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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

Date of Graduation

Fall 2009

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Educational Specialist (EdS)

Department

Department of Graduate Psychology

Abstract

In the United States, heavy drinking appears to be normative behavior for college students, and high-risk drinking is a growing problem on college campuses. This paper introduces Re-imagining Ourselves at Madison (ROAM), an adventure-based peer counseling program for James Madison University students who demonstrate high risk-alcohol-related behaviors. The primary objective of this pilot program is to increase participants’ awareness and acknowledgement of their high risk behavior surrounding alcohol through an experience that is different than traditional alcohol education classes or alcohol counseling. ROAM also provides participants with an experience in which they are introduced to healthy alternatives to their high risk drinking behaviors. The purpose of this project is to present a facilitation training curriculum and the program activities for the student leaders of ROAM. Topics discussed include sensation-seeking and risky behavior, college prevention or alcohol reduction programs, and facilitation skills of effective leaders. Furthermore, the paper addresses the history, theory and practices of wilderness therapy and adventure-based counseling. Finally, I present the methods and procedures of the ROAM program and the ROAM trip leader training. While the training curriculum was specifically designed for the ROAM program at James Madison University, it can be used as a model that can be adapted to meet the needs of other universities and colleges. Furthermore, the program activities of ROAM can also be used as an illustrative example of a specific program that can be tailored to fit the requirements of other institutions of higher education.

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