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New Perspectives - July, 2001 Issue #83
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Adventure Therapy Associates
Evan B. Freedman, Ph.D., Director
Bellingham, WA 98225
360-734-7310 ext. 4128
evantravel@hotmail.com
Adventure Therapy Associates is an individually tailored therapeutic
wilderness program for families and adolescents. “Our courses combine the structure and discipline of a treatment intervention with
the stimulation and challenge of a wilderness setting. They offer “exhilarating wilderness experiences” that include backpacking,
mountaineering, rock climbing and/or hut-to-hut skiing depending on the season and situation. These experiences provide the framework
for individually tailored treatment curricula for families with children who are experiencing a variety of emotional and behavioral
problems.
Dr. Evan Freedman, a licensed Clinical Psychologist who practices in Bellingham, Washington, facilitates these adventure opportunities.
He is actively involved in research, writing, and lecturing in the field of applied psychology and is also an avid outdoorsman. He
has specialized in work with children, adolescents and families and has over ten years of experience in both clinic and office settings
as well as in demanding wilderness environments. He has held positions as clinical director for a northwest mental health facility
that served children and families, was an instructor for Outward Bound and was a field supervisor for summer wilderness programs at
the Cascade School in California. “Dr. Freedman’s certification as an Emergency Medical Technician ensures a safe program.”
The 8 day backcountry ADD/ADHD Youth Adventure Therapy Program for 13 to 17 year olds focuses on the management of symptoms related
to ADD/ADHD. “The wilderness setting provides a place where participants can experiment with new behaviors and separate from over-stimulating
environments. Participants will learn to improve concentration and social skills, filter extraneous stimuli, appropriately channel
physical energy, understand ways to manipulate one’s physical and emotional environment to maximize cognitive function, and improve
self-esteem.” The Depression/Anxiety Youth Adventure Therapy Program is an 8 day program for 13 to 17 year olds in which participants
learn specific behavioral skills to manage depressive and anxious feelings, learn ways to communicate emotional needs so that they
may be appropriately be met by others, give and receive support from peers with similar challenges and improve self- esteem. Assessments
for future treatment interventions will be provided during both these programs.
The Family Adventure Therapy Program is a 3 to 4 day backcountry program for individual families that begins with two office-based
family sessions for assessment and treatment planning. Follow-up includes two family therapy sessions in person or via phone conference,
to help participants transfer what they’ve learned back to their home environment. Additional follow-up services are available by
request. Some objectives of this program include improving communication, reducing family conflict, addressing problematic behaviors,
and identifying individual strengths. It can also serve to help the transition “into our out of therapeutic boarding schools or wilderness
programs providing reintegration or assessment for further service.”
Dr. Freedman should be contacted to schedule family programs, which are arranged to fit a family’s summer or vacation schedule. The
Youth Adventure Therapy programs are currently being scheduled for July 31-August 6 and August 9 – 16.
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