Pilgrimages in Outdoor Therapy

Presenters: Max Prieto & Will Dobud

Abstract: Pilgrimage as a powerful metaphor for conceptualising outdoor therapy experiences. Drawing on outdoor therapy research, practice, and personal adventures walking the Camino de Santiago in Spain, Max and Will reflect on the therapeutic potential of journeying as a space for disorientation, encounter, and transformation. By stepping outside conventional clinical settings, outdoor therapy invites a reimagining of meaning-making as a shared, unfolding process shaped by place, movement, and meaning.

About the Presenters:

Max Prieto graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2015 with a degree in psychology and completed a Master’s in Outdoor Education at the University of Edinburgh in 2020. His dissertation explored the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage as a culturally relevant framework for outdoor journeys, highlighting its potential to support therapeutic and developmental processes. A qualified Mountain Guide (UIMLA) and Wilderness First Responder, Max has spent the past decade facilitating therapeutic, personal, and social growth through outdoor expeditions in diverse cultural contexts. He has accompanied both young people and adults on Camino experiences, including a month-long journey with a struggling young adult. Now based in Spain, he continues to develop outdoor therapy programmes and training. 

Will Dobud, PhD has over 20 years of therapeutic experience working with youth and families from diverse backgrounds across the US, Australia, and Norway. He has developed innovative programs that integrate psychotherapy and the outdoors to improve teenagers’ experience when seeking mental health treatment. A dedicated, award-winning researcher and senior social work lecturer, Will explores ways to improve the experience and effectiveness of mental health supports, and advocates for youth impacted by the United States’ troubled-teen industry. Will is the co-author of Kids These Days: Understanding and Supporting Youth Mental Health.