In my master's thesis, I present adventure therapy as one of the possible methods of social work with adolescents, among whom research has shown an increase in feelings of insecurity, loneliness, and stress. Adventure therapy, grounded in experiential learning and the educational philosophy of Kurt Hahn, encompasses various program formats in which groups of young people, accompanied by therapists or social workers, spend time in nature and, through a range of adventurous activities, learn a constructive approach to life's challenges. They strengthen resilience, social skills and cooperation, healthy self-esteem, independence, and responsibility.
Among the components of adventure therapy that I describe in my master's thesis are challenge, perceived risk, and a group-oriented focus, which make this approach particularly attractive to adolescents. The approach is holistic, as it helps participants establish a relationship with their bodies and emotions, with nature, and with their peers, and, through concrete experiences, enables them to experience genuine achievements.
In the empirical part of the thesis, I describe an adventure expedition involving a group of young people, which forms part of a nine-month wilderness therapy program organized by the Wilderness Foundation. In addition to the expedition, the program also includes monthly group meetings and individual mentoring. Participants cite establishing relationships with others and self-disclosure as some of the key challenges in the program and report that participation helps them increase self-confidence and self-awareness.
The usefulness of adventure therapy in work with adolescents highlights the need for greater inclusion of such content in the training of social workers. Although adventure programs are often intense, they are typically short-term and may therefore lack an important component—the stabilization of achieved changes in participants. By providing continuous support to participants and their families as they return to everyday life, social workers could significantly contribute to the successful integration of the positive effects of adventure therapy into the daily lives of both the individual and their family.
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