Readiness to Change, Trait Emotional Intelligence, and Client Fit in Wilderness Therapy

Abstract

Youth (aged 12–30) are the most likely age group to experience problematic substance abuse, yet this population experiences relatively low rates of success in treatment and limited research and understanding exists regarding “client fit.” This study explored how youth participation in one Canadian wilderness therapy program affects trait emotional intelligence (TEI) and readiness to change (RC) and how pretreatment client-level variables—presenting problems, sex, age, funding, digital interference in everyday life, or substance abuse severity—moderate these relationships. A case study design was engaged, and the intervention was found to produce statistically significant increases in RC but not in TEI. Relative to pretreatment client-level variables, participants who experienced interference in their everyday life due to video games or online activity before treatment had larger TEI change scores, while participants who experienced interference in their everyday life due to virtual relationships had larger changes in RC. No client-level pretreatment variables in this study significantly predicted increases in RC following wilderness therapy.