Fiona Cameron (she/her)
Fiona Cameron (she/her) is of Celtic heritage, and she currently lives, works and plays on Wurundjeri and Taungurang country (Victoria) in Australia. Fiona has been involved with the field of Adventure and Nature-Based Therapies for 25 years in varying capacities as a therapist, manager, author and presenter. She was initially drawn to this work through her personal passion for adrenalin activities and natural spaces; but this quickly morphed into a much broader understanding and landscape for professional pursuits which have included programs ranging from remote wilderness journeying, multi-day base camping to day activities. Fiona remains passionate about utilising the concept of adventure and connection with nature for health and wellbeing. She is curious about global similarities and differences and wishes to encourage others in the region to invest in this work to learn, share and build robust and resilient communities together.
feecameron44@gmail.com
+61 439020759
Amanda Smith (She/her)
Amanda (she/her) is a social work lecturer at Griffith University, Australia. Amanda has over two decades experience working in various community and government sectors including direct service delivery, counselling, therapeutic program design and facilitation, leadership and training / education. She continues to bridge values and principles of compassion and critical structural analysis within her teaching, practice and ‘gaze’ within the adventure and nature-based therapy field.
She founded a Bush Adventure Therapy program within a national NGO service and designed, facilitated and evaluated numerous BAT programs. She advocates for the introduction of Bush Adventure Therapy curriculum and progressive pedagogical approaches to be offered in social work and other health care tertiary education settings.
Amanda co-facilitates the Foundations of Outdoor Therapy training with Adventure Works and co-established the first LGBTIQASB+ Outdoors Health Australia group. Amanda was the previous national Chair of Australian Association for Bush Adventure Therapy.
-What drew you to this work?
At first, I was drawn to this work in response to human suffering and believing that bush adventure therapy could have a real influence in being alongside people’s movement into care and love for self and calming trauma responses in their systems. I still believe in this but now, I believe this approach can also centre and care for the planet in real ways that offer requests for forgiveness for what humans are doing to other humans and the planet. Bush adventure therapy programs and training can be very powerful.
-Why would you encourage others in your region to also do this work?
Outdoor Health Australia (OHA) and IAANT have a lot to offer health care professionals, and you are invited to learn more and contribute more to and from this community. Know that there is so much research to support your calling to this field and way of working alongside people and communities. More facilitators and health care professionals are integrating adventure and nature-based therapy into curriculum and professional ways of working. Join us in learning and strengthening an ethical and relational way of practicing culturally and relationally.
a.smith2@griffith.edu.au
