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ADVENTURE THERAPY PROGRAM
The Learning Clinic has long made use of experiential learning to assist students. The addition of a ropes course and introduction of "Adventure Therapy" during this past year have made it possible to gain the benefits of experiential learning in a therapeutic setting.
A ropes course is a series of obstacles that present both physical and mental challenges with a degree of controlled and perceived risk. There are both low and high level obstacles enabling the individual participants or groups to work through a progression of activities and allowing the facilitators to customize their curriculum to address specific treatment and group issues as they arise.
Many times individuals experience difficult emotions, such as anxiety and fear when confronted by new and different activities or situations. Through participation in a ropes course program and within a supportive environment, individuals develop an increased ability to cope with new and different situations and their accompanying emotions.
Ropes course activities are physically challenging and typically are presented in a graded progression designed to foster increased group cohesion, improved communication patterns, heightened levels of trust, and increased self-confidence. The ropes course experience allows the individual to "try on" new behaviors in an objective learning atmosphere.
