A Mixed Methods Exploration of Participants' Perspectives: A Wilderness-Based Adventure Therapy Program for Youth Who Have Experienced Cancer.

This article examines how adolescents with lived experiences of cancer perceive and experience participation in the See You at the Summit (SYATS) wilderness-based adventure therapy program. Using a mixed methods design with 17 participants aged 13–17, the study identified five qualitative themes—social support and connection, choice and autonomy, psychological growth, overcoming challenges, and time in nature—that align with quantitative findings from the Adventure Therapy Experience Scale (ATES). Participants reported the greatest impact in interpersonal connections and engagement with nature, with older adolescents showing higher nature engagement and younger adolescents reporting greater focus on treatment goals. The findings suggest that adventure therapy programs like SYATS may promote resilience by fostering social support, autonomy, emotional development, and restorative experiences in nature for youth affected by cancer, highlighting the importance of incorporating choice and trauma-informed care principles in psychosocial interventions.