My Experience and Understanding of Adventure-Based Counselling Essay

According to Neill (2004), stake therapy is the use of adventure-based make upivities and/or adventure-based theory to provide masses with emotional and/or behavioral problems with experiences which get out to positive change in their lives. Adventure therapy is also programming aimed at changing specified dysfunctional behavior patterns, using adventure experiences as forms of habilitation and rehabilitation (Priest & Grass, 2005).The central philosophy of adventure-based counseling (ABC) is experiential education and it stresses on iodins personal improvement done full value contract, adventure wave and contest by choice (Schoel, Prouty & Radcliffe, 1988). After several lectures, polar skills were explained and even utilise on ourselves. In this essay, these theories and experience will be discussed.Adventure-based counseling is part of the subject matter of experiential learn. Educational psychologists usually define learning as a change in the individual caused by exp erience (Slavin, 1986, p.104). Through various experiences, people can learn from them and gain personal growth. Kolb (1984) suggested an experiential learning cycle, pointing out four essential elements of experiential learning, which are experience, review, conclusion and planning.Applying to Adventure-based counseling, experience means around challenging activities for groups or individuals. Review means encouraging individuals to reflect, describe, communicate and learn from the experience. Conclusion means concluding past and present experiences and planning means applying invigorated learning in the future.There are 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, positive feedbacks or rewards can act as positive reinforcers so that the subjects would be reinforced to act the same way again. Similarly, failures, punishmen ts or contradict comments would act as negative reinforcers which deter the subjects to act again (Skinner, 1968).In adventure-based counseling, participants would face 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 imitate others behaviors and learn from others successes or failures.In adventure-based 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 mates or remind themselves not to behave socially undesirably after observing their group mates failures. This can put forward participants social skills.In cognitive aspect, James Coleman (1977) differentiates between the information assimilation process of the regular classroom and the experiential learning process. In traditional classrooms, acquaintance 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 principles 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 more incised 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 heavy principles of adventure-based counseling, namely Full Value Contract and Challenge by Choice (Schoel, Prouty & Radcliffe, 1988). Full Value Contract means an agreement among group members to value ones own ideas and needs without ignoring or discounting others. Challenge by Choice means individuals can choose their level of participation in any activity. (Neill, 2007)During our lectures, our subscriber 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 learn throughout them.In the first lecture, a game throwing the chicken was playe d. It is an ice-breaking game, aim at knowing the names of group members. Although it is a very 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 generate his caring to the participants, in order to build up the relationship between the leader 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, helping them to get encompassing(prenominal) 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 rill in the second lecture and different games during the overnight camp. All of these may only be just simply asking the participa nts that whether they want to play, but it was zippy as it shows the respect to the participants. These skills were the easiest thing being omitted, but without it, the counseling work may be affected or even have some indecorous 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 source of learning and development. Englewood Cliffs, NJ Prentice Hall.Mllre, J. C. & Priest, S. (1990). Adventure education. State College, DA Adve nture 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 upchuck 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.