Wilderness Therapy Programs: information gathering from Tribal and Urban Native partners

Tribal and Urban Native representatives are invited to share their perspectives on wilderness therapy programs as part of a legislative research assignment.

For some background, the legislature has directed the Washington State Institute for Public Policy (WSIPP) to study wilderness therapy programs. The intent of this assignment is exploratory and aims to gather information about what wilderness therapy programs are, their impact, and interest among partners in Washington including “state prevention coalitions and Tribes”.

In June, WSIPP published a report reviewing available research on wilderness therapy programs. WSIPP researchers are now working to complete a second report (due in December), which assesses stakeholder interests. They hope to learn from a broad group of individuals including tribal community members and leaders, behavioral health and substance use prevention coalitions, veteran groups, and others and include their perspectives into a report, which may help inform legislative decisions regarding wilderness therapy programs in the future.

If you are interested in learning more about this project or would like to share your experiences participating in, developing, and/or implementing wilderness therapy programs, please contact Julia Cramer (360-664-9073).