ADVENTURE THERAPY: EXPERIENTIAL APPROACHES FOR EFFECTIVE TREATMENT
May 30th, 2025 from 9:00 am – 5:00 pm Eastern
Camp Mary Orton, 7925 N. High Street, Columbus, OH
A conference for adventure therapists and those interested in learning!
Activity-based interventions can enhance rapport, spark creativity and drive engagement in the treatment process for individuals, families and groups! Adventure therapy is a practice approach for mental health treatment that uses activity and experience as a powerful agent for change. This conference explores how adventure therapy is used in a variety of treatment settings, including individual, family and group therapy as well as private practice and community mental health settings.
Playnote and workshop content will span multiple aspects of adventure therapy practice: foundations, ethics, intervention, and more! Our aim is to introduce you to this innovative practice approach, offering participants the chance to explore a variety of applications. Expect to gain a number of experiential interventions that you can incorporate in practice!
The conference is located at the beautiful Camp Mary Orton in Columbus, OH. Lunch is included with registration. An optional campfire social is planned following the conference.
This conference is designed for practitioners of all experience levels, with a focus on introducing both new and experienced practitioners to the adventure therapy practice approach.
Registration Information
Register before April 30th to receive the Early Bird Registration rate.
- Regular Rate $129 / Early Bird Rate $99
- Student Rate $89 / Early Bird Rate $69
Conference Logistics
Continuing Education
This workshop has been approved by the NASW Ohio Chapter for 6.5 CEU’s in Ohio. NASW is recognized as a Continuing Education Approver for social work CEUs by the OCSWMFT Board. In order to be issued your CE certificate, you will be required to sign in, attend all sessions, and complete the course evaluation. In the state of Ohio, many professions, such as counseling and psychology, accept approved social worker CEU’s. Check with your licensing board to determine if these CEU’s are valid for your profession.
Lunch Options!
Lunch is included in your registration and will be provided by Blue Bow Catering. Their website has descriptions of the lunch options listed below. You will select your lunch option when you register for the conference (NOT on Blue Bow Tie’s website). The options will include:
Boxed Lunches
- Turkey & Provolone Sandwich
- Ham & Swiss Sandwich
- Roast Beef & Provolone Sandwich
- Vegetarian Hummus Sandwich
- Greek Veggie Wrap
- Italian Sub
- Turkey Swiss Sub
- Mediterranean Hummus & Vegetable Sub
Salads
- 1898 Salad
- Antipasto Salad
- Camp Salad
- Chef Salad
- Chicken Caesar Salad
- Garden Salad
- Greek Salad
- Salvatore Salad
- Southwest Chicken Salad
- Teriyaki Chicken Salad
Have Questions?
If you are interested in the event or have questions, please email [email protected] for more information.
Learning Objectives
- Understand the foundational concepts, clinical models, and potential benefits of adventure therapy practice.
- Know models of practice and applications of adventure therapy interventions in a variety of contexts.
- Learn how to plan and implement adventure therapy ethically, effectively, and intentionally.
What to Expect
Adventure therapy is an active and experiential modality, yet it does not require athleticism, daring or any other extremes that the name might suggest. This will not be a typical sit-and-take-notes style of conference. To that end, we want you to know some important things about what to expect!
- Sessions will be active and engaging, inviting all participants to learn through experience. Dress to be moving around, including wearing closed-toed shoes.
- Sessions may be indoors and/or outdoors. Dress for the weather and consider packing layers for the temperature fluctuations we experience in spring in Ohio!
- Consider bringing a small backpack or day pack to easily carry layers, a water bottle, note-taking materials, camp chair, and other supplies to accommodate transitioning between indoor and outdoor environments.
- Know that how you choose to participate in sessions will always be up to you. We want you to choose what is best for your well-being, learning, and experience.
Conference BROCHURE
Conference Schedule
Click plus sign to expand each block for more details.
Meet and Greet
Gather early to have an opportunity to meet presenters and attendees, browse exhibit tables and resources, and get your bearings for the event!
Kinesthetic Connections
Presenters: Stephanie Freeman, LPCC-S & Brian Strozewski, LPCC-S, CCAT
Adventure Therapy uses challenge and experience to facilitate the process of therapeutic change. Adventure Therapy trainers Steph and Brian will experientially introduce participants to Adventure Therapy values that guide the practice of Experiential Education and Adventure Therapy, guide participants to differentiate Challenge by Choice from typical informed consent processes, and review the benefits of relationship-focused experiential interventions in the process of building the therapeutic alliance.
A Clinical Model for Adventure Therapy Practice: The Facilitated Wave
Kim Sacksteder, MSW, LISW-S, CCAT
The Adventure Therapy practice approach is informed by a clinical model named The Facilitated Wave Model. This model has great versatility, enabling practitioners to incorporate a variety of experiences within their clinical practice. The ability to talk about our work with clients and administrators and a framework for structuring interventions are a critically important foundation for practice. Workshop participants will engage in a series of activities that may be used for each stage of the model, providing specific tools for integration!
Trauma-Informed Care for Trauma Responsive Adventure Therapy
Bobbi Beale, PsyD, CCAT
The common factor across all clients and settings would be the high degree of exposure to trauma and traumatic stress. The purpose of this training is to make sure our AT workforce recognizes and responds appropriately to people who have experienced significant trauma and stress. We’ll unpack SAMHSA’s TIC definitions, core concepts, and principles to expand our understanding of trauma and shift our responses to be most effective with our clients and our colleagues.
Saved by the Ball: Adventure for School Stress
Brian Strozewski, LPCC-S, CCAT
Waking up in the morning, making it on time to school, pop quizzes – these are just a few of the more minor stresses for our students! But it’s alright, because the Saved by the Ball: Adventure for School Stress workshop will provide participants with a brief overview of the functions of stress and the Stress Response, engage participants in a discussion of how Adventure Therapy at school can leverage stress and challenge to create growth at different levels of intervention (prevention, targeted, individualized), and include participants in experientially learning Adventure Therapy activities that are easily adaptable to various school settings for use in helping students learn and practice stress management.
Walk and Talk Therapy Sessions: How to Begin and Where to Go
Collin Rhoade, MA, LPCC-S
This workshop will provide introductory information to participants on covering logistical and ethical concerns regarding conducting a walk and talk therapy session. The workshop will also cover background on the potential benefits and risks regarding walk and talk therapy, as well as aligning walk and talk therapy interventions with the treatment goals. Workshop participants will have the chance to brainstorm creative applications for walk and talk therapy with fictional client scenarios.
You will select your lunch order during conference registration, but details of offerings can be found on the Blue Bow Tie Catering website. Beverages will be provided onsite.
Group Expectations: How to Build a Boat to Ride the Wave
Beth Sandman, LISW-S, CCAT, WFR
Adventure Therapy group facilitators identify experiences common to navigating rough waters as they voyage through the therapeutic process with clients: disagreements, awkwardness, conflicting beliefs, power grabs, unexpected environmental shifts – so many things we simply call them “squigglies!” Identifying and anchoring to a core set of values, beliefs, and behaviors will act as tools to help the group navigate and right the ship. This workshop will give Adventure Therapy group providers an understanding of the importance of group expectations, experiential methods for co-creating expectations with groups, and suggestions for how to intentionally integrate expectations into every session to help clients reach treatment goals as well as draw upon them as needed when the group milieu waters get rough.
Experiential Supervision in Adventure Therapy: Learning Through Practice
Christy Brock, LISW-S, CCAT
Research shows that training alone is insufficient for sustaining high-quality practices – ongoing consultation, organizational support, and timely feedback are essential. Experiential learning with physical engagement through games, initiatives, and outdoor activities can foster social skills, self-concept, and group cohesion. This workshop explores integrating experiential methodologies into supervision, incorporating skilled facilitation, responsive processes, and adventure-based interventions like check-ins, skill-building, and case conceptualization. Led by an experienced experiential supervisor, participants will engage first-hand in supervision activities that deepen practice, clarify supervision’s purpose, and align strategies with practitioner competency. The session will include supervision learning plans, adventure-based competency assessments, and a sample supervision experience, all enhanced through access to an outdoor space.
Individual Interventions for (Mostly) Any Environment
Faith ‘Jax’ Lambert, MA, NCC, LPC & Gabby Patton, BA
One of the most powerful aspects of using Adventure Therapy with individual clients is the ability to adapt activities to various clients, settings, and treatment needs. In this workshop, attendees are invited to observe activities and initiatives, practice facilitating interventions in small groups, participate in debriefing the experience, and learn about modalities utilized. Attendees will practice adapting activities through considering possible clinical scenarios and participating in experiential reflection processes. This workshop will have activities using no props/resources and activities that use specific items.
Exploring Resilience Through Adventure Therapy
Kim Sacksteder, MSW, LISW-S, CCAT
Adventure Therapy interventions provide an ideal process for exploring resilience. Four key components of resilience will be explored, including aspects of connection, self-control, competence, and contribution. Attendees will be invited to engage in a variety of experiential interventions that are targeted toward assessing and developing resilience and protective factors that support client success.
Adventure Therapy for Families with LAFF
Bobbi Beale, Psy.D., CCAT, Stephanie Freeman, LPCC-S, & Brian Strozewski, LPCC-S, CCAT
Often the best way to learn about facilitating Adventure Therapy is to experience it. Life Adventures for Families Trainers (LAFF) Bobbi, Steph, and Brian will experientially facilitate a full 1-hour family Adventure Therapy session from start to finish, guiding workshop participants as both members of the session and learners of the facilitation process. This workshop is intended to be educational and not therapeutic, as participants will learn facilitation skills through experience, practice problem-solving Adventure interventions through reflection processes, and have an opportunity to ask in-depth questions drawn from in-vivo experience.
Integrating Ecotherapy in Practice
Kristen Hicks LISW-S, TRCC II
Ecotherapy is the practical application of Ecopsychological concepts and ideas. It involves nature as a partner in the therapeutic process and expands on the traditional person-in-environment understanding of well-being. We ARE nature. This workshop will present ways of integrating nature into therapy sessions for individuals, couples, families, and groups wherever you practice: outdoors, in an office setting, and via Telehealth. We’ll discuss the basics and engage in experiential activities and discussion, and you will walk away with new tools to start practicing right away.
Adventure Therapy in Private Practice
Christy Brock, LISW-S, CCAT & Collin Rhoade, MA, LPCC-S
As the field of Adventure Therapy grows, as does the settings in which it is used. This workshop will give participants the information they need to begin using AT in their private practice, including identifying approaches to informed consent and confidentiality, exploring ethical issues that might arise, and learning initiatives they can utilize in the office setting. Participants will have opportunities to discuss and collaborate regarding needs and concerns about incorporating AT in the private practice setting.
Processing Tools in Adventure Therapy
Tuesdey Spangler, LISW-S, CCAT
Let’s have fun, play, and develop essential skills along the way in this workshop. We will learn and practice experiential processing tools and activities that can be used in individual, couples, and group therapy settings. Participants will engage experientially and should be prepared for light physical activity and group interaction. Together, we will not only practice various processing tools but will also collaboratively envision and problem-solve methods to implement them into practice.
Addressing the Needs of Diverse Populations with Adventure Therapy
Kynetta McFarlane, PsyD
Affirming, strengths-based, relationally focused care is essential in Adventure Therapy. In this keynote session we will review the foundations of Adventure Therapy while considering integration of trauma-informed care into practice, including working with diverse perspectives and needs. We will review a case scenario of a youth that has a history of trauma and sensory differences and discuss how Adventure Therapy effectively met his clinical needs, and apply concepts of the case scenario to participants’ practice of AT.
Campfire Social
Building connections is one of the best parts of a conference gathering! Following the conference, participants are invited to attend a campfire social at Camp Mary Orton. This event is a bring-your-own food and beverage outdoor event and will be dependent on weather conditions. Consider packing a camp chair for the day!
Self-Care & Play Day
Saturday, May 31, 2025 from 8:30 am – 2:00 pm: Cost is $35
As adventure therapists, we thrive in community—but how often do we take time to truly connect, not just with others, but with ourselves? This optional add-on experience is an invitation to come together, share space, and engage in meaningful connection through play. Join us for a day of nature meditations, yoga, and a shared community meal—activities designed to foster relationships while offering practical tools you can bring into your work and life. Take this time to recharge, laugh, and build deeper connections, because just like adventure, growth happens together.
Self-Care & Play Day Schedule
|
8:30-9:00 |
Welcome & Refreshments: Tea, coffee, and snacks |
|
9:00-9:30 |
Group Grounding & Connection: Start the day with a guided grounding session |
|
9:30-10:30 |
Choose Your Morning Self-Care Adventure: Yoga, Nature Meditation, or Hike |
|
10:30-12:30 |
Community Campfire Meal: Cook & enjoy a nourishing meal together |
|
12:30-1:30 |
Choose Your Afternoon Self-Care Adventure: Zip-line OR Art Shelter |
|
1:30-2:00 |
Group Closure: Reflect and conclude the day in a peaceful, connecting space |
