The Ironbridge School of Therapy Outdoors

07/07/2024

At the recent GATE4 conference in Latvia I was asked about dates for training in . The training is hybrid with two days online and four days in person, not far from this rather iconic bridge. I have two sets of dates available:
Course 1: Online - 1st & 2nd August, in-person 10,11,12,13th August 2024
Course 2: Online - 5&6th September, in-person 19,20,21,22nd September 2024.

To register your interest PM me, then I’ll arrange an online meeting to talk you through the course in detail.

See you soon, Stephan

22/06/2024

https://www.facebook.com/share/jChtcCKUPJM4Uk4F/?mibextid=WC7FNe

Explore upcoming events at the School of Outdoor Therapeutic Practice. Enhance your skills with our unique Complex Trauma Informed Practice framework, based on 7 years of research. Perfect for professionals in Community Services, Education, or Mental Health

15/12/2023

Our first published review…

By Steve McCarthy-Grunwald. Solution-Focused Practice in Outdoor Therapy: Co-Adventuring for change sets out to provide a convincing narrative on the values and benefits of the fusion of solution focused approaches in nature.

30/10/2023

I have three scheduled courses in 2024, and am happy to run bespoke certificate courses on a 1:1 basis. Message me for details

31/07/2023

Due to the weather Spare Krab’s recent client work has involved a lot of indoor climbing recently, with notable successes. July has been a bit damp. Looking forward, we’re super excited for the in-person training happening in Ironbridge in September. It’s the double accredited Certificate in Solution Focused Practice Outdoors all packed into five days from the 14th, with the introduction day on-line the week before. It’ll be a small course with lots of opportunities to get outdoors, and that is the exciting bit as for the last three years I’ve only run this course online (mostly because some students were overseas). Four people have signed up so far, which leaves two places available. If you want one, or you’re super curious, PM me and we can take it from there. Between episodes of writing, I’m also available for 1:1 workshops on Solution Focused Practice Outdoors, Host Leadership, Putting Therapy into Adventure etc, and I’m pleased that some practitioners are making use of that opportunity. PM for details and to arrange a chat about what’s possible.

12/07/2023

With Spare Krab - Outdoor Learning and Adventure Therapy Specialist

Taking therapy outdoors is becoming more popular as an idea and as a way to develop one’s practice. Recently I’ve been considering how much co-adventuring for change with what might be called high adventure is out there. Not much it seems. The idea is a good one and attractive though the barriers to entry are high. There are few opportunities to learn the skills necessary to co-adventure at the level of expertise needed to work effectively with adventure in challenging environments. I like working underground. It’s instant wilderness. Everything is different: sounds, temperature, humidity, smells, light levels, water, minerals, fossils, spaces, challenge, curiousity, courageousness. Teamwork happens naturally and so does leadership, caring for others, staying safe, being responsible for others, and relying on each other. Underground is a great place for Adventure Therapy with real adventure, exploring, dealing with unknowns, making sure we all return safely. There’s a lot of perceived risk to manage and many opportunities for reflection and conversation. A sense of achievement comes naturally too. All valuable components for adventure therapy. Other adventures are available to, in the mountains, on rivers and so on.

Throughout the year I am making myself available over long weekends, or just a day, for 1:1 coaching and development for aspirant adventure therapy practitioners.
Choose your adventure and how much of it you’d like to start with, what you’d like to get better at, get in touch and we can talk through the options and personalised course content.

I’ve realised that adventure therapy with high adventure, and co-adventuring for change, is a niche activity. So rather than offering courses for groups I’ve decided to offer cost effective 1:2 or 1:1 coaching and development opportunities to pass on my three decades plus experience of working therapeutically in wild places, co-adventuring for change.

I am qualified for vertical trips in caves and mines, train and assess cave and mine leaders. I can lead in mountains-summer and winter, grade three rivers in canoe, and rock climbing. I am an accredited counsellor and supervisor, with a few papers and a book under my belt, and decades of practice experience to pass on.

If you’re interested in adding adventure to therapy, or therapy to adventure, or just getting better at useful conversations outdoors, do get in touch.

Safe adventures!

Stephan

05/05/2023

Up coming training - online

How to Have Useful Conversations starting 0700h UTC+1 and repeated at 1900h UTC+1. At the very attractive student rate of GBP 25 for 3x2-hours - what a snip from Spare Krab

01/05/2023

Co-adventuring for Change: Useful Conversations for Making Meaning from Experience

Talking about meaningful experiences with the right person is priceless.

How to go about having a useful conversation can easily be learned through training, such as listening with an ‘active ear’ and asking a good question based on what’s been said. There’s also a question of trust, that goes both ways, turn taking, being non-judgemental, having empathy, keeping confidence within agreed limits, and importantly, understanding where someone wants to ‘go’ with the outcome from talking. It is not ‘rocket science’ and it does benefit from reflective practice.

You can learn how to do this and it is not necessary to be a therapist to have a good conversation that will benefit someone else.

This series of short tutorials on useful conversations has been designed as an introduction, an entry point, to being a better skilled helper, whatever your way of working and meaningfully engaging others. Delivered over three two-hour sessions, once a week, and supported with a student handbook, you will have the basics for a good conversation.

Your investment is 25 GBP or its equivalent for this entry point course, which will ensure you are headed in the right direction for being useful by listening and questioning.

Enrol by emailing Stephan at sparekrab@icloud.com

Please put UCMME in the subject bar so I can easily find your enquiry.

I’ll send you an invoice and once that has been honoured I’ll send a Zoom link.

Course dates
5th June, 12th June, 19th June. At 0700hrs UTC+1 (London time), repeated at 1900hrs UTC+1 to have most time zones covered.

All good wishes and safe adventures!

Stephan

26/04/2023

I’ll be concentrating on putting the adventure into Adventure Therapy with Spare Krab and introducing useful conversations into the adventure mix. Anyone interested in Adventure Therapy and doesn’t know how to get started, then get in touch. There’s good, useful work to be done!

17/03/2023

Spare Krab and Andy Balmer over in Switzerland have been talking about metaphors in SF practice, so we’re delighted to have our thoughts and practice on this subject accepted for the basis of a workshop at this summer’s UKASFP conference in Oxford.

“Thank you for your submission titled 'Co-adventuring for Change: Metaphors and SF Practice Outdoors' to the UKASFP Conference 2023 to be held at the Kings Centre, Oxford from 6-7 July.

The Programme Committee is delighted to be able to offer you the opportunity to present your workshop within a 1 hour ‘parallel session’.”

16/03/2023

Spare Krab - Outdoor Learning and Adventure Therapy Specialist, and Solution Focused Trainers CIC are very happy to have our Solution Focused Practice Outdoors course accreditation renewed

15/03/2023

From Spare Krab - Outdoor Learning and Adventure Therapy Specialist - just finished the first Solution Focused Practice Outdoors Certificate course of the year. Having been super efficient and on top of the marking and feedback, I’m looking forward to the next edition. This year (2023) I’ll be running two more online editions of this double accredited course, yes, it’s a proper level 3 certificate, and here are the dates:

Summer course
19/20 April, 17/18 May, 28/29 June

Autumn course
8/9 Nov, 29/30 Nov, 13/14 Dec.

Details such as how much work is involved, investment in time and money, etc, by emailing Stephan at sparekrab@icloud.com