With a home beside Ginninderra Creek and holidays spent in the Glen Valley, 16-year-old Paige Howell knows the nurturing nature of the outdoors.
Which made the St. Francis Xavier College student's decision to spend 10-days in the Victorian High Country with no running water or electricity an easier one than it might be for most teens.
In 2019, Paige joined five young people to hike to Mittagundi, a pioneer-style settlement about 30 kilometres east of Falls Creek, for 10 days with no phones, "no watches, no timetables and no money".
The accomplishment meant she joined a cohort which has made the pilgrimage to the 400-acre property on the Mitta Mitta river for the past 40 years. A farm - founder Ian Stapleton and a team of volunteers set up - with the purpose of giving young people an experience of the outdoors.
Paige's grandparents lived in the region in the late '70s, when Mittagundi wasn't much more than an idea. They occasionally shared a meal with the teenagers and crew, who slept in canvas tents and old buses while building the primitive log cabins which now house its guests.
Paige said her Mittagundi experience forced her to interact with people she'd probably otherwise not have sought out.
"I got to really find out about myself and the sort of person I want to be. It allowed me to switch off from everything else and focus on what's important in life," she said.
While perhaps ahead of his time, Mr Stapleton was not unique in his belief that time in the outdoors could "increase the capacity of young people to live under and deal with physically and mentally taxing conditions".
Spending time in the outdoors for therapy has gained traction in both school and community programs, with foster children in Queensland offered one-on-one excursions to the beach and bush, Canberrans taking part in guided forest bathing in the Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve and practitioners meeting in Tasmania next month for a symposium on the benefits of bush therapy.
The ACT government acted on its recognition of the benefit of outdoor space to school children recently, investing $5.6 million to develop sensory spaces, outdoor courtyards and playgrounds across Canberra's public schools.
The areas include gardens where students can "seek sensory input from the natural environment" providing a place to "relax, reduce anxiety and regulate their sensory needs in times when they might be feeling overwhelmed."
Nationally, Outward Bound has practised adventure as therapy for more than 60 years. The not-for-profit provides students, professionals and community groups an opportunity for development through physical challenges including hiking, abseiling and rock climbing.
ACT not-for-profit Menslink has sent groups of young men on Outward Bound programs for years.
CEO Martin Fisk said the camps had "very successful" outcomes for their 10- to 25-year-old clients. Men who had connected with the service to get "through tough times with the least amount of damage to themselves and those around them". He said the program taught the men about "resilience, achievement and nature."
The ACT government gave the Australian Outward Bound Development Fund almost $20,000 in a 2018-19 grant package. Part of the funding gave 15 women who'd experienced domestic violence the chance to participate in a five-day wilderness program.
Outward Bound "Imagineer" Lisa Flower said at the beginning and end of its school programs participants are asked to undertake a survey which measures how their resilience, self respect and compassion for others had shifted during their experience.
Ms Flower said participants consistently report feeling a heightened sense of pride and purpose as well as a sense of belonging.
"When you're challenged mentally, physically and emotionally and you push past your comfort zone that's when you really are given the opportunity to learn and grow," she said.
Ms Flower pointed to a 2019 Mission Australian survey of more than 25,000 people aged 15 to 19 which, for three consecutive years, found mental health was their biggest concern, with body image and school stress among the top issues.
"What are we doing as a society to help them?'" Ms Flower asked.
University of Canberra assistant professor James Neil is conducting research on the effects of adventure therapy on mental health, life skills and an individual's ability to adjust to medical conditions.
Dr Neill said adventure therapy appears to be as effective as is typical for other mental health treatments - including ongoing counselling sessions and medication - particularly for some people who don't respond to traditional psychological treatments.
"Yet adventure therapy is not generally considered as a recognised primary or adjunct treatment option," Dr Neill said.
Without this categorisation Medicare rebates and a National Disability Insurance Scheme listing can be difficult for providers to access.
Dr Neill said outside of Australia, adventure therapy is better integrated into mainstream health care. For example, at the Sorlandet public hospital in Norway groups of at-risk adolescents take part in eight single-day and two multi-night outdoor trips within an eight to ten week period.
"Nevertheless, there are a myriad of different adventure therapy models and programs in Australia," Dr Neill said. "In fact, there are no two programs that are the same."
Dr Neill said Australia hosted the 8th International Adventure Therapy Conference in Sydney in 2018, which was attended by around 500 people.
"There is growing interest, which is warranted. But there is a lack of support for ongoing professionalisation, training [and] research," he said.
Outward Bound's Ms Flower said the increased time young people were living their lives online was having poor outcomes, as was parents' fear of providing too much independence.
Ms Flower said while she once heard the term "helicopter parent", she now heard principals and teachers report "lawnmower parenting".
"They're a lot closer, like, right on top of them. It's denying young people the chance to develop a sense of responsibility for themselves."
Ms Flower said adventure therapy programs offer an opportunity to build autonomy and confidence, aided by the fact there's "no mirrors, no makeup and no social media."
"Outdoor education has a big role to play in getting them back to their authentic selves to discover who they are," Ms Flower said.
