Written by Kaiumati Roche
If you've guided for more than a season or two, you've watched good people leave. Sometimes it's a friend who swore they'd be out there forever. Sometimes it's you, sitting on the tailgate after shift, wondering how many more rotations you have in you.
I've spent a lot of my life in the space where mental health and the outdoors meet, and the question I hear most from guides isn't "How do I get better at the job?" It's "How do I keep doing this without losing myself?" This post is my answer, or at least the start of one.
When I started working in Wilderness Therapy in 2011, it wasn’t uncommon to be working alongside someone in the field with experience between 5-15 years in the field. These individuals were drawn to the work from other fields with deep wells of knowledge and experience living and working in the outdoors. I spent much of my time learning and asking those guides with the most experience why they stay with it, because I’d set out with a mission to gain as much as possible from the experience and thus retain myself in the field as long as I could; they clearly had the answers I was looking for. While staying is a choice, it’s also a practice, or the wear and tear of the work will make it for you. Sometimes a change is as good as a break.
Why guides leave (it isn't because they're not tough enough)
The research backs up what most of us already know from the field. In a survey of 129 field instructors at three outdoor behavioral healthcare programs, Marchand et al. (2009) confirmed high turnover and grouped the hardest parts of the job into three buckets: time and schedule constraints, emotional anxiety and stress, and physical and mental challenges. Keeping romantic relationships going outside of work stood out as a real strain.
Pay and belonging matter too. In a study of outdoor adventure education field staff (not wilderness therapy staff specifically), Hall and Jostad (2020) found that pay satisfaction and sense of community were the significant predictors of whether staff planned to leave.
Many of us also show up underprepared for the emotional side of the work. Initial training for field instructors tends to focus on technical, educational and relationship skills, and often skips the job-demand stressors we actually face (Marchand & Russell, 2011). Researchers have also looked at the gap between what new instructors expect and the demands they meet once they're out there (Marchand & Russell, 2013).
And here's the hopeful part: Kolaski and Taylor (2019) found important links between vocational purpose, coping and burnout among field staff. Purpose and coping are things we can work on. That's where the rest of this post lives.
A mental health check-in for the end of each rotation
This isn't a clinical screening. It's a mirror. At the end of each shift, ask yourself whether, over the last rotation or two, you've noticed any of these (yes, sometimes, or no):
Dreading going back days before the shift starts
Not feeling rested, even after your days off
Getting short with clients or coworkers more than usual
Feeling numb, cynical or detached about the work
Pulling away from friends, family or a partner on your off-shift
Leaning harder on alcohol, cannabis, caffeine or screens to come down or get going
Cutting corners on safety, gear or documentation you'd normally catch
Ignoring nagging injuries or sickness
Losing touch with why you do this work
Daydreaming about quitting mid-shift
There's no score. A few "sometimes" answers are normal in hard work, so watch the trend from rotation to rotation. If the same "yes" answers keep showing up, that's your signal to act, not to push harder.
If you're having thoughts of harming yourself, or you can't function day to day, please reach out to a licensed mental health professional, or call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (US).
Unpack, recover, prep
I've written before about how gear management and self-care are two sides of the same coin. The thresholds on either side of a shift are where that idea really earns its keep.
Unpacking out. As each piece of gear goes back, notice what's still with you from the week. Ask yourself three questions, out loud or on paper: What went well? What's still with me? What do I need before next shift? Then make a real transition: shower, change clothes, eat a proper meal, and let the people at home know you need a little landing time.
Recovering (your first one to three days off). Sleep without an alarm at least once. Move your body in a way that isn't work. Deal with laundry and gear once so it isn't hanging over you. Have one real conversation with someone outside the job, and do one thing that has nothing to do with the outdoors-as-work.
Prepping for the field (the day before you go back). Pack early, in the same order every time; repetition turns packing into grounding. Run the check-in above. Set one personal intention for the rotation. Before you step into the field, take three slow breaths and feel your feet on the ground.
In researching how to best structure my time off I spoke with special forces and first responders they all spoke of the importance of physical routine to provide mental structure for processing what happens at work and providing some similar space through the ritual of preparation to leave home and return to work.
Protect what keeps you going on shift
Ask to hear outcomes. Something as simple as "Is there a way we could hear how students are doing after they leave?" can change a season. Keep a "why file" of notes and moments that mattered.
Take your personal time, and don't spend it on paperwork.
Bring the play. Start the game, laugh at yourself. Kind humor is a crew resource.
Find ways to challenge your growth Edge. Present a new topic, take a new course, try something new at work.
Ask for what you need (a simple script)
A specific request is easier to say yes to. Try Notice → Need → Offer → Ask:
"Over the last few rotations I've noticed [a pattern, e.g., I'm not recovering on my days off]. To keep doing this well, I need [a specific change]. I can [an offer, e.g., cover a swap in the spring]. Can we look at that together by [date]?"
Bring it to your direct supervisor first, and follow up in writing.
Plan a path so leaving isn't the only option
Rate yourself 1–5 on each of the 12 core competencies of outdoor leaders and circle the two you want to grow this year. Then bring three questions to your supervisor: What does the next role look like here? What would I need to show to get there? What support can the program give? If those answers don't exist where you are, my 10 filters for examining organizations can help you vet your next program before you move.
Build your support crew
Nobody guides alone, and nobody should carry this work alone either.
Peers for shared experience and the reminder that you're not the only one.
A mentor for skills and for navigating your program.
A coach for goals, boundaries, burnout prevention, and career pathing.
A therapist for trauma, clinical symptoms, or anything affecting your daily life.
Coaching is a longevity tool, not a last resort. If work stress is following you home, our new self-paced course on work-related stress for professionals is a good place to start building those skills on your own time.
Let's talk
If any of this landed for you, I'd love to hear where you are in your own season. My first conversation with every guide is a free, no-pressure 30 minutes: we'll talk about what's weighing on you and whether coaching is a good fit.
Book a free 30-minute coaching intro
See you out there.
— Kai
References
Hall, J., & Jostad, J. (2020). The role of pay and sense of community in the turnover of outdoor adventure education field staff. Journal of Outdoor Recreation, Education, and Leadership, 12(3). https://doi.org/10.18666/JOREL-2020-V12-I3-9974
Kolaski, A. Z., & Taylor, J. M. (2019). Critical factors for field staff: The relationship between burnout, coping, and vocational purpose. Journal of Experiential Education, 42(4), 398–416. https://doi.org/10.1177/1053825919868817
Marchand, G., & Russell, K. C. (2011). Initial training of field instructors in outdoor behavioral healthcare programs. Journal of Outdoor Recreation, Education, and Leadership, 3(2). https://doi.org/10.7768/1948-5123.1106
Marchand, G., & Russell, K. C. (2013). Examining the role of expectations and perceived job demand stressors for field instructors in outdoor behavioral healthcare. Residential Treatment for Children & Youth, 30(1), 55–71. https://doi.org/10.1080/0886571X.2013.751809
Marchand, G., Russell, K. C., & Cross, R. (2009). An empirical examination of outdoor behavioral healthcare field instructor job-related stress and retention. Journal of Experiential Education, 31(3), 359–375. https://doi.org/10.1177/105382590803100304
