The Potential Unlimited Programme: an outdoor experiential education and group work approach that facilitates adjustment to brain injury

Two pilot Potential Unlimited Programmes (PUPs) were examined to determine participant outcomes related to adjustment to acquired brain injury (ABI) and to investigate the contribution of the group work component of the programme. A mixed qualitative and quantitative longitudinal design was employed with 14 participants and a demographically matched comparison group of eight respondents. Results showed significant and sustained improvement in participants' subjective quality of life. Analysis of interview data provided insights into how the programmes provided opportunities for participants to engage in key tasks of adjustment to injury. Participants who regularly attended the follow-up group stages of the programmes made significantly greater gains than non-attendees. In conclusion, the combination of outdoor experiential education with extensive group work found in the PUPs is likely to represent a unique and powerful approach for addressing many of the issues associated with the process of psychosocial adjustment to injury and restoring quality of life, following ABI.