Australian bush adventure therapy

Domain XV · Nature, philosophy, social & rites of passage · Australia

What it is

BAT is a field of practice and an umbrella term, not a single manualised psychotherapy. AABAT describes it as "a diverse field of practice combining adventure and outdoor environments" with therapeutic intention. In Australian usage, a programme counts as BAT if its intended outcomes are…

Format

• There is no single national protocol or fixed session count; programmes are co-designed and tailored. Two frameworks help the therapist place the work.
• C. Rite-of-passage framing. Bell (2003) notes that outdoor programmes often frame themselves as rites of passage after van Gennep's three-stage model of social transformation, but argues the classic model is generally ineffective in contemporary contexts because of the third (return) stage;…

Who practises it, and how they are trained or regulated

• Version followed: bush adventure therapy (BAT) as described by the Australian Association for Bush Adventure Therapy (AABAT) and its ethical principles, by the Australian practice literature of Pryor, Carpenter and colleagues (bio-psycho-socio-ecological model; four key elements), and by Outdoor Health Australia's published position; one Australian programme manual (PCYC Bornhoffen, Coker and Perske 2022) is used as…

Evidence status, as the guide reports it

• Core idea of change: Pryor and colleagues framed BAT as a socio-ecological approach to health and wellbeing (Pryor, Carpenter and Townsend 2005, as cited in Pryor et al. 2023 and Knowles et al. 2024). Four key elements recur: time outdoors in nature; adventure and challenge; connection with others,…

Questions to explore with your client

• What drew you to it, and what are you hoping it will change?
• Is there physical contact? Was it explained beforehand, and do you feel free to say no or stop at any point?
• Does it involve any substance, plant preparation, remedy or supplement? Has your doctor or prescriber been told, especially about any medication you take?
• Does it involve fasting, a special diet or 'detox'? Have you discussed this with your doctor?
• Is it a group, retreat or community? How do they respond if someone wants to leave or raises a concern?
• Who runs it, and what training or registration do they hold?
• What actually happens in a session or meeting, and how often?
• What does it cost, and is there pressure to commit to more?
• How do you feel afterwards, in the hours and days that follow?
• Does it fit with, or clash with, the work we do here?

What practitioners of it watch for

• Relying on end-of-trip euphoria. Working: follow-up scores hold.
• Goals that are adults' goals. Working: the client refers to goals unprompted.
• Grand resolutions. Working: actions are specific and someone else knows about them.
• Service felt as punishment or unpaid labour. Working: participants describe pride or care.
• Catastrophic expectations or bravado. Working: the client has a plan for the first hard moment.

When to involve someone else

• New or worsening physical symptoms, or advice to stop or change prescribed medication: involve the client's doctor or prescriber.
• Signs of coercion, isolation from family and friends, escalating costs or secrecy: discuss openly and consider safeguarding.
• A crisis or thoughts of suicide: follow your crisis protocol. In the US, call or text 988; in the UK and Ireland, Samaritans on 116 123.

Drawn automatically from the guide's own sections. Stay curious: neither endorse nor dismiss what the client values, and check anything that matters against the full guide and its sources. Not medical advice.