Adventure Therapy - Counselling Beyond the Therapy Room
"Sometimes the most meaningful insights don't come from talking about an experience—they come from having one."
I offer Adventure Therapy programmes that combine counselling with meaningful experiences in the outdoors.
Adventure Therapy isn't about seeking adrenaline or pushing people beyond their limits. It's about creating opportunities to experience ourselves in new ways. Stepping outside our familiar environment can help us notice patterns, build confidence, strengthen relationships, and discover strengths that may have been difficult to see in everyday life.
As both a qualified counsellor and an experienced outdoor guide, I design programmes that integrate experiential learning with guided reflection. The outdoor experience becomes more than just an activity—it becomes an opportunity to better understand ourselves, connect with others, and explore new ways of responding to life's challenges.
Whether we're navigating a river, working together to solve a challenge, or taking time to reflect in nature, each experience is thoughtfully facilitated with a therapeutic purpose. The activities themselves are not the therapy. Rather, they create shared experiences that become the foundation for meaningful conversations, deeper insight, and learning that can be carried back into everyday life.
Every programme is developed in collaboration with the organisation or group. Together, we identify the goals, needs, and strengths of the participants to create an experience that is safe, purposeful, and tailored to the people involved.
Who Is Adventure Therapy For?
Adventure Therapy can be particularly valuable for groups and organisations looking to support connection, personal development and meaningful learning through shared experience.Programmes can be designed for groups who want to:
Build trust and strengthen relationships
Develop communication and collaboration
Explore leadership and group dynamics
Build confidence when facing challenges
Develop resilience and adaptability
Encourage personal growth and self-awareness
Create meaningful shared experiences
Explore different ways of responding to challenges
Every programme is different. Rather than offering a fixed activity or package, I work with the organisation or group to understand what you're hoping to achieve and develop an experience around those needs.
Interested in Adventure Therapy?
If you're an organisation, school, community group or team interested in exploring an Adventure Therapy programme, I'd be happy to talk with you about what you're looking for.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Adventure Therapy combines counselling with meaningful experiences in nature and the outdoors. Rather than simply talking about challenges, participants have opportunities to experience them and then reflect on what they notice.
The outdoor experience itself isn't the therapy. The therapeutic work comes through the combination of experience, reflection and conversation, helping participants explore patterns, relationships, emotions and different ways of responding to challenges.
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Not at all. Adventure Therapy isn't about being an experienced outdoors person, being competitive or pushing yourself beyond your limits.
Activities are chosen and adapted according to the people involved, the goals of the programme and what is appropriate for the group. The focus is on creating meaningful experiences, not athletic performance.
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Activities depend on the group, the goals of the programme and the environment available. This might include walking, exploring natural environments, problem-solving activities, navigation, working together on challenges, whitewater rafting or simply spending time outdoors with space to reflect.
The activities are selected intentionally to create opportunities for connection, learning and personal growth.
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Adventure Therapy can be used with a range of groups and organisations, including schools, community groups, teams and other organisations looking to support connection, personal development or meaningful shared experiences.
Programmes can be designed around a particular goal, such as building trust, improving communication, developing confidence, exploring leadership or strengthening relationships.
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Adventure Therapy takes place in outdoor environments across the Bay of Plenty, depending on the goals and needs of the programme.
The location and activities are considered as part of the programme design rather than following a single fixed format.
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There isn't one set programme length. Some experiences may be a shorter session, while others can be designed as a longer programme or series of sessions.
The length will depend on the goals of the group, the activities involved and what is most appropriate for the participants.
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No. While Adventure Therapy may involve outdoor activities, the purpose is different.
Outdoor education generally focuses on learning through outdoor experiences, whereas Adventure Therapy intentionally combines experiences with therapeutic reflection and conversation. The experience provides opportunities to explore how we respond to challenges, relationships and ourselves.
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Yes. Adventure Therapy can be designed for schools, organisations, community groups and teams.
If you're considering Adventure Therapy for your group, get in touch to talk about what you're hoping to achieve. We can explore what an appropriate programme might look like for your participants.
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The first step is simply to get in touch. We can talk about your group, what you're hoping to achieve and whether Adventure Therapy could be a good fit.
From there, we can discuss possible activities, locations, programme length and any other considerations relevant to your group.