As a national provider, Adventure Recovery (AR) leads clients through the internal and external wilderness. What does that mean? We take people outside, into nature, and offer new experiences and teachings that reveal new ways to spend time. This includes instruction so once can advance in outdoor skills and capacity. Clients get out of their comfort zones, through supportive connections, and challenge themselves to build their capacity, resilience, and self-reliance. In addition, we share observations, support one another, and get into deeper connection with our self and others.

The Adventure Recovery model incorporates mental health awareness and recovery-based practices into the work that we do. Outdoor adventure skills, coaching, and mentorship foster positive relationships. Individually and in group settings, we engage in experiential activities that allows us to explore, experience awe, embrace beginner’s mind, and overcome our limitations, real or imagined. This allows us to be flexible and integrate learnings, body, mind, and spirit.

The idea is to get comfortable in our own skin, connect with others, and overall, to shift our perception from thoughts and patterns related to destructive patterns to new, healthful modes of being. The work is profoundly meaningful to us since most of the crew are in recovery from either mental health struggles or addiction. There is nothing like seeing the light go on in someone’s eyes when they learn something new and what’s more, it’s fun.

Adventure Recovery in the Field

AR provides one-on-one adventure coaching, group experiences, and guide training tailored to the client’s needs. The AR model utilizes outdoor skills as the foundational learning tools for growth of real-life skills and for personal transformation. By engaging in outdoor adventures and learning, clients build self-esteem and self-efficacy. These experiences translate to support individuals as they build positive relationships, confidence, and clarity.

AR is a leading provider of therapeutic adventure experiences, wilderness excursions, and individualized coaching. In addition, Adventure Recovery offers tailored experiences to coaching clients, teams, families, and institutions. Experiential adventures are offered nationally, throughout North America and beyond.

Organizations AR Serves

• Ahava Counseling

• Lighthouse

• Valiant Living

• Moving Mountains Recovery

• ADAP Alcohol Drug Awareness Program of Weston, CT

• Salisbury School

• Washington Montessori

• Wilton High School

“Being in nature and employing primal tools (such as calling fire) has the unique and unparalleled ability to bring calm and focus. Be here now — be in this moment, in this place, at one with the outdoors.”—Josh Flaherty, MSW, Executive Director, AR

Adventure Recovery provides an inspired model of recovery-focused outdoor guide service for individual mentorship, group experiences, sober adventures, and guided excursions that are transformative. Our clients include people in or seeking recovery and others who simply want to learn outdoor skills and experience adventures. You don’t need to be sober to work with us. We encourage abstinence but we work with anyone who needs support. Clients hire Adventure Recovery for the exceptional level of attentiveness, guidance, instruction, and the quality of experience provided. In addition to individuals and families, AR leads in the application of therapeutic adventure and adventure wilderness programming for treatment institutions and organizations seeking to expand their experiential offerings safely and effectively. To learn more, read our team founder’s story.

The Story of Adventure Recovery

Adventure Recovery was founded in 2014 by founder, Tim Walsh. With a 30+ year background in prevention, mission-driven work, and mental health + substance use disorder treatment, Tim felt a new approach was needed. He created AR as a nature intervention—a trailblazing organization in outdoor leadership providing experiential programming and training uniquely focused on mental health awareness and recovery. Adventure outpatient.

Starting with a couple of institutional clients + individuals, AR established a new niche. AR serves schools, nonprofits, treatment programs, and families with much-needed access to unplugged, guided time outside.

The model is simple. Folks new to recovery or coming home from rehab sometimes slip. Why? This is because they are not learning sustainable new behaviors that they can apply to daily living.

AR teaches clients how to develop awareness, learn lifelong skills, and create connections through new modes of communication and experiences. This approach is transformative for individuals, institutions, and families, as well as applied in mental health and substance use treatment programs. 

WATCH founder, Tim Walsh, share the Adventure Recovery model with Yale University.