My Experience and Understanding of Adventure-Based Counselling Essay Example for Free

My Experience and Understanding of risky venture-Based Counselling Essay match to Neill (2004), Adventure therapy is the use of adventure-based performanceivities and/or adventure-based possible action to provide good deal with emotional and/or bearingal problems with nonpluss which work 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 underlying philosophy of adventure-based counseling (ABC) is existential education and it stresses on integritys personal improvement with full value contract, adventure wave and contest by choice (Schoel, Prouty Radcliffe, 1988). After several lectures, diametrical skills were explained and even utilize on ourselves. In this essay, these theories and experience will be discussed.Adventure-based counseling is part of the means of experiential scholarship . Educational psychologists usually define cultivation as a change in the individual caused by experience (Slavin, 1986, p.104). Through various experiences, people hatful 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 some 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 impudently learning in the future.There are several learning theories explaining how experiences can lead to learning, which means behavioural changes or cognitive developments. Operant conditioning proposed by Skinner states that successes, praise, positive feedbacks or rewards can act as positive reinforce rs so that the subjects would be reinforced to act the same way again. Similarly, failures, punishments or disconfirming comments would act as negative reinforcers which deter the subjects to act again (Skinner, 1968).In adventure-based counseling, participants would causa some challenges and act. several(prenominal) actions would lead to positive results, which would further reinforce participants to act in the same way when they face quasi(prenominal) 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 maculation desirable personalities will be reinforced.Bandura suggested social learning theory that people can learn through with(predicate) 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 instigate themselves not to behave socially undesirably after observing their group mates failures. This can nurture 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, knowledge is taught to students through direct instruction and they simply mulct the knowledge. Through information assimilation, the learners are expected to move from cognitive and symbol-p rocessing 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 iterate that the learner is able to generalize from the experience. However, it is much etched 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 all-important(a) principles of adventure-based counseling, namely Full Value find and dispute 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 lector 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 yellowish was played. 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 prove 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 mediate intervention method, helping them to get nearer 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 ladder in the second lecture and different games during the nightlong camp. All of these may only be just simply asking the participants that whether they want to play, but it was decisive as it shows the respect to the participants. These skills were the easiest thing being omitted, but without it, the counseling work may be touch on or even have some adverse 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 learn ing and development. Englewood Cliffs, NJ Prentice Hall.Mllre, J. C. Priest, S. (1990). Adventure education. State College, DA Adventure 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 benevolent Kinetics.Schoel, J., Prouty Radeliffe,P. (1988). Islands of healing. A guide to adventure based counseling. U.S.A Project 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.