The Trip to Panama

The idea of “Time-IN®" developed over a period of around 10 years in the context of working with children and adolescents who could not find their place in youth welfare or could not keep it or - viewed from outside - did not want to keep it and who "blew up" existing systems. That called for a new approach. "Time-IN®" offers a space for development that bundles the healing powers of nature in order to initiate change processes with the aim of recognizing "socially and system-compatible" perspectives and enabling the participating people to live an enriched and "happier" life.

Adventure therapy in the Fontane Clinic is not an independent therapy, but rather an adjunct treatment and thus a possible form of intervention within the framework of our range of treatments. It has been used in a variety of ways since 1995, especially in the treatment of addicted patients. A high level of emotional involvement, i.e. intensive "experience", comes with every therapy and is a condition for change. Through reflection the content of adventure therapy is closely linked to the psychotherapeutic process. This interlocking is the real novelty of experiential therapy in the inpatient therapeutic process. Thus, adventure therapy offers "a new framework for working on psychotherapeutic topics such as trust, dependence, self-esteem and identity" (Koth 1996).

We know that nature can have healing effects on people. But when and with whom is it advised to leave our therapy room and to go outside? When can being or moving outside also shift something therapeutically? Or when do we walk past all that is important when walking with clients? When can being outside actually help clients to turn inside? These are questions I will carefully try to find answers to. The aim of the article is to create a better understanding of the complexity of walking and standing still and to dig deeper into what signals our clients provide us with, that tell us when physical activities or other experiments are actually helpful.

This paper aims to explore an innovative selective and indicated addiction prevention program, carried out since 2016 in the province of Valencia (Spain). The program is implemented by Terapia Aventura, and financed by the regional government. The program lasts 10 weekly sessions of 2 hours and up to 3 family sessions. It is designed for adolescents who have specific factors that put them at increased risk of drug use and/or are have already started using drugs, mostly alcohol and cannabis. Research shows an increase in motivation, adherence to the program and rapport to the therapists; awareness of the risks of using drugs and empowerment of the participants in decision-making and personal goals. Quantitative data shows a slight decrease in the level of cannabis consumption.