Assessment in Adventure Therapy *DRAFT*
The treatment application section will deal with assessment of individuals and the treatment environment necessary for the effective use of adventure tools and techniques.
Assessment is an on-going process that occurs during an intervention, as well as before and after. Assessment activities might include checking-in during every session with clients to assess their mental status and reported emotional state, monitoring their readiness for the intervention, or observing client interactions. Assessment informs treatment decisions such as what activity to choose, how to frame that activity, and what facilitation decisions one makes during the course of the session (Lung, Stauffer & Alvarez, 2008; Gass, 1995, 1993a, 1993b; Kimball, 1993, Kimball & Bacon, 1993; Russell, 2004; Newes, 2000).
All activities presented to clients can be used to gather assessment information. How clients engage in the invitation to participate, how they engage with peers and the practitioner, whether they plan or jump ahead impulsively, how they discuss and think about the challenge presented, what expectations they have for interaction with others, and the non-verbal communications that occur are just a few examples of the potential magnitude of assessment available in one activity. Experience-based assessment depends greatly on the skill level of the facilitator to ascribe meaning to what he or she observes during any activity. Applying the information gained from on-going assessment to the application of adventure interventions, requires a high level of in-session flexibility to meet the demonstrated needs (Gass, 1995; Russell, 2004; Newes, 2000).
Additionally, practitioners should engage in on-going self-assessment. Due to the shared nature of adventure interventions, the practitioner must be aware of personal responses that have the potential to either enhance or interfere with the treatment process.
Assessment topics that will not be discussed in this session include the following:
1. Intake or initial assessment: See Clinical Decisions
2. Assessment for environmental context of treatment: See Clinical Decisions
3. Assessment for social context: See Clinical Decisions
4. Assessment of what activity to use: See Matching
5. Assessment of outcomes: See Research
Practitioner Guidelines for Assessment
1. Continuously assess client functioning and needs in the treatment context and use the information to inform and impact the course of treatment (Gass & Gillis, 1995; Kimball, 1993; Russell, 2004; Newes, 2000; Schoel & Maizell, 2002; Nadler, 1993):
- Determine the mood, level of readiness, and general attitude of participants going into the intervention.
- Assess physical capabilities of the client.
- Assess the client’s position in the process of change.
- Assess client's internal state and external behaviors relative to emotional and physical safety.
- Assess client’s progress toward stated treatment goals.
- Attend to disequilibrium and discomfort as it is experienced during the activities and attend to the needs of clients.
- Attend to issues that could escalate into crisis situations and take action to prevent a crisis when possible.
2. Attend to both positive and negative behaviors in assessing clients, groups and families.
3. If working with groups, assess group roles, stage of group development, and group dynamics (Newes, 2000; Kimball & Bacon, 1993).
4. If working with families, assess family structure, dynamics, and needs of various family members in the treatment process (Newes, 2000; Russell, 2004).
5. Use activities to add to your information base about the client’s current status, worldview, behavior patterns, internal belief structures, and needs (Gass, 1993c).
6. Be proficient in behavioral observation. By using activities as the platform for assessment, practitioners can observe communication patterns, coping abilities, problem solving skills, cognitive structures, and congruency with behavior (Newes, 2000; Gass, 1993b).
7. Verbalize observations about positive or negative behaviors that could be manifestations of the treatment environment (Newes, 2000; Lung, Stauffer & Alvarez, 2008).
8. Use activities to assess environmental conditions and to re-create desired conditions for the treatment context (Gass & Gillis, 1995; Kimball, 1993; Russell, 2004; Newes, 2000; Schoel & Maizell, 2002).
9. Ongoing assessment of safety issues in the physical environment is an important aspect of effective application of adventure interventions. This includes environmental factors such as weather, gear, and risk.
10. Assess for indications of a need to attend to environmental issues, such as anxiety, conflicts between group members, giggling, avoidance, non compliance, or any other unusual behaviors for this client group. This assessment requires the application of the principle that outward behavior is often the function of underlying causes.
Bibliography
Gass, M.A. & Gillis, H. L. (!995). CHANGES: An assessment model using adventure experiences. Journal of Experiential Education, 18(1), 34-40.
Gass, M. (1993a) The theoretical foundations for family adventure therapy. In M. Gass (Ed.), Adventure Therapy: Therapeutic Applications of Adventure Programming, 123-140. Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt Publishing Co.
Gass, M. (1993b) Foundations of adventure therapy. In M. Gass (Ed.), Adventure Therapy: Therapeutic Applications of Adventure Programming, 3-10. Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt Publishing Co.
Gass, M. (1993c). Programming principles for successfully implementing adventure therapy. In M. Gass (Ed.), Adventure Therapy: Therapeutic Applications of Adventure Programming, 141- 146. Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt Publishing Co.
Kimball & Bacon (1993). The Wilderness Challenge Model. In M. Gass (Ed.), Adventure Therapy: Therapeutic Applications of Adventure Programming, 11-41. Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt Publishing Co.
Kimball, R. O. (1993). The wilderness AS therapy: The value of using adventure programs in therapeutic assessment. In M. Gass (Ed.), Adventure Therapy: Therapeutic Applications of Adventure programming (pp. 137-155). Dubuque, IA: Kendall/ Hunt Publishing Co.
Lung, M., Stauffer, G. & Alvarez, T. (2008). Power of One: Using Adventure and Experiential Activities Within One-on-One Counseling Sessions. Oaklahoma City, OK: Wood ‘N' Barnes Publishing.
Nadler, R. S. 1993. Therapeutic process of change. In M. Gass (Ed.), Adventure Therapy: Therapeutic Applications of Adventure Programming (pp. 57-69). Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt Publishing Co.
Newes, S. (2000). Adventure-Based Therapy: Theory, Characteristics, Ethics, and Research. A paper written to fulfill the comprehensive examination requirement. Areas: Psychotherapy, Ethics, Methodology. Pennsyvania State University.
Russell, K. C. (2004). Research Directions in Adventure Therapy. In S. Bandoroff & S. Newes (Eds.) Coming of Age: The Evolving Field of Adventure Therapy. Boulder, CO: Association of Experiential Education, 71-93.
Schoel, J. & Maizell R. S. (2002). Exploring Islands of Healing: New Perspectives on Adventure Based Counseling. Beverly, MA: Project Adventure Inc.
