The Wilderness Program has four models of operation that have successfully evolved from the expressed needs of the Tasmanian community over the last two decades of operation.
The Community Program is a bush counselling program that has been the mainstay of the Wilderness Program’s operation since its inception in 1983. Single participants from differing backgrounds volunteer for inclusion in a mixed (heterogeneous) group. From longitudinal research, these mixed groups provide an environment where barriers such as negative peers or other inhibitors are less likely to adversely influence group development. The participants who volunteer for the program, come from both normative and marginalised sections of the community. Each participant therefore attends the program with anonymity, allowing him or her the freedom to explore new behaviours and strategies without fear of peer criticism.
The Community program manifests itself in two formats;
- Standard Course
- Follow-up Course.
Standard Courses
This format is a six day program designed for new-comers attending the Wilderness Program. Course fees for both Standard Courses and Follow-Up Courses and are heavily subsidised to encourage attendance by those least able to afford it. The cost per participant is $100 (Tasmanian residents only). A number of Standard Courses are scheduled each year. See Course Timetable for upcoming Standard Courses in your region.
How to apply
Follow-Up Courses
These courses are four to six day programs for participants who have graduated from the Standard Course and wish to take on further challenges with the Wilderness Program. Follow Up courses are scheduled throughout the year based on demand. See Course Timetable for Follow Up course dates.
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The Specialist Program is a newer model of bush counselling program that has resulted from a need to work more closely with other organisations in the health sector. Changes in referral sources from 1996 onward, required the Wilderness Program to adapt to opportunities that partnerships with other organisations presented. Since 2000, referrals to the Community program have declined while the demand for Specialist programs has increased.
Each Specialist program is custom designed through consultation with the organisation representing the identified client group. Staff from the host organisation are encouraged to attend the program to assist with more effective case-management of clients at the completion of the bush counselling program and provide the host organisation with a transparent view of the Wilderness Program processes. Applications to attend Specialist Programs are made through the host organisation and program fees are calculated on a cost-recovery basis.
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The role of the the Wilderness Program facilitator is both demanding and multiple, requiring a wide range of skills, knowledge and experience. It is seldom that staff are recruited to the program without first participating on bush counselling programs as a trainee and participating on our Wilderness Therapy course. In addition to this involvement, the recruit must satisfy each of criterion in the duty statement and have the necessary skills, knowledge and experience as outlined in the Competency Audit contained in the Wilderness Program operations manual. The competency audit has been devised in order to clarify and provide benchmark standards for trainees and facilitators who are working toward developing their personal skills and career objectives.
Three models of Professional Development Program are presently on offer.
- Wilderness Therapy
- Conceptual Role-plays About Participant Issues
- Elders Gathering
Wilderness Therapy
This program is aimed at helping health professionals, community workers and new Wilderness Program staff members understand the bush counselling/wilderness therapy process. It was devised initially to provide an experiential training program for Wilderness Program facilitators. The program has grown to encompass broad community representation on the program opening up the bush counselling process for inspection by mainstream health professionals.
How to Apply
Conceptual Role-plays About Participant Issues
Facilitators also meet on a regular basis to workshop particular issues of concern or interest that arise from bush counselling programs. Concpetual Role-plays About Participant Issues courses have in the past dealt with issues such as conflict resolution, spirituality and anger management, SAR, dealing with a fatality and counselling approaches. The content of these workshops is largely dictated by the needs and feedback provided by facilitators and require continued input and motivation from facilitators to ensure the subject area is relevant to the issues presented in the work place. Attendance is restricted to Wilderness Program staff.
Elders Gathering
The objective of the Elders Gathering is to gain a collective understanding of the Wilderness Program counselling model rather than focusing on understanding the process, which is the role of the Wilderness Therapy course. More specifically we aim to analyse our strengths and challenges in the field of counselling and create an opportunity for staff to develop their approaches. The concept of an Elders Gathering comes from an expressed need to tailor a counselling-based training program for people who have a commitment of longevity within the Wilderness Program. This model of Professional Development Program has been delivered as either a residential or tent-based program of four days duration. The need for this program has not diminished however it has been replaced largely by the shorter format of the two day Concpetual Role-plays About Participant Issues program. Attendance is restricted to Wilderness Program staff.
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These programs are developed and run for business and community organisations as a corporate training mechanism. They are usually one day in length and designed specifically for each group dependent on their needs and desired outcomes. The Wilderness Program runs Corporate Training for a wide variety of organisation including those with whom we work in partnership or referral advocacy. Our Corporate Training program can deliver quality alternatives for organisations contemplating changes in corporate structure, staff communication and team morale. The Corporate Training program is delivered on a fee-for-service basis.
