THERAPEUTIC PROGRAMMES
OUTDOOR ADVENTURE + WELLBEING
+ THERAPY
At Adventure Specialties Trust, all of our outdoor adventure programmes focus on hauora/wellbeing.
Our Therapeutic Programmes also focus on healing and growth through outdoor adventure.
Healing and Growth through Outdoor Adventure
Our Therapeutic programmes are designed for people who are working through challenges in their lives – whether related to trauma, mental health challenges, or setbacks that have made it hard to live fully. Participants come to these programmes with specific personal goals: these might be about improving how they see themselves or their relationships with others, or rebuilding confidence and independence.
The outdoors provides a safe and supportive space for healing and change. Activities are chosen, not for technical skill development, but as a pathway to therapeutic growth, which creates opportunities for self-discovery, trust, resilience and new perspectives.
Every Therapeutic programme is supported by a qualified mental health professional who is either directly present, facilitating the programme alongside outdoor instructors, or through close clinical oversight of the programme. Many participants will already be working with their own therapist one-on-one, who can help them reflect on the experiences on our Therapeutic programmes and then integrate them into their everyday lives outside of the programme.
On our Therapeutic programmes, our facilitators take on the role of a therapeutic team, blending clinical expertise with outdoor adventure facilitation. This begins with an in-depth enrolment process to understand each participant’s personal goals, unique challenges, and individual support needs. Programmes are carefully designed and purposefully delivered in a way that prioritises their emotional and psychological safety while still providing meaningful adventure experiences.
We use Te Whare Tapa Whā as a guiding framework to support healing and growth, using the four dimensions of wellbeing: Taha Tinana (physical wellbeing), Taha Hinengaro (mental and emotional wellbeing), Taha Whānau (social wellbeing) and Taha Wairua (spiritual wellbeing). Read more about Te Whare Tapa Whā in the section below.
Therapeutic programmes are ideal for:
- People working through trauma, grief, mental health challenges, life setbacks
- Young people in alternative education
- People in specialist support programmes
- People who are supported by mental health services
- People who might benefit from nature-based, experiential therapy
What are the Outcomes of our programmes?
At Adventure Specialties Trust, all of our programmes focus on hauora/wellbeing.
When we are designing our programmes, we use a wellbeing framework based on Te Whare Tapa Whā (the house with four walls). Te Whare Tapa Whā is a Māori model of holistic health developed by Sir Mason Durie. Each of the four walls (described below) is an important part of hauora/wellbeing, and we focus on these during our programmes.
How do we know if we have made an impact on our participants? At the end of our programmes, we ask participants to fill in an ‘Outcomes Evaluation’ form, so that we can measure the impact of our programme on their hauora/wellbeing. At the end of each year, we analyse the results to see where participants have experienced personal growth, and where we can improve our services to support them better. Read our annual Impact reports to see the stats.
TAHA TINANA / Physical Wellbeing
Our taha tinana allows us to feel healthy, energetic, motivated and physically capable of pursuing activities that bring joy, connection and satisfaction to our days.
TAHA HINENGARO / Mental and Emotional Wellbeing
Our taha hinengaro allows us to feel balanced, hopeful and positive about the future, with the capacity to navigate life’s challenges and celebrate its joys while nuturing a sense of self-compassion and self-worth.
TAHA WHĀNAU / Social Wellbeing
Taha whānau is about feeling a sense of belonging, connection and confidence in our relationships with others. It includes the belief that people can be kind, trustworthy and safe, as well as the ability to work collaboratively with others.
TAHA WAIRUA / Spiritual Wellbeing
Taha wairua is about feeling a strong sense of self, identity and connection to our faith, beliefs, culture, values and purpose. It provides a foundation of meaning and direction.
TE WHENUA / The Land
Te whenua is the foundation of Te Whare Tapa Whā, the house with four walls. Connection to whenua is about feeling a sense of belonging in te taio, the natural world, and drawing on that connection to support our wellbeing. It includes experiencing awe and wonder in natural spaces and fostering a sense of responsibility to protect and care for the Earth.
Therapeutic Programmes:
Partnership Programmes
Our partnership programmes are exactly that. A partnership. We want to work with any therapeutic agency (school, NGO, community group) who would like to include Adventure Therapy as part of their own therapeutic services but don’t have the outdoor skills, experience, equipment or safety system to do so themselves. The agency could be working in any kind of therapeutic support including Care and Protection, youth justice, youth mental health, Māori mental health, social service agencies or specific therapeutic services.
As the agency you bring together the group, do the background individual work, set the Kaupapa, provide a mental health professional to co-facilitate the programme and hold the ongoing relationship and other support for the clients. We provide a fully registered and audited Safety Management System, all the equipment, food and transport if it’s needed, along with a fabulous facilitator that is a qualified outdoor leader to co-facilitate the programme with your staff member.
In most cases the agency will secure the funding to pay for the programme. In some cases we are able to work together to secure funding.
For more information about designing a partnership programme with us click here.
Group Outdoor Programmes
If you are someone looking for a programme for yourself or a whānau member, or if you are a professional with only one or two clients to refer – our open enrolment programme might be what you’re looking for.
We offer a range of different open enrolment programmes in both Auckland and Christchurch. Some of them are funded by government agencies and have a specific criteria (eg. MSD and ACC), others are completely open and people pay to attend the programmes. In some cases we have financial assistance available to the completely open enrolment programmes.
In our open enrolment programmes we provide two facilitators – one outdoor leadership specialist and one mental health professional. Usually in these groups no-one knows each other before they meet the other participants on the programme. Before starting the participant will have either an enrolment or referral form and meet with our mental health professional. Safety is paramount and all participants need to be able to keep themselves and others safe on the programme.
For specific information about our open enrolment programmes in Christchurch click here, for Auckland click here.
Taking Therapy Outside
Individual or Family Therapy
We do also offer one-on-one services for individuals or families who are looking for a different approach to therapy. This could be with a mentor (outdoor instructor and youth worker) or mental health professional. > MOVE MENTORING TO DEVELOPMENT
This usually looks like heading out with our staff member [Mental health professional] for a walk, a bike ride or just to sit in nature – with as much [or as little] talking as you would like!
If you are a past participant from our Revive programme, or have a Claim with ACC Sensitive Claims Service, we may be able to offer you one on one ‘Taking Therapy outside’ as part of your ‘Pathways to Wellbeing’ Package.
With a family group, we can tailor-make an option that is going to suit the needs of the family.
Talk to us directly with any enquiries about individual or family work to see if we can provide something that would be useful.
Individual or Family Therapy
Individual or Family Therapy
We do also offer one-on-one services for individuals or families who are looking for a different approach to therapy. This could be with a mentor (outdoor instructor and youth worker) or mental health professional. > MOVE MENTORING TO DEVELOPMENT
This usually looks like heading out with our staff member [Mental health professional] for a walk, a bike ride or just to sit in nature – with as much [or as little] talking as you would like!
If you are a past participant from our Revive programme, or have a Claim with ACC Sensitive Claims Service, we may be able to offer you one on one ‘Taking Therapy outside’ as part of your ‘Pathways to Wellbeing’ Package.
With a family group, we can tailor-make an option that is going to suit the needs of the family.
Talk to us directly with any enquiries about individual or family work to see if we can provide something that would be useful.
“We work with the most vulnerable families in the community. We work alongside low-income families, families with historical and current abuse issues, families with on-going earthquake trauma and health issues. All our dealings with Adventure Specialties Trust in Christchurch have been positive and they have provided programmes which sit well alongside ours.”
“One of the great ironies of life is this: The person who serves almost always benefits more than the person who is served.”
—GORDON B HINCKLEY