Stories from the Field: Mental Health and the Outdoors

Mark Synnott is a climber, writer, father, and The North Face Athlete. His newest book, "The Third Pole: Mystery, Obsession, and Death on Mount Everest," is an in-depth look into the history of Mount Everest and what drives people to climb the tallest mountain in the world. Mark shares his journey from being a big wall climber who would never think of climbing Everest to a convert who would risk it all to get to the top of the mountain and the bottom of the mystery of who was the first to climb Everest.

Bio from book release: Mark Synnott is a twenty-four-year member of the North Face Global Athlete Team. He is also an internationally certified mountain guide and a trainer for the Pararescuemen of the United States Air Force. A frequent contributor to National Geographic magazine and has written for Outside, Men's Journal, Rock and Ice, and Climbing, he is the author of The Impossible Climb. He lives in the Mt. Washington Valley of New Hampshire.

Tami Ann is an aspiring writer working on a book about her experiences of being a parent of a teen who went to a wilderness therapy program. Tami shares her journey into the wilderness field that began when her teenager was spiraling down in a cycle of depression and drug use. They tried all types of therapy until they settled on wilderness therapy. Her husband brought her son to Open Sky, and they all began the process of change. Tami shares what she learned through the process and advice for parents.

Brenda Zane is the host of the podcast "Hopestream" and has an online space to help moms with struggling teens. Brenda shares her journey into the wilderness field that began when her teenager was using drugs and she was unable to find a local resource that could make a difference. She met with an educational consultant who taught her about wilderness therapy and her son was transported to Elements Wilderness Therapy. Brenda shares what she learned through the process and how she is now helping others.

Short Bio from Website: Brenda Zane is a Mayo Clinic Certified health and wellness coach whose work supports moms of kids with substance use disorder. Her mission is to help moms maintain their health and sanity as they navigate the chaos and terror of having a child in addiction. Her podcast, Hopestream and private, online community, The Stream, provide connection, strength and resources related to holistic health, addiction and treatment. Brenda also writes for various publications and is available to speak on topics such as parenting kids in addiction, purpose and transformation, self-care and coping strategies, and the impact of the opioid crisis.

Louise Slater is an educational consultant at The Price Group and is the parent of a former wilderness student. Louise shares the story of her family's struggles with different treatment options before deciding to place their son in a wilderness therapy program in Georgia in 2004. Louise tells us about what her family's wilderness experience was like, what she and her family learned from the process, and how the field has changed over the years. She shares how she helps parents prepare for wilderness experience as an educational consultant and former parent.

Bio from The Price Group Website:

As one of the two business partners at The Price Group, Louise brings her knowledge of psychology, her love of young people, and her many years of evaluating organizational leadership and culture to the educational consulting practice. Working with and for young people has been a passion for Louise for many years. After her own sons had been clients, she learned that Ann Carol Price, founder of The Price Group, was interested in retiring and transitioning the business to new owners. She approached her friend and colleague, May Peach, a career educator, about purchasing the business.

Louise completed her B.A. in Psychology at Furman University and her M.A. in Psychology at Western Michigan University. She had a long career in the corporate world of Organizational Development and taught on the faculty of the University of South Carolina Business School. She is still actively involved in her family businesses, as Chairman of the Board of Consolidated Systems, Inc. and is a board member of Bonitz, Inc. She is former board chair of Glenforest School, a private school in Columbia, South Carolina, for children with learning differences and is currently serving as the secretary on the board of Presbyterian College, a small liberal arts college located in Clinton, South Carolina.

Louise is a professional member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA), former chair of the IECA Learning Differences Committee and in 2009, received the Irv Katz Award, an award given by IECA, recognizing her commitment to children and education, particularly her volunteer work as the founder of the Friends of Juvenile Justice (FJJ), an organization that advocates and provides resources to the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice. Louise has a certification as a CEP (Certified Educational Planner), as a Parent Coach (PCP) and completed level one certification as an ARISE interventionist (CAI-1). ARISE is a family centered intervention process to support recovery from substance abuse and mental health issues. She is also a member of the Young Adult Transition Association (YATA) and enjoys mentoring young adults and helping them "launch".

Louise has three sons, a step-daughter, and two grandchildren. In her spare time, she enjoys kayaking rivers and marshes with her friends, working out at the gym, traveling with her husband, cooking, reading, biking, and spending time with her dogs, Roxy and Chloe.

Josh Flaherty is Executive Director of Adventure Recovery (AR). Josh's love for adventure began as a child when he traveled to national parks with his family. After college, he pursued a path as a rock band manager, including Motley Crue. Although successful, he struggled with addiction. In treatment, Josh participated in an outdoor program with AR, which reignited his early passions, and he never looked back. Josh Flaherty shares his story of being a client, field guide, and executive director at AR.

Bio from AR website: Josh is an Adventure Recovery Guide and avid outdoor enthusiast. He brings 15+ years of experience as an executive in the entertainment industry to his expertise. Beginning at William Morris Endeavor, and then as a top manager and marketing executive at Tenth Street Entertainment, Josh managed numerous multi-platinum recording artists including Blondie, Motley Crue, Papa Roach, and Steven Tyler. Simultaneously, he has created and implemented multiple integrated cross-marketing campaigns for recording albums, tours, books, and many other events with companies such as H&M, LVMH, Marc Jacobs, Gucci, Paco Rabanne, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Major League Baseball, and The Smithsonian. Josh has a passion for recovery and mental health and his career in the field is a testament to this calling. He began as a client with Adventure Recovery in 2018 and then entered and progressed through AR's Guide Training program. Josh is the first person in AR history to transition from client to Guide. Furthermore, he brings his operational, clinical, and business development acumen to the organization. After serving as the Director of Operations and Business Development for AR for a period, Josh stepped up to Executive Director. Additionally, Josh is in the Masters of Social Work program at Fordham University. Hence, Josh's experience and contacts in the recovery community, entertainment industry, and corporate America provide a unique insight into creating and expanding the Adventure Recovery offering, message, and reach. As Executive Director, Josh manages daily operations, staff supervision, and participates on the executive team, driving strategic growth and development.

In this second controversies episode, we explore the history of more controversies related to the field. We review the history of staff training and wages for field guides. We explore why programs are expensive and discuss resources to help families pay for treatment. We look into the safety of wilderness therapy programs and review research related to risk in the field. Included is a follow-up conversation with Kenneth Rosen, author of "Troubled: The Failed Promise of Behavioral Treatment Programs."

For show transcripts and links check out the show website: storiesfromthefield.com. We want to thank our guests as well as transcript sponsor White Mountain Adventure Institute.

In this special two-part episode, we explore the history of controversies related to the field. Part 1 has five segments. We discuss the outdoor aspect of wilderness therapy and how did it all begin. We review boot camps and wilderness therapy and why they are often confused. We look into the research in the field and who funds this research, and why. We discuss transporting young people to wilderness programs, the history, and quandaries. We finish with a review of licensure/accreditation of programs.

To find the show notes and citations from this episode check out the transcript blog page from the Stories from the Field website

We want to thank WMAI.org for sponsoring the podcast. Please check them out.

Jessica Dallman is the founder of Natural Wisdom Counseling. Jessica's journey into the field began at a young age by being raised by veterinarian parents and growing up on a rural vet clinic. Jessica would take a "transformational" Outward Bound course in high school and would go on to attend college, teaching deaf people on a Navajo reservation, and then onto Naropa University for a master's degree. Jessica shares the evolution of Natural Wisdom Counseling and her work with deaf people and others.

Jessica's Bio from Natural Wisdom Counseling:

As a psychotherapist, I support people in recovering from stress and trauma, in developing a sense of purpose, in building positive and supportive relationships, and in living a fulfilling life. I believe that each person has access to a wealth of knowledge about how to grow and heal. That wisdom may be accessed through nature, body-based interventions, horses, EMDR therapy, or a variety of other tools. Ultimately, I facilitate my client's access to their own inherent, natural wisdom.

I received my Master's degree in Transpersonal Counseling Psychology (Wilderness Therapy) from Naropa University and am trained in EMDR therapy, Gestalt Equine psychotherapy, and Infant, Early Childhood, and Family Mental Health. I integrate human development, attachment, neuroscience, nature, and the body into a relational approach to counseling. This synthesis of theories and approaches provides my clients with a holistic experience that empowers them to uncover new layers of self-understanding. I aim to enhance client strengths and potential, and provide tools for clients to overcome issues that may be preventing them from thriving.

While I enjoy nature-based interventions, time outside is not a requirement for therapy with me. I incorporate movement, art, and social justice counseling into sessions in my office, as appropriate. I am experiential in my approach, which can efficiently access the emotional centers in the brain in ways that traditional "talk therapy" may struggle to access.

I have a client-centered, strengths-based, growth-focused approach to all of my sessions, regardless of your preferred method of therapy. Trauma-informed care is integrated into every case.

I see my life as a continuous journey and adventure. Growing up, I was exposed to the outdoors early and often, which led to my belief that Nature offers supportive, healing, sacred, and transformative powers. I believe that intersectional issues of power and privilege play a large role in how our systems work, how we experience and access the world, and what messages we receive about our worth. I also believe that those messages and wounds can be healed through relationship.

I am proficient in American Sign Language (ASL) have been involved in the Deaf community since 2009.

Chaim Livneh, Senior Staff for Juvenile Probation Services for Israel. Chaim's journey into the field started as a child in the U.S. and then to Israel when his family emigrated there when he was a teen. Chaim shares how being in a tank corps helped him to get closer to the wilderness and how he found healing in a greenhouse when he had cancer. Chaim shares how Israel views wilderness therapy and how it is funding wilderness therapy treatment for juvenile offenders. Chaim shares where the field is going.

Kenneth R. Rosen is the author of "Troubled: The Failed Promise of America's Behavioral Treatment Programs" and is an award-winning journalist who has written for the New York Times. Ken's journey into the field began as a teen when he was transported to a wilderness program in Upstate New York. Ken shares his story of going from a wilderness program to a therapeutic school and other treatment programs. He shares how he went about researching and collecting stories for the book and his hopes for change.

Bio from Kenneth's website: Kenneth R. Rosen is a senior editor and correspondent at Newsweek based in Italy. He is a contributing writer at WIRED, and the journalist-in-residence at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. He is the author of two books of narrative nonfiction, an Executive-in-Residence at the Geneva Centre for Security Policy, and a 2021 Alicia Patterson Fellow. Previously, he spent six years on staff at The New York Times.

Rosen is a two-time finalist for the Livingston Award in international reporting. Among other honors, he received the Bayeux Calvados-Normandy Award for War Correspondents for his reporting on Iraq in 2018 and was a finalist for his reporting on Syria in 2019.

​He has written for the New Yorker, the New York Times Magazine, the Atlantic, and VQR. His work has been translated into Arabic, Spanish, German, and Japanese.

​As a foreign correspondent and magazine writer, he has reported from more than 13 countries, appeared on NPR, PRI's "The World," The Guardian's daily podcast, and NRC's (Netherlands) podcast, among others. And he has briefed the State Department on his reporting from the Levant.

​He has received generous support from MacDowell (Calderwood Foundation Art of Nonfiction Grantee), the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity (Literary Journalist-in-Residence), the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting (Grantee '17, '20), the Fulbright Program, the Schuster Institute for Investigative Journalism, the Fund for American Studies (Robert Novak Fellow), the Steven Joel Sotloff Memorial Foundation, the Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation with John Jay's Center on Media, Crime and Justice, the Heinrich Böll Foundation, and the Logan Nonfiction Program at the Carey Institute for Global Good.

​Educated at Columbia University and the Savannah College of Art and Design, he lectured at the University of Massachusetts Boston, has held workshops on creative nonfiction for Catapult magazine, and has volunteered with troubled teens seeking to return to school and complete their bachelor's degrees.