In 2013 the Outdoor Behavioral Healthcare Council and the Association of Experiential Education jointly embarked upon the expansion of AEE’s existing accreditation standards to better reflect the current practices of adventure and wilderness therapy. This resulted in the creation of a detailed set of ethical, risk management, and treatment standards created by longstanding leaders in OBH, adventure therapy, and wilderness programming including OBH Center researchers and affiliates. Currently, there are 17 AEE-OBH accredited programs and this accreditation is OPEN to ANY program engaging in adventure and/or wilderness therapy, not just OBH Council member programs.

What are the benefits of becoming accredited by AEE OBH?

There can be multiple advantages of becoming accredited. These include, but are not limited to:

  1. Legal protection – accredited organizations may be better able to defend themselves against lawsuits.
  2. Credibility and image improvement – becoming accredited increases the credibility of the field, professionalize the organization, and may increase organization’s ability to attract resources
  3. Public protection – accreditation offers a measure of protection to the general public by advancing standards and provides both staff and participants an indication of program quality.
  4. Improved quality and performance – the identification of quality and performance indicators through a set of consensus standards, advancing the field through increased professionalism, consistency, and improve practices.
  5. Enhanced marketing, public relations, and recognition – increased referrals, greater education to the media and public about responsible programming, a distinguishing feature for program marketing.
  6. Educational and professional development – the professional collaboration required by accreditation processes creates an invaluable source of professional interaction, the examination of emerging trends in the field, and an environment of openness and learning for all involved.
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Accreditation for Outdoor Behavioral Healthcare Programs

For more information on AEE-OBH Accreditation...

Association for Experiential Education