Doin' the Wild Thing: Using the Outdoors to Promote Wellbeing in Young People

Forum 4th August 2011, 9:00am - 12:00pm

 

Registration options:
  • Online Registration for attendance to "Doin' the Wild Thing", Adolescent Health Forum, Royal Children's Hospital please
    follow this link:  Online Registration  Cost $40
  • Online registration is strongly recommended. Alternatively you can request a hard copy registration form from rebecca.gomo@rch.org.au

What is it?

Outdoor education and adventure therapy programs are an extremely popular component of mainstream programming and interventions for young people at risk.

But where is the evidence-base to support their widespread acceptance as resilience-building strategies, even transformative experiences? Are there theories, principles or frameworks that can guide our practice?

This forum brings academics, clinicians and practitioners alike who, as passionate advocates, have looked into these questions seeking to find the answers.

Who is it for?

For anyone engaged with adolescents and those in outdoor adventure programming this forum is must.

Speakers

  • Andrea Krelle (Chair)
    Manager Practice and Learning, Centre for Adolescent Health.

Research Fellow at the Centre for Adolescent Health, Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Royal Children's Hospital, an Honorary Fellow at the University of Melbourne , psychologist at Spectrum Personality Disorder Service in Victoria.

"Get Outside: Promoting health and wellbeing through contact with nature"

A growing interest is emerging both in the health sector and in the general community regarding the health and wellbeing benefits associated with contact with nature. In an age when computers, the web, popular media and information technology are all playing a central role in the lives of young people, it is timely to consider the importance that nature can play in redressing the imbalance between virtual worlds and real, lived experiences. While modern technologies have many benefits, they have also combined with an increasingly urbanised society to contribute to what some have termed ‘nature deficit disorder’ – a chronic disconnection with the natural world.

This session will provide a brief introduction to the area of health and nature and outline a growing body of evidence that points to the health promoting aspects of contact with nature. The session will include an overview of relevant features of Melbourne’s new Royal Children's Hospital with a key design principal aimed at maximising patient and staff contact with nature. Ian will describe current research findings of the benefits to young people of participating in outdoor and therapeutic adventure programs, give an overview of what makes an effective program, and finish with details of a new national research initiative aimed at bolstering Australian evidence of the potential for nature-based programs to promote resilience, learning and wellbeing in young people. Come along to hear about how this research might benefit you, and about how you can get involved.

Clinical Psychologist, Director Neo Psychology

"Adventure Therapy as a Front-line Mental Health Intervention"

Simon will provide evidence of the benefits of clinical adventure therapy programs as well as the reasons such programs are effective. He will describe examples of variants of clinical programs run in mental health services, community counselling settings and schools, highlighting important features and ways to ensure effectiveness in these different models of intervention. Simon will finish by outlining key ethical issues, elements of best practice and important safeguards to protect vulnerable participants.

  • Three speakers from the following outdoor programs:

    • Operation Newstart

Education Coordinator Brandan Delany and Mathew Mudie come to talk about Operation Newstart. Operation Newstart has grown from the ground up. Newstart was developed by teachers and police who came in contact with students disengaged from education on a daily basis. They recognised together we all do better.

Operation Newstart is a partnership between the Department of Education & Early Childhood Development (DEECD) and Victoria Police.

  • RCH Children's Garden Program

Julie Robinson, Coordinator of RCH Chilren's Garden, will use her experience with this unique program to explore the possibilities of using the outdoors to involve adolescents.

 

Time

Presenter

Title

9.00am

Andrea Krelle (Chair)

Opening

9.15

 Dr. Ian Williams

Get Outside: Promoting health and wellbeing through contact with nature

9.55

 Dr. Simon Crisp

Adventure Therapy as a Front-line Mental Health Intervention

10.35

 Morning Tea
10.55 In the feild Three speakers from outdoor programs Operation Newstart and the RCH Children's Garden Program
11.35 All Speakers Q & A from audience and panel discussion with all presenters
12.00pm

CLOSE

Where & When?

Date:

Thursday August 4th 2011 9.00am - 12.00pm

On Site Venue:

Ella Latham Theatre, Royal Children's Hospital, Flemington Rd, Parkville, Vic.

Cost:

$40 + GST per person (special group rates apply)

Registrations:

Please follow this link for Online Registration

General enquiries contact:

 Rebecca Gomo 03 9345 6671 or email rebecca.gomo@rch.org.au

Content information contact:

Louise Scaffidi 03 9345 6683 or email louise.scaffidi@rch.org.au

Speaker details

Dr Ian Williams

Dr Ian Williams is a Postgraduate Research Fellow at the Centre for Adolescent Health, Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Royal Children's Hospital, an Honorary Fellow at the University of Melbourne, and psychologist at Spectrum Personality Disorder Service in Victoria. With professional training in Psychology and Education, Ian has a particular interest in adolescent mental health and wellbeing, positive youth development, and outdoor and nature-based health promotion. Over a period of 15 years he has worked therapeutically with clients in a range of outdoor settings including mental health, corporate, youth and disability sectors. In 2009 he completed a PhD thesis examining relationships between adventure participation and youth depression, and developed and evaluated a new framework to promote wellbeing through structured outdoor experiences. He is currently leading a national study of outdoor programs through the Outdoor Youth Programs Research Alliance.

 

Dr Simon Crisp

With a background as an Outward Bound Instructor, Simon has been a Clinical Psychologist for over 20 years and has been involved in extensive program research and development, practitioner training and accreditation and professionalization of the field since 1992. He developed Australia’s first clinical adventure therapy model at the Austin Child & Adolescent Mental Health Service’s Brief Intervention Program (BIP), and has designed programs in schools, community counselling and a number of mental health settings. He has an international reputation for developing the model he calls ‘Wilderness Adventure Therapy’ which is one of the few evidence-based and manualised programs of its type in the world. He was awarded a Churchill Fellowship in 1996 to study other adventure therapy programs overseas for 3 months which resulted in the development of guidelines for best practice in wilderness and adventure therapy programs.

 

 


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