ABOUT AR
What does Adventure Recovery do?
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 healthy, positive ways to spend time. Clients get the chance to explore and stretch their comfort zone through supportive connections and embark on challenges that build capacity, resilience, and self-reliance.
AR guides individuals from dependence on potentially maladaptive systems of support (i.e., addictive tech, self-destruction, alcoholism, substance use disorder) to independence. Sober adventures are offered, but you don’t need to be in recovery to join us outside. AR is a multifaceted model that includes professional peer support and licensed clinical services.
We know the way, go the way, and show the way.
An Innovative and Empowering Model
The AR model incorporates mental health awareness and recovery-based practices to facilitate transformative, healing experiences. Individually, and in group settings, experiential activities create space to explore, experience awe, embrace beginner’s mind, and overcome limitations—real or imagined. This allows for the flexible integration of learning—body, mind, and spirit.
The idea is to shift our perception and isolation to 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. You are not alone.
Adventure Recovery Programming in the Field
AR provides one-on-one adventure guiding and group experiences, along with various professional training workshops and expeditions tailored to client goals. By engaging in outdoor adventures and learning, we build positive relationships, confidence, and clarity.
AR is a leading provider of therapeutic, mental health-informed adventure experiences, wilderness excursions, and individualized services.
Adventure Recovery provides bespoke adventures, each impactful and profound.
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 and substance use disorder treatment, Tim saw a new approach was needed. AR formed as a nature, peer-oriented intervention—a trailblazing organization in outdoor leadership providing experiential programming uniquely focused on mental health awareness and recovery. Adventure outpatient.
Starting with a handful of institutional clients and individuals, AR established a new niche. Today, the organization serves schools, nonprofits, treatment programs, clinical services, and families with access to unplugged, guided time outside.
What happens when you mix recovery, the outdoors, and a little healthy rebellion? You get our founder, Tim Walsh’s story. Huge thank you, Mountainside for sharing powerful paths to recovery.
Tim Walsh shares the AR model following his lecture at the Yale Youth Ministry Institute: "Awareness, Prevention, & Empowerment: A Discussion on the Role of Ministry & Teenage Substance Abuse."
The core approach is to provide an alternative, compassionate, and, most importantly, non-punitive therapeutic intervention for mental health issues and substance use disorder.
The model is simple. Adventure Recovery provides positive, professionally-facilitated nature-based activities for mental health and recovery support. AR teaches clients how to develop awareness, learn lifelong skills, and create connections through new modes of communication and experiences. The approach is transformative for individuals, institutions, and families, as well as applied in schools and mental health and substance use treatment programs. This is why we go.