Most people imagine therapy as two people sitting in chairs, talking quietly in a calm room. At Adventurelore, we know change can happen there. But some of the most powerful breakthroughs come when the wind joins the session, boots hit the ground, and participants learn by doing instead of just talking.

Adventure-based counseling takes well-established therapeutic principles and brings them into an environment where movement, challenge, and genuine experience become catalysts for emotional growth. Instead of only discussing trust, anxiety, or communication patterns, participants practice these skills in real time.

Experiential therapy works because the lessons stick. They’re lived, not lectured.

What Is Adventure-Based Counseling?

Adventure-based counseling (ABC) is a structured therapeutic approach that uses experiential challenges to build emotional awareness, confidence, problem-solving, resilience, and healthy relationships (Albright, 2009; Jeffery & Hensey, 2023). These experiences don’t rely on danger or extreme risk. They rely on meaningful challenge.

Examples include:

• Two youth practicing frustration tolerance while balancing on a ropes element
• A teen learning persistence through repeated kayaking attempts
• A professional team discovering communication habits through a hands-on initiative

Research shows that challenge-based experiences paired with structured reflection are powerful tools for growth (Jeffery, 2017; Bowen, 2016).

Why Experience Changes the Brain

Experiential learning engages the brain far more deeply than passive conversation, especially for individuals who struggle to connect through traditional talk therapy (Mohan et al., 2022; Bowen, 2016).

Here’s why adventure-based counseling works:

Activities become metaphors.
Balancing on a cable becomes “balancing emotions.” Untangling a knot becomes “working through communication breakdowns” (Jeffery, 2017; Brown, 2024).

Success is felt.
When a participant takes a courageous step, the nervous system forms a memory that supports resilience (Bowen, 2016).

The body stores learning.
Skills practiced in motion transfer more easily into daily life (Jeffery, 2017).

Failure becomes safe.
In a supportive environment, mistakes become part of the learning process rather than triggers for shame (Albright, 2009).

How Adventure-Based Counseling Supports Emotional and Social Growth

Adventure-based therapy has been shown to improve self-confidence, emotional regulation, communication skills, and resilience in both youth and adults (Bowen, 2016; Mohan et al., 2022; Washington State Institute for Public Policy, 2022).

Key benefits include:

1. Increased Self-Efficacy

Challenge-based activities build internal belief and competence (Albright, 2009).

2. Better Communication and Empathy

Activities require collaboration, perspective-taking, and clear communication (Jeffery & Hensey, 2023).

3. Stronger Emotional Regulation

Participants practice noticing, naming, and managing emotions during real, embodied moments (Brown, 2024).

4. Greater Resilience

Participants learn that setbacks are simply steps in the learning process (Bowen, 2016; Mohan et al., 2022).

5. Skill Transfer to Daily Life

Lessons learned in action generalize more easily to home, school, and work (Jeffery, 2017).

Why This Model Works Especially Well for ADHD, Anxiety, and Emotional Dysregulation

Adventure-based counseling aligns naturally with the needs of individuals who struggle with attention, anxiety, impulse control, social challenges, or traditional therapy structures (Bowen, 2016; WSIPP, 2022).

Movement boosts engagement.
Challenge increases focus.
Fun reduces resistance.
Nature acts as a co-therapist.

What a Session at Adventurelore Often Looks Like

Sessions are structured, intentional, and clinically grounded. A typical flow includes:

• An SEL check-in and/or parent check in
• A challenge or initiative linked to therapeutic goals
• An adventure-based element (climbing, paddling, cycling, hiking, ropes course, etc.)
• A therapeutic debrief linking the experience to emotion, choice, growth, patterns, and strengths.

At Adventurelore, the relationship between participant and counselor remains central. Research consistently shows that the therapeutic alliance is the strongest predictor of positive outcomes in both traditional and adventure-based therapy (Bowen, 2016; Jeffery & Hensey, 2023).

Adventurelore’s Historic Role in the Field

Adventurelore played a pioneering role in shaping modern adventure-based therapy.

We were the first organization to publish how adventure-based counseling could be adapted for individual clinical work, not just groups. 

The Adventurelore Difference

Adventurelore blends:

• Clinical expertise
• Adventure-education best practices
• Strength-based, relationship-driven care

Our staff includes licensed mental health counselors, educators, adventure specialists, professors, and coaches dedicated to helping participants grow through meaningful challenge.

Final Thought: Growth Happens When People Move

Adventure-based counseling isn’t about being fearless or athletic. It’s about helping people move through life with clarity, confidence, and connection.

Sometimes growth happens on a ropes course.
Sometimes it happens while paddling a kayak.
Sometimes it happens while taking a walk or a hike.

No matter where it happens, the experience becomes the lesson.

References (APA)

Albright, R. L. (2009). The qualitative impact of adventure-based counseling (ABC). Journal of Student Counseling, 14, 1–12. https://www.jsc.montana.edu/articles/v14n8.pdf

Bowen, D. J. (2016). Wilderness adventure therapy effects on the mental health of adolescents and adults: A review of the evidence. Journal of Adolescence, 49, 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2016.03.006

Brown, C. L. (2024). Navigating adventure therapy: Using existential theory as a framework. Journal of Humanistic Counseling, 63(1), 90–104. https://doi.org/10.1002/johc.12240

Jeffery, H. (2017). Ordinary meaning from extra-ordinary experience: Occupational therapists’ use of experiential learning in adventure therapy. Southern Institute of Technology Journal of Applied Research. https://www.sit.ac.nz/Portals/0/upload/documents/sitjar/SITJAR%20-%20HJ%202017%20Final.pdf

Jeffery, H., & Hensey, C. (2023). Exploration of adventure therapy community and practice in Aotearoa New Zealand. Journal of Outdoor and Environmental Education, 26, 77–92. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42322-022-00115-z

Mohan, A., Golding, B., Shrestha, A., Bailey, J., & Wilson, S. J. (2022). PROTOCOL: The effectiveness of wilderness therapy and adventure learning in reducing anti-social and offending behaviour in children and young people at risk of offending. Systematic Reviews, 11(1), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1002/cl2.1252

Washington State Institute for Public Policy. (2022). Wilderness therapy programs: A systematic review of research. WSIPP Publication No. 22-06-1101. https://www.wsipp.wa.gov/ReportFile/1748/Wsipp_Wilderness-Therapy-Programs-A-Systematic-Review-of-Research_Report.pdf