Description
Book SynopsisWilderness Therapy for Women offers women risktaking adventure activities in the outdoors as an alternative to traditional therapy. The contributing authors illustrate the empowerment, confidence, and self-esteem women can derive from adventure and experiential activities. This is the first book of its kind devoted to the symbolic value of wilderness accomplishments to women’s mental health. Wilderness Therapy for Women unites women with nature and each other by lifting the social constraints surrounding women in adventure pursuits. It offers women a new method of healing while developing an appreciation for the uniqueness of the environment. Daring experiences in the outdoors rekindles a sense of strength and a respect for the provider of that strength. A therapeutic experience from the outdoors provides women with an awareness of their capabilities to strengthen and preserve themselves and their surroundings. This book is divided into four parts: Theoretical Perspectives, Wilderness Therapy in Action, Special Populations, and Personal Narratives. Readers will find many topics of interest including:
- Body image and wilderness therapy
- The therapeutic value of the wilderness
- Ethical considerations of experiential therapy
- Ropes courses for women
- All-women’s river trips
- Special populations: rape and incest survivors, welfare mothers, and mid-life women. Intended as a guide book, Wilderness Therapy for Women is ideal for mental health professionals who are either practicing wilderness therapy or merely inquisitive about it. Outfitters and professional outdoor leaders will benefit from chapters on theory, applications, and special populations. Outdoor program administrators and educators who must remain on the cutting edge of their industry will also profit from this book.
Table of ContentsContents
Introduction
- Nuestra Hermana
- I. Theoretical Perspectives
- Wilderness Therapy: What Makes It Empowering for Women?
- Self Control: The Key to Adventure? Towards a Model of the Adventure Experience
- Transforming Body Image Through Women’s Wilderness Experiences
- Ethical Considerations in Adventure Therapy: A Feminist Critique
- II. Wilderness Therapy in Action
- The Wilderness Solo: An Empowering Growth Experience for Women
- Women on the Ropes: Change Through Challenge
- Building Self-Efficacy Through Women-Centered Ropes Course Experiences
- What is the Therapeutic Value of Camping for Emotionally Disturbed Girls?
- Equine Psychotherapy: Worth More Than Just a Horse Laugh
- III. Special Populations
- Two Bears, Dancing: A Mid-Life Vision Quest
- Therapeutic Considerations of Wilderness Experiences for Incest and Rape Survivors
- Breaking Through Barriers: Wilderness Therapy for Sexual Assault Survivors
- Women’s Adventure Group: Experiential Therapy in an HMO Setting
- So . . . What Does Rock Climbing Have to Do With Career Planning?
- IV: Voices of Experience: Personal Narratives
- When I Reach the Place I’m Goin’, I Will Surely Know My Way
- Climbing for My Life
- After the Next Full Moon
- A New Generation of Women in the Wilderness
- Reference Notes Included
- Index
