Ben Knowles – Australia

Ben Knowles

Victoria, Australia

Organisation: Australian Association for Bush Adventure Therapy Inc.
Role: Australian Representative (ATIC), Director (Adventure Works Australia)
Website: http://www.aabat.org.au/
Email:
Phone: 614-081-46802

About Ben

Ben is dedicated towards seeing bush adventure therapy become widely available for people from all walks of life who face difficulty or hardship. Ben has experienced and witnessed the self-affirming and life-changing joy of a time spent in the bush and the breadth of healing that can accompany this.

Since 2007 Ben has been significantly involved in the establishment of the Australian Association for Bush Adventure Therapy Inc. Over this time he has been responsible for holding a number of roles including a four-year term as Chairperson of the association (2010 – 2014).He currently holds the role of International Representative (Australian Representative on the Adventure Therapy International Committee). In 2018 he was a co-convenor of the 8th International Adventure Therapy Conference – Australia.

Ben began work in the outdoor education field in 1997. His education includes: a Master of Narrative Therapy and Community Work (University of Melbourne), a Graduate Diploma in Narrative Therapy and Community Work (Dulwich Centre), a Graduate Diploma in Experiential Learning (Victoria University), and a Bachelor of Education majoring in Outdoor Education and Environmental Studies (Victoria University). Ben has also undertaken training in the Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics (NMT), Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR), the Three Phase Approach to working with complex trauma. Ben holds level 4 membership with the Australian Counselling Association.

Over his adult working life Ben has found himself traversing the fields of outdoor education, teaching, training, bush adventure therapy and clinical therapy. Alongside his organisation Adventure Works Australia, Ben practices as a senior clinician with Berry Street’s Take Two program working with young people who have experienced significant trauma or neglect.