A Typical Day
A typical day on an expedition includes a brief morning check-in during which daily goals are set. Then the campsite is bustling with activity as participants go about their individual tasks for which they are responsible to break down camp and prepare breakfast. In this way, participants are challenged to take responsibility for taking care of themselves and the group.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner are times when the group can bond and have casual conversations; therefore the entire group eats each meal together. Prior to leaving camp, in the morning, the Field Therapist may teach a psycho-educational lesson, with topics such as problem solving, addiction relapse and recovery, effective communication, or conflict resolution. The Field Guide may also teach a wilderness skill specific to the day’s activity, such as tarp set-up, cooking and other camp craft activities, paddling and/or climbing skills. The remainder of the morning is spent paddling, hiking, or climbing.
After lunch, reflective journal writing may take place in a quiet and scenic area. Individual therapy sessions with the Field Therapist may also occur during this time. Paddling, hiking, or climbing resumes in the afternoon until sunset, at which time the evening’s campsite is selected and set up and dinner is prepared. After dinner, group therapy takes place, during which the group processes how the day went, evaluates their daily goals, and uses the group experience to practice social skills and giving and receiving open feedback. The rest of the evening is often spent in casual conversation around the campfire, a nice down-time activity after a good day’s work and activity.
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