Wilderness therapy and family cohesion

Wilderness therapy (WT) has been used as an intervention for youth who struggle with social and behavioral issues. Studies show an improvement across various areas in functioning short-term, but there is little research on the long-term benefits of incorporating families. Research supports that family involvement in therapy contributes to lasting changes and family cohesion (Lierman & Norton, 2016). WT is attributed to learning through direct experience, use of perceived risk to heighten arousal and focusing on family and individual strengths (Bowen & Neill, 2013). We would like to investigate the efficacy and long-term impacts of integrating family in WT treatment models