Adventure Camp

Adventure Camp, a replication of Brave Buddies, is a group exposure therapy treatment within a classroom setting where "campers" are paired with "counselors" who facilitate and immediately reinforce verbal communication. It is run by Dr. Carmen Lynas in the Chicago, Illinois area. Each counselor receives training provided by Steven Kurtz, Ph.D., developer of Brave Buddies. Following the training in Kurtz's method, the counselors participate in lead-in sessions (flexibly scheduled in June and July) designed to expose and systematically desensitize the child: first to one counselor, then two, and eventually to another camper, in preparation for the camp in August.

The camp is scheduled for Aug 8-12, 2011, and will likely take place at Butler Jr. High, in Oak Brook, IL (or another area school). The classroom setting will simulate real-life classroom expectations, but with therapeutic facilitation of verbal output and immediate reinforcement. There will be recess and lunch, just like a typical school day. In the afternoons, there will be field trips out to the community where the campers will have the opportunity to practice their "brave talking" and continue to receive consistent and immediate reinforcement. At the end of each day, the children will cash in their reinforcement tokens for a prize. To register your child, please call 630-528-3831 or email drcarmenlynas@me.com.