My Experience and Understanding of Adventure-Based Counselling Essay

According to Neill (2004), escapade therapy is the use of take chances- base flakeivities and/or adventure-based theory to countenance people with emotional and/or behavioural problems with experiences which survive to verifying change in their lives. Adventure therapy is also programming aimed at changing specified nonadaptive behavior patterns, using adventure experiences as forms of habilitation and rehabilitation (Priest & Grass, 2005).The underlying ism of adventure-based counsellor (ABC) is existential education and it stresses on ones personalized repairment by full value contr spell, adventure wave and take exception by choice (Schoel, Prouty & Radcliffe, 1988). After several lectures, different skills were explained and even employ on ourselves. In this essay, these theories and experience will be discussed.Adventure-based counseling is dissociate of the pith of experiential reading. Educational psychologists usually define learning as a change in the individ ual caused by experience (Slavin, 1986, p.104). by dint of and through and through various experiences, people tummy learn from them and gain personal growth. Kolb (1984) suggested an experiential learning cycle, pointing out four essential elements of experiential learning, which argon experience, review, closure and planning.Applying to Adventure-based counseling, experience means some challenging activities for groups or individuals. Review means encouraging individuals to reflect, describe, communicate and learn from the experience. Conclusion means concluding one-time(prenominal) and present experiences and planning means applying new learning in the future. in that respect be several learning theories explaining how experiences can lead to learning, which means behavioral changes or cognitive developments. Operant conditioning proposed by Skinner states that successes, praise, po beative feedbacks or rewards can act as positive reinforcers so that the subjects would be r einforced to act the same way again. Similarly, failures, punishments or negative comments would act as negative reinforcers which deter the subjects to act again (Skinner, 1968).In adventure-based counseling, participants would take care some challenges and act. Some actions would lead to positive results, which would further reinforce participants to act in the same way when they face similar situations again. Some actions lead to negative results, which make them aware and change their behaviors next time. This can be applied also to changing of personalities and problem-solving skills. Undesirable personalities will be discouraged by failures or negative feedbacks while desirable personalities will be reinforced.Bandura suggested social learning theory that people can learn through observational learning and modeling (Bandura, 1986). Through observational learning, people would come aft(prenominal) others behaviors and learn from others successes or failures.In adventure-bas ed counseling, when participants face the challenges individually, they would imitate what other participants do, or take others successes and failures in dealing with the challenges as example. So when they face the challenges, participants would improve along the sequence. When encountering group challenges, participants would imitate the socially desirable behaviors of their group yoke or remind themselves not to behave socially undesirably after observing their group mates failures. This can enhance participants social skills.In cognitive aspect, James Coleman (1977) differentiates between the information assimilation process of the rhythmic classroom and the experiential learning process. In traditional classrooms, knowledge is taught to students through direct instruction and they simply memorize the knowledge. Through information assimilation, the learners are expected to move from cognitive and symbol-processing sphere to the sphere of action through applying the general p rinciples learned into novel situations.Experiential learning is in a reversed order, which involves actions sufficiently repeated that the learner is able to generalize from the experience. However, it is much etched into the brain as the learning can be associated with concrete actions and events, not just abstract symbols or general principles (Mllre, & Priest, 1990).There are some important principles of adventure-based counseling, namely Full Value Contract and quarrel by cream (Schoel, Prouty & Radcliffe, 1988). Full Value Contract means an conformity among group members to value ones own ideas and needs without ignoring or discounting others. Challenge by Choice means individuals can choose their direct of participation in any activity. (Neill, 2007)During our lectures, our lecturer Lau Sir has explained different theories by involving us to play games. After playing games, Lau Sir would explain how the games worked, the meaning of different procedures, and what can we l earn throughout them.In the primary lecture, a game throwing the lily-livered was played. It is an ice-breaking game, aim at knowing the names of group members. Although it is a real easy game, it has lots of micro-skills included. At the beginning, Lau Sir has asked did anyone feel afraid of the chicken, which could show his condole with to the participants, in order to build up the relationship between the drawing card and the participants. After one round of the game, Lau Sir required the participants to repeat the process, but with a faster speed, the participants would then move their chairs towards the center. This is using indirect intervention method, part them to get closer and involve more into it, without directly telling them to sit closer or involve more.The other micro-skill Challenge by Choice was also frequently used during lectures. For example, the throwing the chicken game in the first lecture, the trust ladder in the second lecture and different games during the overnight camp. All of these may only be just simply request the participants that whether they want to play, but it was vital as it shows the respect to the participants. These skills were the easiest thing macrocosm omitted, but without it, the counseling work may be affected or even have some adverse effects.Although half of the lectures have passed, there is one more High-event Challenge Day and several lectures. I am looking forward to learn more different skills in counseling and leading games.Reference ListBandura, A. (1986). Social foundations of thought and action A social-cognitive theory. Englewood Cliffs, NJ Prentice-Hall.Coleman, J. A. (1977). Differences between experiential and classroom learning. In M. T. Keeton (Ed.), Experiential learning Rationale characteristics, and assessment, pp. 49-61. San Francisco, CA Jossey-Bass Publishers.Kolb, D. A. (1984). Experiential learning Experience as the pedigree of learning and development. Englewood Cliffs, NJ Prentice Hall.Mllre, J. C. & Priest, S. (1990). Adventure education. State College, DA Adventure Publishing.Neill, J. (2004). Adventure therapy definitions. Retrieved from http//www.wilderdom.com/adventuretherapy/adventuretherapydefinitions.htmlNeill, J. (2007). Adventure-based counseling (ABC). Retrieved from http//wilderdom.com/ABC/Priest, S., & Gass, M. (2005). Effective leadership in adventure programming (2nd ed.). Champaign, IL Human Kinetics.Schoel, J., Prouty & Radeliffe,P. (1988). Islands of healing. A guide to adventure based counseling. U.S.A Project Adventure.Skinner, B. F. (1968). The technology of teaching. New York Appleton-Century-Crofts.Slavin, R. E. (1986). Educational psychology theory into practice. Englewood Cliffs, NJ Prentice-Hall.