AT in Taiwan
Dr. Chih-Mou Hsieh was the pioneer in promoting AT in Taiwan. In 2006, he convened Taiwanese experiential education professionals to found the Asia Association for Experiential Education (AAEE). Adventure therapy has always been a key focus of the association's development. AAEE's promotion of adventure therapy in Taiwan can be divided into three ways: learning from abroad, accumulating domestic experience, and international interaction.
Learning from abroad
AAEE has invited foreign adventure therapy experts to Taiwan for lectures and workshops almost every year since its founding, up to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. In total, 11 foreign experts have been invited to give 16 lectures and workshops, providing many opportunities for people in Taiwan who are interested in pursuing adventure therapy.
Accumulating domestic experience
Since the founding of AAEE in 2006, researchers and practitioners of AT can present their findings and experiences at the annual conference and exchange ideas with their peers. In addition to the annual conference, AAEE has also held local AT conferences in 2011, 2014, 2015, and 2020. This shows that AT is a field of practice that is constantly evolving and has the potential for continued development in Taiwan.
The Taiwan Therapeutic Adventure Professional Group (TTAPG) was founded in 2014. This group includes scholars and practitioners from a variety of fields, including psychiatry, clinical and counseling psychology, social work, and experiential and outdoor education. TTAPG has also established an AT committee within the AAEE organization, which helps to promote the development of AT in a more organized and professional manner.
International interaction
Taiwan has participated in the International Adventure Therapy Conference (IATC) since the fourth edition (2006). From the beginning, it was individual participation, but after the establishment of TTAPG, we began to participate as a team, which began to increase Taiwan’s visibility in the world. In 2018, four TTAPG members attended the 8th conference in Australia to promote Taiwan’s development of AT and our intention to apply for the 10th IATC. We also submitted the application three years later, and on February 25, 2022, we officially received the approval of the International Adventure Therapy Committee to host the 10th IATC in Taiwan in 2025.