[Part 2] Dr. Christine Norton & Dr. Anita Tucker: Adventure Therapy (Experiential Education as a Therapeutic Intervention)

Dr. Christine Lynn Norton received her Ph.D. in Social Work from Loyola University Chicago. She has a Master of Arts in Social Service Administration from the University of Chicago and a Master of Science in Experiential Education from Minnesota State University-Mankato. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and a Board Approved Supervisor in the State of Texas. She has over 20 years of experience working with youth and young adults in a variety of settings including therapeutic wilderness programs, juvenile justice, schools, mentoring and campus support programs. She has taught as adjunct faculty at The University of Denver, Prescott College, and Naropa University. Her areas of practice and research interest and expertise are in positive youth development; innovative interventions in child and adolescent mental health; adventure therapy; outdoor behavioral healthcare; experiential education; foster care support in higher education; and international social work. Dr. Norton is a Research Scientist with the Outdoor Behavioral Healthcare Center and she helped launch Foster Care Alumni Creating Educational Success (FACES) at Texas State. She is the Foster Care Liaison Officer to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, and is the founder of the Foster Care Adventure Therapy Network, an international group of programs and practitioners who utilize adventure therapy with current and former foster care youth and young adults. Dr. Norton has over 50 peer-reviewed journal articles, has edited three books, and has authored over ten book chapters. She has secured over $3,162,154 in internal and external research funding as PI and co-investigator, is a leading social work scholar who has presented her research nationally and internationally. Dr. Norton is active in study abroad and is also a Fulbright Scholar, having taught adventure therapy in the Department of Civic Education and Leadership at National Taiwan Normal University.

Dr. Anita R. Tucker is a Professor and Associate Chair in the Department of Social Work at the University of New Hampshire in the College of Health and Human Services. She is the Coordinator of UNH's Dual Masters Degree in Social Work and Recreation Management and Policy which prepares graduate students for careers in adventure and wilderness therapy. In addition, Dr. Tucker is the new Co-Coordinator of the Outdoor Research Collaborative on Health, Wellbeing and Experiential Engagement with Co-Coordinator, Dr. Christine Lynn Norton, a new evoluation of the Outdoor Behavioral Healthcare (OBH) Center for Research. Dr. Tucker's research focuses primarily on the process and outcomes of outdoor, adventure and experiential practice including increasing access to supportive services and improving outcomes for participants.

Diana Gonzalez is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Licensed Addiction Counselor, and Animal-Assisted Social Worker. While also maintaining a small private practice she is also acting as a Graduate Assitant within the University of New Hampshire as she progresses through her PhD in Experiential Education. New York born and bred, Diana ventured out to Colorado to complete her masters in social work from the University of Denver. A lifetime Girl Scout, camp counselor, and adventurer, Diana seeks to utilize experiential and hands-on additions to her more traditional talk-based therapies. For her work in academia, Diana seeks to deveop programming to support and uplift future BIPOC leaders in the wilderness and adventure communities.

 

Resources:

AEE’s TAPG: https://www.aee.org/therapeutic-adventure-professional-group-tapg

AEE Accreditation: https://www.aee.org/accreditation

AEE CCAT Certification: https://www.aee.org/about-the-certification-program

IATC: https://10iatc.org/

Adventure and Outdoor Therapy Training Resources:

• https://www.adventure-therapist.com/
• https://relateability.org/
• https://www.somaticnaturetherapy.com/
• https://prescott.edu/area-of-study/adventure-based-counseling/
• https://chhs.unh.edu/recreation-management-policy/program/msmsw/social-work-recreation-management-policy-dual-degree

Outdoor Research Collaborative (ORC) email: info@orcollab.org

 

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the guest speaker on this episode are solely those of the guest. The content shared is intended for informational purposes only and should not be construed as professional advice or endorsement.