322: The Future of Outdoor Behavioral Healthcare: The LifeWays Model

Can outdoor behavioral healthcare (aka wilderness therapy) evolve beyond crisis intervention and become a model for prevention, community, and long-term wellbeing? In this episode Will welcomes Chris Brown and Danny Frazer to explore how LifeWays is redefining Outdoor Behavioral Healthcare (OBH) through an innovative blend of nature-based therapy, therapeutic guiding, outpatient mental health services, community partnerships, and wilderness experiences. Rather than waiting until individuals reach a mental health crisis, LifeWays is helping children, adolescents, adults, and families access the healing power of nature earlier through prevention, early intervention, and relationship-centered care. Chris and Danny discuss the lessons they carried forward from their years at Open Sky Wilderness Therapy and how those experiences inspired a more accessible and sustainable model for the future of Outdoor Behavioral Healthcare. They share how LifeWays combines grant-funded community programs, insurance-based outpatient therapy, Wilderness Mental Health First Aid training, and therapeutic outdoor adventures to expand access to care while maintaining the transformational power of nature. Whether you're a mental health professional, educator, outdoor leader, parent, or simply interested in the future of wilderness therapy, nature-based mental health, outdoor behavioral healthcare, and preventive mental health care, this conversation offers an inspiring look at where the field may be headed next. This podcast is supported by the White Mountain Adventure Institute (WMAI.org), where Dr. Will White helps individuals, leaders, and organizations navigate growth, change, and life transitions through coaching, consulting, and retreats.  Both guests have previously been featured in as individual episode mentioned in episode:  Episode 284: Nature-Based Mental Health: The Lifeways Approach Episode 252: After Open Sky: How Danny Frazer is Shaping the Future with Gain the Ridge  

Can psychotherapy become more effective when it moves beyond the therapy office? In this episode, Will sits down with Atlanta psychotherapist Josh Wayne, LMSW, MPH, to explore nature-based psychotherapy and walk-and-talk therapy. Before becoming a therapist, Josh spent more than fifteen years as a naturalist, teaching people about wild plants, mushrooms, and ecology. Today, he integrates those experiences into his private practice, helping clients facing anxiety, grief, depression, chronic illness, and life transitions reconnect with themselves through meaningful experiences outdoors. Josh also shares how his background in public health, foraging, and ecology has shaped his approach to mental health, along with insights into green burial, the connection between physical and emotional wellbeing, and why the natural world can become an important partner in healing. Whether you're a therapist, mental health professional, graduate student, or someone curious about outdoor therapy, ecotherapy, and the relationship between nature and mental health, this conversation offers a fresh perspective on what lies beyond the therapy office. This podcast is supported by the White Mountain Adventure Institute (WMAI.org), where Dr. Will White helps individuals, leaders, and organizations navigate growth, change, and life transitions through coaching, consulting, and retreats.  

What happens when a neurodiverse young adult isn't ready for college or independent living—but has outgrown living at home? In this episode, Will sits down with David Chandler, Program Director at Intrepid Young Adults in Asheville, North Carolina, to explore how experiential therapy helps young adults with autism, ADHD, executive functioning challenges, anxiety, and other forms of neurodiversity develop the skills needed for adulthood. David explains how individualized coaching, community living, employment, and real-world experiences help young adults build confidence, purpose, relationships, and greater independence. David also shares his journey from psychiatric care to wilderness therapy at SUWS of the Carolinas before helping launch Intrepid Young Adults. Together, Will and David discuss why so many young adults struggle to transition into adulthood, the impact of COVID, technology, AI, and changing family dynamics, and why experiential learning remains a powerful approach to mental health treatment. Whether you're a parent, therapist, educational consultant, or professional working with neurodiverse young adults, this episode offers practical insights into helping young people move beyond "failure to launch" and toward meaningful, independent lives. This podcast is supported by White Mountain Adventure Institute (wmai.org), offering adventure inspired retreats and coaching facilitated by Will White.  

What is a therapeutic boarding school, and how can it help teenagers facing anxiety, depression, trauma, school refusal, and other mental health challenges? In this episode Will sits down with Peter Chorney, Executive Director of Grove School, one of the nation's oldest therapeutic boarding schools. Peter shares how Grove School has spent more than 92 years evolving its approach to residential treatment, combining academics, clinical care, family involvement, creative arts, and outdoor experiences to help teenagers build resilience, confidence, and hope. Peter also reflects on growing up on the Grove School campus, following in the footsteps of his father Richard Chorney, and leading a therapeutic boarding school through a rapidly changing mental health landscape. Together, Will and Peter discuss why family engagement is essential to successful treatment, how today's adolescents are arriving with greater levels of trauma and isolation than ever before, and why connection, community, and time in nature continue to play a vital role in helping teens and families heal. Whether you're a parent exploring residential treatment, a mental health professional, or simply interested in the evolution of therapeutic schools, this episode offers an inside look at one of the field's longest-standing and most respected programs. This podcast is supported by White Mountain Adventure Institute (wmai.org), offering adventure inspired retreats and coaching facilitated by Will White.  

Can spending time with trees become a pathway to healing? In this episode Will sits down with Regan Stacey, founder of the Forest Therapy School, to explore the growing practice of forest therapy and why so many people are turning to nature as part of their mental health and wellness journey. Regan shares the deeply personal story of how a life-changing cancer diagnosis, the loss of her brother, and profound experiences in the forest inspired her to dedicate her life to helping others reconnect with the natural world. Together they discuss what forest therapy actually is, how it differs from hiking or traditional psychotherapy, the research behind the health benefits of spending time among trees, and why slowing down may be one of the most powerful practices available in today's fast-paced world. Regan also explains how the Forest Therapy School trains guides around the world and shares moving stories of transformation that illustrate how mindfulness, nature connection, and intentional presence can help people rediscover resilience, belonging, and hope. Whether you're a mental health professional, outdoor practitioner, or simply someone seeking a deeper relationship with nature, this conversation offers an inspiring look at one of the fastest-growing approaches in outdoor wellbeing. This podcast is supported by White Mountain Adventure Institute (wmai.org), offering adventure inspired retreats and coaching facilitated by Will White.  

Can meeting the Dalai Lama influence a young person's mental health and well-being? In this episode, Will White sits down with Ryan McGinty, Executive Director of Red Mountain Sedona, to discuss an extraordinary journey that took young adults, families, and staff from Arizona to Dharamsala, India, where they met His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Ryan shares how the idea for the trip emerged through meditation, the challenges of organizing international travel during a time of global uncertainty, and why mindfulness, compassion, and non-attachment became essential lessons long before the group ever boarded a plane.  The conversation also explores how mindfulness meditation is integrated into young adult treatment, why inner peace may be one of the most overlooked components of mental health, and how Ryan's own recovery journey led him into behavioral healthcare. Together, Will and Ryan discuss leadership, experiential learning, the healing power of community, and what happens when ancient contemplative practices meet modern mental health treatment. Whether you're a clinician, parent, educator, or simply interested in mindfulness, meditation, and the future of young adult behavioral health, this episode offers an inspiring look at healing through presence, compassion, and human connection. This podcast is supported by White Mountain Adventure Institute (wmai.org), offering adventure inspired retreats and coaching facilitated by Will White.   

What happens when a therapist who has spent years working with autistic individuals suddenly becomes the parent of an autistic child? In this episode Will talks with Damon Bryan, co-founder of Autism Outdoors Utah, about how his son's autism diagnosis transformed both his personal life and his clinical perspective. Damon shares his journey from outdoor and residential mental health programs to creating a nonprofit that helps autistic individuals and their families experience the outdoors through hiking, rafting, paddleboarding, family retreats, and community events. Together, Will and Damon explore what it means to provide autism-affirming care, why traditional mental health services often overlook the importance of community and family connection, and how time in nature can support emotional regulation, confidence, and belonging. Whether you're a parent raising an autistic child, a mental health professional, educator, occupational therapist, or someone interested in outdoor therapy and neurodiversity, this conversation offers practical insights and an inspiring vision for how nature can become a powerful partner in supporting autistic individuals and the families who love them. Check out Autism Outdoors Utah Website. This podcast is supported by White Mountain Adventure Institute (wmai.org), offering adventure inspired retreats and coaching facilitated by Will White.   

How does a program built around relationships, adventure, and the outdoors evolve over ten years while staying true to its mission? In this episode, Will sits down with Foster Post, co-founder of Confluence Behavioral Health, as the Vermont-based program celebrates its 10th anniversary. Foster shares his journey into outdoor mental health treatment and reflects on the lessons learned from building a small, owner-operated program during a time of unprecedented change. From its early years featuring multi-day wilderness expeditions to its current model serving young adults through residential treatment, adventure-based programming, and community engagement, Confluence has continually adapted while staying true to its core belief in the healing power of relationships and the outdoors. Foster and Will also explore the changing needs of young adults, including rising anxiety, social isolation, self-doubt, and the impact of technology on mental health. Together, they discuss how outdoor behavioral healthcare is evolving, why community and experiential learning remain essential for growth, and what the future may hold for nature-based treatment programs. This conversation offers valuable insights for parents, clinicians, educational consultants, and anyone interested in young adult mental health, outdoor therapy, and the future of behavioral healthcare. This podcast is supported by White Mountain Adventure Institute (wmai.org), offering adventure inspired retreats and coaching facilitated by Will White.

What happens when a generation grows up more connected to screens than to the natural world? In this episode, Will sits down with outdoor educator and Wildward Institute founder Scott Shepherd to explore the growing disconnect between young people, nature, and one another. Drawing from more than 15 years of experience in outdoor, environmental, and experiential education, Scott explains why time outside is no longer just recreation—it has become an essential component of mental health, emotional regulation, resilience, and healthy youth development. Scott shares his own transformative journey sailing around the world as a teenager, discusses the challenges facing outdoor education today, and examines how screens, overprogrammed childhoods, and reduced opportunities for unstructured play are impacting young people. Together, Will and Scott explore the role of nature in supporting neurodiverse youth, building self-confidence, fostering environmental stewardship, and helping young people develop the skills they need to thrive in an uncertain future. This conversation is a powerful reminder that connecting youth to the outdoors may be one of the most important mental health interventions of our time. Here is the Wilderward Institute Website. This podcast is supported by White Mountain Adventure Institute (wmai.org), offering adventure inspired retreats and coaching for men and facilitated by Will White.

What if wilderness therapy has been helping people heal for a long time—but the field never fully understood why it works? In this episode Will sits down with Rob Meltzer, founder of the new Wilderness Therapy Institute. Rob explains why he believes wilderness therapy may function as a form of "metabolic health treatment" and shares groundbreaking efforts to study how sleep, movement, sunlight, nutrition, circadian rhythm, inflammation, and extended time in nature impact mental health. The conversation explores emerging research in metabolic psychiatry, biological mechanisms of healing, and why wilderness experiences may create profound psychological and physiological change. At the same time, this episode does not avoid the field's controversies. Rob and Will examine critical questions surrounding authority, transport practices, ethical intervention, trauma, and the evolving identity of wilderness therapy in a post-"Hell Camp" era. Rob argues that the field must improve without losing its core foundations: extended wilderness immersion, primitive living, deep human connection, and nature-based healing. This episode will resonate with therapists, researchers, parents, former students, outdoor professionals, and anyone questioning both the promise and the problems of wilderness therapy today. Wilderness Therapy Institute Webpage:  Rob was featured in pervious episodes: Episode 5: Rob Meltzer, educational consultant and founder of the wilderness therapy symposium 201: Celebrating 20 Years of Wilderness Therapy Symposium This podcast is supported by White Mountain Adventure Institute (wmai.org), offering adventure inspired retreats and coaching for men and facilitated by Will White.