Professional Development With A Special Purpose
RelateAbility offers adventure-based training for professionals who want to use experiential learning in thoughtful, effective ways. We’ll engage in movement, activities, and simple challenge-based exercises to help you build trust, promote effective communication, and enhance collaboration with groups you lead. Our approach facilitates student, client, and staff grow through active, hands-on experiences as well as thoughtful conversations.
For facilitators, this training can make group work feel more engaging, creative, and enjoyable while still serving a serious purpose. And it can happen in an office, classroom, gym, outdoors, and other places which spark intrigue, curiosity, and joy for you. You’ll learn to provide students, clients, and staff opportunities to connect with others, try new skills, and leave with an experience that feels meaningful and memorable.
Who Benefits
This training is designed for counselors, social workers, educators, group facilitators, and community leaders who work with groups and want to strengthen relationships, learning, engagement, reflection, and connection.
Become A Better Facilitator
When You Learn To
design and lead experiential groups with confidence...
You Trust
your roadmap even when things don't go as planned.
When You Learn To
match powerful reflection and processing questions with activities...
You Promote
learning and memorable group experiences.
When You Learn To
facilitate new activities and novel ways to process your favorite ones...
You Become
more versatile and excited to work with your next group.
When You Learn To
facilitate in trauma-informed ways...
You Create
safer and healthier environments for you and your group members.
When you Learn To
facilitate across different settings and group populations...
You Become
a more confident, effective, and inclusive facilitator.
Training & Workshop Offerings
RelateAbility offers Credential and Certification Pathways. Participants usually earn a certificate of completion to submit for training hours required toward the Certified Clinical Adventure Therapist (CCAT) or Certified Therapeutic Adventure Specialist (CTAS) credentials offered from the Association for Experiential Education.
Your trainer will be a Texas Licensed Professional Counselor-Supervisor (LPC-S). The Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council recognizes a licensee with supervisor status as an approved Continuing Education provider for licensed professional counselors in Texas, when training is directly related to the practice of professional counseling. Check with your licensing or certification boards to see if training provided by an LPC-S in Texas will meet your Continuing Education needs.
Facilitation & Processing of Experiences
- Establishing group norms and building cohesion
- Understanding trauma responses in Adventure Programming
- Adapting interventions to meet evolving group needs
- Generalizing and transferring adventure experiences to everyday life
Conceptual Knowledge of Adventure Programming
- History and foundations of Adventure programming
- Connecting interventions with clinical/learning theories
- Key components of Adventure interventions
- Adventure Therapy Models
Using Adventure-based Interventions
- Activities and techniques used in Adventure programming
- Selecting culturally relevant Adventure experiences
- Selecting and conducting Adventure interventions that are appropriate and individualized to the client/student
Learning & Presentation Formats
Adventure Into Wellness Retreats
Half-Day or Full-Day
Counselors, social workers, and educators are immersed in experiential activities and "fill their own buckets" to:
Adventure Into Wellness Retreats
- Learn about adventure programming.
- Experience group interactions which promote healthy connections.
- Expand facilitator toolboxes.
- Rejuvenate their capacity to serve others and engage with peers.
Online & In-person Consultation
50 Total Hours
Similar to the support interns receive for licensure, consultation sessions are provided in an individual or group format to:
Online & In-person Consultation
- Satisfy supervision requirements for credentialing as a Certified Clinical Adventure Therapist (CCAT) or Certified Therapeutic Adventure Specialist (CTAS) through the Association for Experiential Education.
- Help practitioners tailor adventure and experiential programming to their unique facilitation style and theory of change.
- Bring experiential learning to life in safe and effective ways.
Keynote
Single Session
Keynotes blend theory with experiential insights, inspiring counselors, educators, and group facilitators to:
Keynote
- Connect meaningfully with others in a large group setting.
- Integrate adventure-focused frameworks into their regular practice.
- Think creatively.
- Reflect intentionally.
Adventure Into Wellness: Professional Development Series
Multi-Day
Cohorts (either agency-driven or self-driven individuals) build their understanding of adventure therapy and experiential learning. Participants return to their program sites highly motivated to:
Adventure Into Wellness: Professional Development Series
- Implement adventure-based programming.
- Practice new activities and games.
- Allow adventure activities to complement their work and unique style of facilitation.
- Remain connected to fellow cohort members for peer support.
- Continue learning about adventure therapy and experiential programming.
Curriculum/Program Development for Agencies & Schools
Three to Six-Months (Project-based)
Discover how experiential learning and adventure therapy fit your organization’s unique setting and populations. Multiple consultation and training sessions produce:
Curriculum/Program Development for Agencies & Schools
- Adventure programming which complements your culture, mission, and vision.
- An experiential group curriculum that satisfies program outcomes or goals.
- Opportunities for staff to practice facilitating groups with the support of a Certified Clinical Adventure Therapist.
- Training kit(s) which strengthens your staff’s ability to facilitate groups with appropriate resources.
- Risk-management tools and strategies.
Resources for Practitioners Interested in Adventure Therapy Certification
In 2020, the Association for Experiential Education (AEE) began credentialing licensed practitioners as Certified Clinical Adventure Therapists (CCAT) and non-licensed practitioners as Certified Therapeutic Adventure Specialists (CTAS). Below you’ll find information about the credentials and the Core Elements of Adventure Therapy training. As a collaborator in the development of these credentials alongside top researchers and practitioners in the field of adventure therapy, RelateAbility’s founder is glad to answer your questions about the certification and provide training which aligns with the CCAT and CTAS requirements.
Frequently asked questions
This training is for therapists, educators, social workers, and group facilitators who want to strengthen their experiential practice.
No. The training is designed to be practical and accessible for a range of experience levels.
Not at all. Educators, school staff, and other group leaders can also benefit from the training.
Yes. The goal is to give you tools you can bring into your own groups the next time you facilitate.
Most times, yes. It will depend whether the training you select aligns with CE requirements for your licensing board or certificate.
Your trainer will be a Texas Licensed Professional Counselor-Supervisor (LPC-S). The Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council (BHEC) recognizes a licensee with supervisor status as an approved CE provider for licensed professional counselors in Texas. Check with your licensing boards to see if training provided by an LPC-S in Texas will meet your needs.
Certificates of completion are available for all participants seeking credentialing as a Certified Clinical Adventure Therapist or Certified Therapeutic Adventure Specialist through the Association for Experiential Education.
Yes. These training opportunities are offered sparingly throughout the year and will be publicized on this website and social media. If you would like to be notified of upcoming training sessions, please complete this form.
Yes, we offer specialized Therapist & Group Facilitator Consultation. We partner with fellow clinicians to co-plan and facilitate (as appropriate) active sessions for their existing clients—such as taking a family or therapy group onto a ropes course to build real-time communication skills.
We offer a free 30-minute consultation to discuss your team’s needs and priorities. Based upon our conversation, we will design a customized program for you. Services are tier-structured starting at an $800 investment per project. The final costs based on:
- Program Type (In-person or virtual; )
- Program Duration (half-day, single-day, or multi-day experiences)
- Team Size (certain activities require additional facilitators for larger groups)
- Training Materials & Supplies (development of customized materials, certificates, executive summaries, and refreshments)
- Location (permit fees, space rentals, and land-use costs)
- Travel expenses (for in-person services provided outside San Antonio, Texas)
Rates include flexible rescheduling options in case of severe weather.