Adventure Therapy
Weekly Adventures In The Foothills Of The Ozarks
One day per week, clients are involved in ropes course activities that produce real-life internal challenges, causing frustration, fear, and conflict. If not at Capstone, these activities would most likely lead to relapse or prior coping mechanisms. In our safe and supportive environment, we help guide clients through these challenges in an exercise that leads to a successful ending. This reinforces a healthier approach to handle distress in real life situations.
Adventure therapy on our ropes course is based on the theory of experiential metaphor. Everything we do on the course follows this sequence: 1) frame the metaphor; 2) do the activity; 3) process the experience and reinforce the metaphor, resulting in a real life connection.
These group therapy activities for teens and young adults create experiences that help with a variety of struggles. The group overcomes challenges by getting each client through the designated exercise as a team. Some groups may accomplish a task in an hour, others take three hours or more. The group then forms a circle and begins the first phase of processing. They discuss the experience of physically completing the exercise on campus, then parallel that experience to emotional difficulty they may experience in response to struggles outside of treatment.
Off – Campus Adventure Days
We call our adventure days Replacement Therapy because we are taking the clients off campus for exciting outdoor adventures in our beautiful state. Capstone’s campus lies in the rolling foothills of the Ozarks to the northwest. Many exciting outdoor adventures are readily available. Clients may go in small groups to fish for trout in the Little Red River, Greer’s Ferry Lake, or the White River. Other activities include rock climbing, caving, kayaking, canoeing, trail biking, hiking, paintball, tubing, and more.