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RESEARCH PRODUCT
Therapy the Natural Way: A Realist Exploration of the Wilderness Therapy Treatment Process in Adolescent Mental Health Care in Norway
Carina Ribe FerneeLeiv Einar GabrielsenTerje MeselAnders Johan W. Andersensubject
MalePsychotherapistAdolescentmedia_common.quotation_subjectCritical realism (philosophy of the social sciences)Interviews as Topic03 medical and health sciences0302 clinical medicineAgency (sociology)HumansWilderness therapy030212 general & internal medicinemedia_common030504 nursingNorwayPublic Health Environmental and Occupational HealthMental healthPsychotherapyDistressWildernessAdolescent Health ServicesWell-beingFemale0305 other medical sciencePsychologyPsychosocialDiversity (politics)description
Wilderness therapy has the potential to meet the specific needs of the current adolescent population by providing a rather unique outdoor group treatment. Wilderness therapy is not a new approach to mental health treatment, but its theoretical basis is not yet clearly delineated, in part because of the diversity found across programs and contexts. This article presents a critical realist exploration of a wilderness therapy program that was recently implemented as part of adolescent mental health services in Southern Norway. In this study, we combine fieldwork and interviews for an in-depth investigation of the treatment process, where the objective was to acquire a deeper understanding of the opportunities that arise in the wilderness therapy setting. The therapeutic mechanisms and influential contextual premises found across the ecological, physical, and psychosocial factors of this multidimensional approach to treatment are presented, and their underlying conditions are briefly discussed.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-12-14 | Qualitative Health Research |