Adventure Works participants hike at Afton Forest Preserve in DeKalb in January. Photo courtesy of the Daily Chronicle.

Cheers to the Daily Chronicle in Dekalb, Ill., for this article on Adventure Works, a counseling program for youth run by National Association of Social Workers member Lynette Spencer.

Young people are less likely to open up about their problems through talk therapy.

So Adventure Works uses physical activities such as hiking and canoeing to help middle school and high school-aged youth develop problem solving and confidence building skills.

““Once you get [away from] the traditional, ‘How are you doing today?’ question and, ‘What’s going on with you?’, kids will talk,” said Spencer, MSW, LCSW.

To learn more about how social workers help young people overcome life’s hurdles visit the National Association of Social Workers’ “Help Starts Here” Kids & Families web page by clicking here.