Additional readings

Elements Program Evaluation, 10 Years In Review

Elements takes research seriously, constantly evaluating all aspects of the program to determine safety and effectiveness.  At the direction of Dr. Neal Christensen, past Research Chair of the Outdoor Behavioral Health Council, Elements worked tirelessly to collect client and family data for 10 years.  This report represents clients’ and families’ experiences in changes to mental health and family functioning following the client being treated in the Elements program.  The findings in the evaluation are statistically and clinically significant, and are robust! 

The sample size represented is exceptionally large, which increases the confidence that the findings are reliable, meaningful, and durable.  Elements grounds its therapeutic practices in modalities that are evidence based, including DBT and Seven Challenges.  Additionally, it seeks to evaluate its effectiveness and works to change and evolve based on data, not egos or old practices, to determine what is good for clients and families.  We hope you read our program evaluation.

Here we have collected a list of additional readings published by both the research team at Elements as well as other helpful resources published in the field of Outdoor Behavioral Healthcare (OBH).  For a more in depth reading of the research, visit Outdoor Research Collaborative and the Journal of Therapeutic Schools and Programs (JTSP).

• Discovering and Treating Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) in the Wilderness
  • Overview of the similarities and differences between PDA and Autism Spectrum Disorder, and discussion of how to identify and diagnose this condition in a wilderness therapy setting.
• Preface to Volume 14 of JTSP: Neal Christensen, Ph.D.
  • Introduction to latest volume of the Journal of Therapeutic Schools and Programs focused on Neurodiversity.
• Digital Media Overuse: Can Elements Wilderness Program improve the mental health functioning of adolescents with technology issues? 
  • A summary article focused on mental health functioning outcomes of adolescent clients at EWP with technology issues.
• Healing Sexual Trauma in the Wilderness
  • Case study of a sixteen year old male at an OBH program suffering from a history of sexual abuse.  The individual studied entered the program with a variety of issues and psychiatric diagnoses.  He left the program demonstrating leadership, empathy and support of his peers and with a desire to be successful in his ongoing post-OBH therapeutic placement.
• Does Wilderness Therapy Work? Understanding the Research
  • This article dives into the effectiveness of wilderness therapy and features Neal Christensen, PhD, the Clinical Director of Elements Wilderness Program