Dealing with Religious Issues in Adventure Therapy.

This paper explores different responses to "religious" questions raised within adventure therapy programs. Religious education contributes to adventure therapy by enabling an adequate handling of the issues raised within participants' consciousness by adventure experiences. The belief issues raised within adventure therapy can be divided into three categories of relationships: with self, with others, and with the natural world. The focus for examining these relationships can also be divided into three: clarification of the student's own beliefs, beliefs of the life-world or dominant group, and belief systems found within traditional religions. Examples are given of foci of attention and questions related to the types of relationships arising within the adventure education context. The outdoor leader or therapist may respond to religious questions in various ways: suppression of questioning, referral to other authorities, cooperation, or a holistic approach to adventure experience challenges and religious questioning. This latter approach puts the experience in a broader perspective, allows the group leader or therapist to deal with issues as they arise, and promotes holistic student development. (SAS)