Adventure Therapy
Juniper Canyon Recovery Center utilizes the vast expanses of public lands surrounding the program base of operations in Loa, Utah. This magnificent and diverse array of slick-rock canyons, colorful high desert, awe-inspiring mountains, forested plateaus, and pristine lakes and streams offers boundless settings for meaningful adventures. Clients are immersed in the Utah landscape, which attracts adventure-seekers from all over the world.
When Did Nature Stop Being “The Real World?”
The Role of Adventure Therapy in the Path to Recovery
At Juniper Canyon we believe that healing is enhanced through adventure experiences that foster empowerment and the development of self-efficacy. Through activities like rock climbing, canyoneering, backpacking and mountain biking, women are able to face and overcome challenges within a safe, supportive container that is appropriately designed to fit their needs. Research shows that an increase in self-efficacy, (i.e. an ability to effectively exert control over one’s current experience), also results in increased positive performance in other areas of life including school, work, and relationships.
Nature & Adventure Together
Juniper Canyon draws from the field of Adventure Therapy to complement the healing power of Nature-Based Therapy. Nature-Based Therapy is characterized by immersion in the wild with caring guides, unavoidable successes, and deliberate time for contemplation. Integrating Adventure Therapy into this tradition encourages clients to invest in their own treatment and helps them learn to have fun in healthy ways.
The outdoors routinely presents seemingly insurmountable challenges. The power of the lessons learned in overcoming these challenges is a fundamental component of our approach to treatment. We deliberately create opportunities that may appear difficult or uncomfortable and then support and empower our clients in the achievement of success. Then we carefully process the experience in order to maximize our clients’ growth. Successive cycles of facing and overcoming obstacles develop self-efficacy and resiliency traits and enhances confidence in overcoming any of life’s challenges.
Adventures Include:
- Technical Canyoneering (descending slot canyons using repelling and downclimbing)
- Rock Climbing
- Mountain Biking
- Backpacking
- Summiting Mountain Peaks
- Fishing
- Backcountry Camping
- Solo Experiences
