AD ALTA
JOURNAL OF INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH
ADVENTURE THERAPY IN THERAPEUTIC COMMUNITY FIDES – QUANTITATIVE
OUTCOMES OF THE RESEARCH
a
BOHDANA RICHTEROVÁ,
b
VERONIKA ŠTENCLOVÁ,
c
KATEŘINA ČERVENKOVÁ
University of Ostrava, Fráni Šrámka 3, Ostrava, The Czech
Republic
email:
a
bohdana.richterova@osu.cz,
b
stenclovav@gmail.com,
c
L15304@student.osu.cz
The report represents quantitative outcomes from a grant project of the students of
Ostrava University. The project took place in the years 2015 and 2016 and analysed
168 clients´ statements.
Abstract: The report represents quantitative outcomes from a research focuses on the
analysis of the opinions of the clients of therapeutic community of the adventure
therapy. Among the most significant the clients described getting new experience,
increasing the responsibility for themselves and their decisions, improving the
cooperation abilities, the possibility to solve problems in new ways. Following the
activities they were thinking about the values in life, they realized greater resistance to
stress and they said this experience will be useful after the treatment ends. Based on
the verification of the set hypotheses four were confirmed which described differences
in client´s opinions of their self-respect development, the ability to cooperate,
independence and the ability to consider life values, the verification took place during
the first and third phase of the treatment.
Keywords: adventure therapy, therapeutic community, client of therapeutic
community, drug addiction, opinions analyses
Introduction
Most people need transcendent experience. For some it is only
reality escape, for others it is a need to view life from other than
mundane perspectives. People who we worked with during our
two-year research study (student grant project of the Pedagogical
Faculty of the Ostrava University) are among those who were
repeatedly looking for this kind of experience in drug use. Their
hobby gradually became an addiction. One possibility how these
people can become free and get rid of the addiction is treatment
in a therapeutic community.
There are a number of methods and means how to support
clients in their treatment and prepare them for life out of the
closed community. One possibility is the adventure therapy
which our research focuses on.
Ten students of MA social pedagogy and two academic workers
participated in this research. It took place in Therapeutic
Community Fides where both the clients and workers were
present. The design of the research was mixed, its goal was to
find out the clients´ opinions of the adventure therapy. One part
of the project – the quantitative analysis of the clients´ opinions
will be presented in this article.
1
Research problem
The preparation and realization of the adventure therapy (in the
therapeutic communities the expression “stress activity” is
sometimes used) is demanding in both special personal
requirements (both mental and physical) and safety ensuring
during these activities. Some therapeutic communities consider
adding these activities into their programmes. The analysis of the
opinions of clients who take part in these activities may be the
beginning of deeper observation of the therapy benefits. From
the point of view of subjective individual perception of a client
in therapeutic community a qualitative research was realized
which aimed at deeper understanding of the clients´ experience.
Quantitative research was focused on the benefits of the
adventure therapy and the verification of their significance. The
research of the efficiency and use of the adventure therapy in the
drug addicts´ re-socialization is lacking in the Czech Republic.
The only exception is
the research of Romaněnko (2012), Rataj´s
chapter (In Nevšímal at al, 2007) focused on stress activities in
therapeutic communities in the Czech Republic or the texts of
Kirchner and Hártl (2011).
As opposed to abroad where there is
a lot of research focused on the adventure therapy used in
working with the risk groups including the drug addicts
(e.g.Bandoroff, 1989; Crisp, 1998; Paxton, Mc Avoy, 2000;
Autry, 2001; Caulkins et al, 2006; Tucker, Norton, 2012; Gass,
Gillis, Russell, 2012; Norton et al, 2014; Revell, Duncan,
Cooper, 2014; Bowen, Neil, Crisp, 2016).
1.1 The research goal, research questions
The goal of the research was to get the opinions of the clients of
the therapeutic community Fides on the efficiency of the stress
activities in particular phases of the treatment. In this article the
quantitative part of the research is presented, two research
questions were set:
Research question 1: What are the prevailing opinions of the
clients of the Therapeutic community Fides Bílá Voda of the
curative efficiency of the adventure activities shortly after their
ending?
Research question 2: How do the opinions of the clients of the
Therapeutic community Fides Bílá Voda (TK Fides) differ in
individual treatment phases?
1.1
Basic concepts definition
Among basic concepts used in this research there are adventure
therapy, therapeutic community and the opinions of a client.
Adventure therapy is used mainly abroad. Therapeutic
communities in the Czech Republic call these activities mentally
and physically stressful activities. They are regarded to be the
key elements of the adventure therapy. For the needs of the
research we work with the stress activities definition in
therapeutic community by Richterová at al (2015), the definition
is as follows: ,,Stress activities are part of the treatment process,
they are psychically and physically demanding and they are
realized in the form of several day long trips of touristic-sport-
learning character.” (Comp. Rataj M. In Nevšímal at al. 2007).
These activities in TK Fides focus mostly on hiking, cycling,
cross-ski running, water sport etc. Clients as well as responsible
workers in any treatment phase take part in them.
Kirchner, Hátlová (2011) prefer using the term adventure
therapy in the Czech environment. They describe it as a
therapeutic school which emphasizes the experience in nature, it
is both physically and psychically demanding and is connected
with risk, danger and adventure. Romaněnková (2012),
Kellerová and Ješina (2013) also prefer using the term adventure
therapy. The authors Kirchner and Hátlová (2011) or Svatoš and
Lebeda (2006) work with this concept in experience pedagogy.
Gass (2012) works with the use of adventure therapy abroad and
describes it as adventure activities which are prescribed to
activate the moving of clients on affective, behavioural and
cognitive level. There are synonyms to adventure therapy
coming up abroad too, mainly within the cultural and
environmental context. Still adventure therapy is used most
frequently. Unlike in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and some
parts of the USA, where „wilderness therapy is used”.
Therapeutic community (TK) can be defined according to
Kratochvíl (1979) in two ways – in broader form of organization
of the treated unit and in more narrow sense as an independent
psychotherapeutic method. TK Fides located in Jeseník district
in the village Bílá Voda represents the broader definition. TK
Fides is a part of Mental Health Hospital Marianna Oranžská. It
focuses on the treatment of the drug addicts (except the alcohol
addicts) and is for clients over 18 years of age. Making the
decision to start the treatment and life in this community is
absolutely voluntary and is divided into three phases. The first
phase – takes 4 weeks, the second phase 18-20 weeks and the
third phase 16-18 weeks. TK Fides applies bio-psycho-socially
spiritual approach in the addict care. It provides environment
free of drugs and presents everyday reality with all its aspects.
The goal of the treatment is drug abstinence, gaining view of
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