Active Mental Health
Therapy. Community. Adventure.
"Adventure rouses the mind from complacency and is therefore a means for education and change."
Jon Baillie, LPC, owner Active Mental Health
Services
Adventure Therapy vs Traditional Therapy
Adventure Therapy is the prescriptive use of adventure experiences provided by mental health professionals, often conducted in natural settings that kinesthetically engage clients on cognitive, affective, and behavioral levels." (Gass, Gillis, and Russell, 2012)
Traditional Therapy on the other hand is likely what you think of when you think of therapy or counseling. This often takes place in an office setting where the therapist and client engage in conversation using various interventions to help the client (you) move towards your desired change.
Individual Therapy
Individual therapy sessions are about 1 hour in length and are one on one, you and the therapist. These can use incorporate both adventure and traditional therapy models.
Adventure Therapy
Adventure therapy sessions can take place indoors or outdoors and can include a wide range of interventions/activities including walking/hiking, shelter building, creeking, climbing, fishing, etc. Click here if interested.
Group Therapy
Group therapy involves 3 or more clients together with a therapist. These sessions are often 90-minutes or more and can take place indoors or outdoors using both traditional and adventure therapy models.
Guided Adventures
Not sure if you're ready or have questions?
Text 412 339 0599 for a free 15-minute consultation.
Guiding uses therapeutic adventure rather than adventure therapy. Essentially, these experiences are less "treatment" oriented and more about the adventure. That being said, these services do not utilize insurance for billing. Examples include guided: hikes, bike trips, fishing trips, etc. The therapy is the adventure itself. Click here if interested.
Areas of Focus
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Addiction (substance abuse and behavioral addictions such as gambling and pornography)
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Depression
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Anxiety
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Stress management
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Purpose/meaning
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ADHD
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Grief and loss
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Burnout
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Parenting difficulties
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Men's issues
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Trauma
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Spirituality/faith-based
Mission
At the heart of our mission is you.
Through therapy, nature and adventure, we seek to help you know yourself more, to challenge fears and perceptions that keep you stuck, in pain or feeling lost, to heal and ultimately to help you move towards your desired change.
Our Core Beliefs
Compassion
Embracing Empathy
Compassion lies at the heart of our mission, guiding every interaction we have with our clients. We believe that by fostering a compassionate environment, we can support individuals in their journey towards change, self-discovery and or healing.
Adventure
Choosing a Different Path
We are committed to client-centered therapy approaches that incorporate traditional therapy practices while also integrating adventure and experiences to help make discussion and insights gained a reality. Our dedication to exploring what works best for you ensures that our clients receive compassionate, effective care tailored to their unique needs.
Faith
Growing in Trust
Faith is foundational to how we think, actions we take and don't take, and ultimately to how we perceive and respond to what takes place in our lives. Faith is a value and a practice, for faith without action is dead. Working to know and understand your faith, why you believe what you do, is key to growing in your relationship and understanding of yourself.
Community
Building Connection
We believe in the power of community and the strength that comes from connection. By fostering a supportive community environment, we enable individuals to feel understood, accepted, and supported. Life is not meant to be done alone, connection is the balm for so many sources of pain.
About
Jon Baillie
Owner - Active Mental Health
Licensed Professional Counselor
Hi, I'm Jon Baillie, owner of Active Mental Health and Licensed Professional Counselor. I've been working in the mental health field since 2008 and since that time have gained a wide range of experience in working with adults, children, families and groups. Over the years, I have learned the importance of action as it relates to change. This is the general idea behind Active Mental Health...taking action to engage the opportunity presented to you via struggle, and ultimately, change. This allows you to be a participant in the the process of change versus being swept away in the current. In turn, this can be empowering, character building and revealing in terms of who you are, your strengths and weaknesses or areas for growth. It is within the struggle that we find the opportunity and ourselves. Action is required for this. Action takes you from thinking about doing something, being a spectator to things in your life to being on the playing field, actively engaged in your life where you learn, grow and evolve.
Why nature? Why adventure?
Nature is shown to be naturally therapeutic. Just ten or fifteens outside reduces stress hormone levels, decreases blood pressure and decreases heart rate. There is a great deal of research on this topic that covers everything from the benefits of playing in the dirt to smelling the air in the forest and experiencing awe because of the nature around you. To say the least, the benefits are many! I choose to use nature therapy for all of these reasons and because it is absolutely conducive to experience and action. Therapy outside moves us from insightful and practical conversations in a chair to insightful and practical experiences outside. The adventure is the experience and makes things real. In short, using nature and adventure in therapy lets us take the conversation from hypothetical to real and in the moment experience. This literally and figuratively moves us towards change.