How Adventure Therapy Can Offer Young Adults Life-Long Tools for Mental Health & Resilience, with Andrew Taylor

ABOUT THE EPISODE:
When your son or daughter has been struggling with mental health or misusing substances for any period of time, it can be hard to recall who they are without the external influence of those substances, screens, or social media. Let alone remember who they are when they get consistent sleep, good nutrition, and regular outdoor exercise. A benefit of residential therapeutic environments is that they help re-discover your son or daughter’s behavioral and mental health baseline and identify what resources will impact lasting change most. 

In this episode, I’m talking with the founder of Pure Life Adventure Therapy, Andrew Taylor. He shares how Adventure Therapy is different from Wilderness Therapy and how it specifically supports young adults who are experiencing isolation, anxiety, and depression. While it’s not designed to support young people in active addiction or those who are newly sober, it’s a powerful combination of nature, fun, and deep therapy. It’s a way for young adults to learn first-hand how to develop resilience for the challenges of everyday life. 

In this episode, you’ll learn: 

• The impact of nature on the brain and nervous system
• Who Adventure Therapy is good for and who isn’t a good match
• The difference between “acting in” versus “acting out” and what to watch for
• How to engage a son or daughter who is regularly wearing the mask of, “I’m fine!”
• Why we need to be affirming of emotions and challenge our kids to exercise grit and resilience at the same time

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• Pure Life Costa Rica
• Octagon Mentoring
• Your Brain on Nature (book)
• The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes Us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative (book) 

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