH Center at UNH. Transporting unwilling participants to wilderness therapy programs has been referred to as "escorting," "gooning," as well as "legal kidnapping" and is one of the more controversial aspects of the field. Dr. Norton reviews transport research studies, how the research can help inform practice, and changes she is seeing in the field regarding this practice.

Dr. Norton's Bio from the OBH Center website:

Christine Lynn Norton, PhD, LCSW, is a Professor of Social Work at Texas State University. She received her Ph.D in Social Work from Loyola University Chicago. She has a Master of Arts in Social Service Administration from the University of Chicago, and a Master of Science in Experiential Education from Minnesota State University-Mankato. She has taught as adjunct faculty at The University of Denver, Prescott College, and Naropa University. Dr. Norton has over 25 years experience working with adolescents and families in a variety of practice settings including community and wilderness-based outdoor behavioral healthcare programs, juvenile justice, youth and family counseling, school social work, and youth mentoring and educational empowerment programs. Her areas of practice and research interest and expertise are in innovative, experiential interventions in child and adolescent mental health; outdoor behavioral healthcare; experiential education and adventure therapy; positive youth development; foster care support in higher education; and international social work. Dr. Norton is a Research Scientist with the Outdoor Behavioral Healthcare Center and she helped launch Foster Care Alumni Creating Educational Success (FACES) at Texas State. She is the Foster Care Liaison Officer to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, and is the founder of the Foster Care Adventure Therapy Network, an international group of programs and practitioners who utilize adventure therapy with current and former foster care youth and young adults. Dr. Norton has over 40 peer-reviewed journal articles, has edited three books, and has authored over ten book chapters. She has secured over $3,179,154 in internal and external research funding as PI and co-investigator, and is a leading social work scholar who has presented her research nationally and internationally. Dr. Norton is active in study abroad and service learning on her campus, and is a Fulbright Scholar, having taught adventure therapy in the Department of Civic Education and Leadership at National Taiwan Normal University from January-June 2017. She also served as a delegate for Women4Peace, a U.S. State Department 100KStrong in the Americas grant, working to bring experiential peacebuilding strategies to rural women and girls in Columbia.

Before becoming a researcher and academic, Dr. Norton worked for Outward Bound (OB) as an instructor and a course director for Intercept, OB's youth-at-risk program. She also worked as a clinical social worker with the Journey program, OMNI Youth Services' outdoor experiential therapy program. She has also been active in the Association for Experiential Education (AEE) for over 20 years. She has helped to establish best practices in adventure therapy, and served as the Chair of the AEE Therapeutic Adventure Professional Group (TAPG). She is currently on the TAPG Advisory Council, has assisted with AEE/OBH accreditation site visits, is a member of the TAPG Certification Standards Committee, and is also an ActivatEE team member and speaking coach. For her service and research, Dr. Norton received both the 2014 AEE Servant Leader Award, as well as the 2017 AEE Distinguished Researcher of the Year Award. She also served as one of two U.S. delegates to the International Adventure Therapy Conference (IATC) from 2009-2015. In this role, Dr. Norton convene 7IATC in Denver, in partnership with Dr. Christian Itin, and was an Ambassador for 8IATC. Dr. Norton remains active with the international adventure therapy community, engaging in global research partnerships and trainings.

In this episode, Dr. Mike Gass talks about research in the field of wilderness therapy that is occurring at the Outdoor Behavioral Healthcare Center (obhcenter.org) at the University of New Hampshire. Dr. Gass reviews the history of the center, its leadership team, and the researchers. He shares how researchers address biases and how the center is funded. He educates about the research related to the safety of participants, transports of young people to programs, and a new million-dollar research study.

Bio from the OBHcenter.org website.

Michael Gass, PhD, LMFT, is a Professor and the Director of the Outdoor Behavioral Healthcare Research Center (obhcenter.org) at the University of New Hampshire.

Dr. Gass received his PhD in educational research from the University of Colorado/Boulder and his postdoctoral work in clinical marriage and family therapy. With Drs. Gillis and Russell, he has published the leading textbook in the field (Adventure Therapy published by Routledge Press). Dr. Gass was the inaugural Chair of the AEE Accreditation Council for its first 10 years of existence as well as President of the Board of Directors of AEE in 1990. Some of his current research projects include: Risk management statistics of adventure therapy programs, adventure competencies for therapists, enhancement of NATSAP Practice Research Network database, researching adventure therapy programs with vulnerable populations, cost benefit analyses of outdoor behavioral healthcare programs, supporting emerging scholars/researchers in adventure therapy, and publishing and presenting in traditional mental health/psychology venues (e.g., APA). He is a licensed marriage and family therapist.

Scott Vee is a parent of a wilderness therapy student. Scott shares the journey of trying to help his teenage son during the beginning of the pandemic. He explains how he heard about wilderness therapy after a residential treatment program director told him that he had to pick up his son as his son was not complying with the program's model. Scott found Evoke in Utah after searching different treatment models. Scott shares he "learned as much" as his son during the wilderness process and advice for parents.

Jennifer Glazer is a parent of a wilderness therapy student from Mass. Jennifer shares her journey of trying to help her teenage son during the beginning of the pandemic. She explains how they had tried different mental health treatments and then a friend suggested wilderness therapy. Jennifer searched the web and found True North in Vermont, which was the beginning of change for the family. Jennifer shares what they learned and the importance of "being gentle with oneself" when everyone is in treatment.

Cynthia Cohen is a parent of a wilderness therapy student and educational consultant. Cynthia shares her family's journey of trying to help their teenage son while living in New York City over a decade ago. Cynthia reviews the unsuccessful treatment of her son by well-educated and well-intentioned mental health professionals in NYC until one suggested wilderness therapy. Cynthia shares her personal and professional journey from wilderness therapy parent to educational consultant helping other parents.

Bio from Pathway Partners: Cynthia has a Master's Degree in Public Health and has had extensive leadership experience in healthcare, including mental health, and in education. She established an educational consulting practice focusing on alternative therapeutic programs after her entire family experienced the life-changing effects of wilderness therapy. Cynthia believes in the power of strength-based programs, with change and growth coming from within each person. She has made it her life's work to support those most in need and has become a leader in the world of educational consulting. She is distinguished for her expertise in supporting families through difficult times, bringing forward discussions of significant issues within the field, and in developing efforts to increase clients' voices in the process of treatment.

Jill Needleman is an educator and a parent of a wilderness therapy student. Jill shares her family's journey of helping her eighth-grade son get help for emotional struggles that caused him to refuse to go to school. They tried different interventions, but nothing seemed to help. They eventually found an educational consultant who referred them to Summit Achievement as it has a school component. Jill shares how wilderness therapy saved their family and the challenges of finding a good after-care program.

Katie McDevitt is a mother of five children in Illinois. Katie shares her family's journey of helping her oldest son get help for overwhelming anxiety and depression that he dealt with by substance using. They tried a different school, intensive outpatient treatment, and then a one-to-one school. Nothing seemed to help. Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and things became even more challenging. Katie shares how the family navigated helping their son via wilderness therapy in the spring of 2020 and beyond.

Carolyn Lambert is the founder of Nathans WayPoint a parent coaching service. Carolyn shares her challenging journey of helping both of her teenagers get help for crippling anxiety and depression. Carolyn helped her son enroll in a residential treatment program and two years later her daughter asked for help and was enrolled in a wilderness therapy program. Carolyn shares the challenges she faced in getting help for her teenager and how it changed the course of her own life to help parents through coaching.

Bio from Nathan's WayPoint:

He stopped participating in activities outside of school and spending time with his friends. He stayed mostly in his bedroom, playing video games. He withdrew more and more—until he barely spoke to anyone.

​When your child isn't well, you bring him to doctors and specialists, and you hope they have answers. But doctor after doctor and we had no answers. A psychiatrist prescribed antidepressants and told him to "man up." I was frustrated, angry and afraid. I knew something was terribly wrong and none of the experts I trusted was able to help.

​I learned there is an assumption that teens who have these behaviors are being lazy or combative. And somehow our parenting skills are part of the problem.

The truth is, my son was suffering from overwhelming anxiety and depression. No amount of discipline was going to change that. What I would come to learn is that he couldn't act any differently—not without the right help and the right support at home.

​Feeling like I was out of options, and desperate to get my son back, I made the excruciating decision to send him to a treatment program that specializes in helping kids with debilitating anxiety and depression.

Two years later, when anxiety and depression stopped my younger daughter in her tracks, I thought I knew exactly how to help her. Believing I was an expert in this world, I decided to send her to a short-term program because I now had the tools to help her when she returned home. I was wrong.

My pull to help my children and to help other parents was so strong that I left my career of 20 years as the director of conflict management for the University System of Georgia to become a parenting coach.

Andy Goldstrom is a parent of a former wilderness student. When Andy's daughter began high school she struggled with behavioral issues. Andy and his wife, Lori, tried various ways to help their daughter but to no avail. They learned about wilderness therapy and decided to have their daughter transported to Pacific Quest in Hawaii. Andy shares his family's treatment journey and how their lives changed. Andy is now a parent coach and host of the "Wilderness Therapy and Residential Treatment Journey" podcast.

Flint Barber is a parent of a teen who attended a wilderness program. Flint's journey begins with how he had "no idea" about his son's challenges until a neighbor informed him, which started Flint onto the path of wilderness. Flint recounts trying to convince his son to attend Anasazi and that his son replied, "you will need to have me kidnapped." Flint shares the most challenging day of his life when his son ran away from Anasazi. He shares what he has learned through the process and advice for parents.