Empowering Student Learning Through Adventure-Based Counseling Activities: Educational Adventures in Graduate Classrooms

A Brief History Of Adventure Based Counseling

Educators may bridge academic content and various types of learning through creative andragogy and experiences. One such bridge between the traditional classroom and the creative learning space is ABC techniques. Students participating in ABC activities experience an increased sense of self-concept, self-confidence, and well-being (Glass & Myers, 2001). By implementing ABC techniques educators enhance the sometimes sterile academic environment and promote a deeper understanding of content.

Adventure based counseling is an integrative therapeutic tool that is highly adaptable to various settings and populations (Fletcher & Hinkle, 2002). The ABC framework and techniques originally stem from experiential education programs (i.e. Outward Bound and Project Adventure) and the belief that classic school curriculum failed to facilitate the development of the total child (Schoel et al., 1988). Outward Bound, created by Kurt Hahn in 1941, highlighted the need to expand what education provided to children and young adults (Gass et al., 2012). An original goal of Outward Bound was to facilitate character development and leadership through experiential learning. Through program development and research on outcomes, educators have seen an emphasis on students’ personal growth through the use of adventure (Freeman, 2011). While the use of adventure components has been adapted in ABC, many of these core principles are still present.