Adolescents in Wilderness Therapy: A Qualitative Study of Attachment Relationships

Characterized by acute changes in attachment relationships, adolescence is a time of balancing autonomy and attachment needs. For adolescents in wilderness therapy programs, the setting often challenges their under-standing of their own attachment relationships. The current study evalu-ates the narratives of 13 adolescents in a wilderness therapy program in an attempt to understand their attitudes toward parents, therapists, and other adult figures. Results showed that while participants cited the im-portance of trusting adults in their lives, they also reported a general lack of trust between parents and themselves. The majority of participants reported rebelling against boundaries set by parents. They also described relationships with mothers negatively, characterizing mothers as control-ling and strict. The findings of this study provide insight into working with adolescents by pointing to what are often unseen relational dynam-ics in treatment. Findings illustrate the need for relational interventions in wilderness therapy that support the formation of adolescents ’ healthy relational dynamics