Adventure Therapy

in Costa Rica

The Pure Life Program

“Through research based techniques we integrate therapeutic models with an emphasis on adventure therapy, cultural immersion, wellness and community service.”

Surfing, rappelling, whitewater rafting, and other activities are tools inherent to Adventure Therapy. As tools they help break down walls and challenge students, but they also give the clinical field staff a unique look into the individual struggles of each student. From this, individual treatment plans are created, adjusted, and proven successful both here at Pure Life Adventure, and in the student’s personal lives at home.

Our students engage in individual therapy and group therapy on a weekly basis. Pure Life Adventure uses a hands-on, strengths-based, student-integrated clinical model through which participants quickly learn new, healthy coping strategies, behavioral and emotional regulation skills, leadership skills, and life skills that lead to future success.

Our foundational goal is to facilitate the development of a higher level of self-efficacy (the strength of one’s belief in their ability to complete tasks). We help students learn to use their strengths to build a stronger foundation for their future. We use the latest research and data to continue to refine our treatment program and our approach with young people.

Click below to download our Research Paper on the benefits of Adventure Wilderness Therapy:

"By learning to accept the physical discomfort of being in the wilderness, I learned how to cope with my emotional discomfort so it would no longer hinder me from living."

One step at a time

Student Profile

While “failure to launch” is not an accurate diagnostic category, the phenomena of young adults feeling stranded in life or overwhelmed by adulthood is not uncommon. Young adults who struggle with anxiety, lack of motivation, depression, and social skills may find their problems getting worse under the pressure of adulthood. Pure Life’s Adventure Therapy students are typically facing challenges associated with:

Depression
Anxiety
Substance abuse
Screening/gaming abuse
Executive function deficits
Low motivation
Adoption
Low self-esteem
Body image
Trauma

Individuals attending our program have a willingness to change. Our program is open to young men and women, ages 18 to 30. Adventure Therapy helps young adults by providing individual and group therapy. Our students also work on their social skills, leadership skills, life planning skills, and vocational development. Through cultural immersion, community service, and adventure based activities, our students develop the skills and experiences necessary to get them through this difficult transition so they can thrive and flourish on their own.

A typical day at Pure Life Adventure Costa Rica includes many high-quality adventure elements designed to build confidence. We rise early and begin our morning routines focused on setting SMART goals, reviewing curriculum, stretching, meditating, journaling, and preparing breakfast. We then set off on an adventure designed to build up our students followed by structured personal time, dinner, and then a nightly review and check-in.

To learn more about Pure Life Adventure and if it’s a good fit for you, contact us now and we can begin the process.

Cultural Immersion

Our students explore parts of Costa Rica that many locals haven’t even heard of in order to get a unique and authentic, life changing experience. In a number of recent studies, Costa Rica is found to be one of the happiest countries in the world. If you’ve ever been to Costa Rica this shouldn’t come as a surprise. Costa Ricans or “Ticos,” as they affectionately call themselves, embrace the principle of living simply and enjoying the good things that life has to offer. In our high-tech, fast-paced, “I want it now” society, we tend to get lost in the many distractions that are so freely available to us. Although this pace has its benefits, it is easy to lose track of what’s most important in life. You can’t spend time with the Costa Rican people without being forever changed.

Here at Pure Life, we engage in many community outreach activities. Through this process, participants gain new perspective on life. Through helping others, our students develop increased empathy and compassion that fosters gratitude, overall life satisfaction and a greater sense of meaning.

Cultural homestays are an opportunity for students to stay in the home of a local Costa Rican family. This usually means sleeping on the floor with the guides and the rest of the group in a safe and clean environment. Cultural Homestays benefit all parties involved. Host families benefit as they are paid for room and board, and students are asked to roll up their sleeves and pitch in with daily chores in and out of the house.

Students gain a rich understanding of a very different culture by engaging in all aspects of family life. From harvesting and preparing food, to performing daily chores, they have an opportunity to observe basic human characteristics we all share regardless of our place in the world. Cultural Homestays also encourage students to assess their own needs versus wants. Students take time to reflect on the expression of values in relationships and daily life, explore and strengthen their core values, and gain a deeper appreciation for simplicity.

To learn more about how cultural immersion and Pure Life Adventure can benefit you, contact us now.

Health & Wellness

Activities such as yoga, fitness classes, and meditation encourage participants to adopt a lifestyle of health and wellness. The importance of good nutrition and proper hydration are stressed as part of the daily routine. Self-improvement starts with a healthy routine. Evidence increasingly suggests that healthy eating and regular exercise are vital, not only to our physical health, but to our mental health as well. By learning healthy habits, each student is on a path to sustainable self-improvement, health and well being.

To further ensure that each student is healthy, they receive weekly medical check-ups by our onsite nurse during their time on campus.

In the cultural homestays, participants will enjoy fresh and organic home-cooked meals that almost always include home grown rice and beans. For the typical Costa Rican, a meal is not a meal without rice and beans. When the two are mixed together, they make up a complete protein that is very healthy for the average diet.

One of the most impactful benefits of the Pure Life Adventure model is taking young adults out of the toxic environment in which they live. This allows them to choose a positive path and allows them to focus on finding themselves in a healthy, substance-free lifestyle. We also tap into the benefits and realization that nature is a powerful healer. More and more research is suggesting that exposure to the outdoors has many psychological and emotional benefits: improved clarity, enhanced problem-solving abilities, reduction in ADD/ADHD symptoms, improved critical thinking and decision-making, and more.

Certification Courses

Swift Water Rescue Certification Week To ensure our student’s safety in the water, each student completes a Swift Water Rescue certification. Students work as a team to learn a variety of skills that will ensure aquatic safety, including:

How to swim defensively and offensively
Proper use of a throw bag (bag of rope as a safety line)
Proper use of whitewater raft
How to swim in rapids
Rescue techniques
How to flip a boat

Wilderness First Aid Certification Each student attends five days of Wilderness First Aid Classes, where they have the opportunity to learn how to save lives in the wilderness, or anywhere in which they encounter situations where these skills are needed. Our trainers bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the group and are always well received by our participants. The work is challenging, and the tests are rigorous. While the days are long and tiring, our students learn skills that can help save another person’s life, including, but not limited to:

Patient Assessment
CPR
Negligence and standards of care
Wilderness First Aid Expectations
Self-protective measures (i.e. gloves, masks)
Checking vitals signs
Creating splints
Scene safety assessment

Technical Rope Rescue Certification Pure Life also teaches the Technical Ropes Rescue certification material to the Pure Life students. During this certification class, our students are challenged by learning:

Knot tying
Varieties of rope
Hardware
Pulleys
Rappelling
Ascending

What are you waiting for? For more information on whether the Pure Life Adventure experience is the right fit for you, contact us now.

Family Work

Family involvement is an integral component to the Pure Life process. Often parents feel powerless and discouraged with respect to their child and they simply don’t know the best way to be supportive. Our therapists meet with our young adults during campus days on Monday and Tuesday. During the week, the therapists work closely with the parents focusing on important family dynamics and parent coaching. Therapists coordinate care with the student and parent on a weekly basis. Parents are expected to work hard during their son or daughter’s stay at Pure Life. They interact with their young adult through the Family Portal through weekly letter writing and photos. We facilitate family or sibling visits to Costa Rica when therapeutically appropriate.

At Pure Life, we understand and teach parenting is an important part of the therapy process. The key to parenting a young adult though is to help, not helicopter. Young adults who report having “over-controlling” parents have higher levels of stress and anxiety. This doesn’t mean parents shouldn’t be involved. Parents are still the biggest support system. We work with young adults and parents to discover that healthy family dynamic.

If you are a parent and know Pure Life Adventure wilderness therapy is something for your child and you’d like to get in touch with us, contact us now. Date to challenge. Dare to change. Dare to live.

“Our students work on their social skills, leadership skills, life planning skills and vocational development.
Through cultural immersion, community service and adventure based activities, they develop the skills and experiences necessary so they can thrive and flourish on their own.”

Adventure Therapy

in Costa Rica

The Pure Life Program

“Through research based techniques we integrate therapeutic models with an emphasis on adventure therapy, cultural immersion, wellness and community service.”

"By learning to accept the physical discomfort of being in the wilderness, I learned how to cope with my emotional discomfort so it would no longer hinder me from living."

One step at a time

Student Profile

Cultural Immersion

Health & Wellness

Certification Courses

Family Work

“Our students work on their social skills, leadership skills, life planning skills and vocational development.
Through cultural immersion, community service and adventure based activities, they develop the skills and experiences necessary so they can thrive and flourish on their own.”

Get in touch for more information

What they are saying about us...

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA

PURE LIFE HQ

INFO

AFFILIATIONS

Adventure Therapy

in Costa Rica

The Pure Life Program

“Through research based techniques we integrate therapeutic models with an emphasis on adventure therapy, cultural immersion, wellness and community service.”

"By learning to accept the physical discomfort of being in the wilderness, I learned how to cope with my emotional discomfort so it would no longer hinder me from living."

One step at a time

Student Profile

“Our students work on their social skills, leadership skills, life planning skills and vocational development.Through cultural immersion, community service and adventure based activities, they develop the skills and experiences necessary so they can thrive and flourish on their own.”

Get in touch for more information

What they are saying about us...

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA

PURE LIFE HQ

INFO

AFFILIATIONS

“Our students work on their social skills, leadership skills, life planning skills and vocational development.
Through cultural immersion, community service and adventure based activities, they develop the skills and experiences necessary so they can thrive and flourish on their own.”