Bystander Intervention Tools for Outdoor Trips and Activities - Online Classroom

This session is focused on equipping people with practical tools so they feel more confident saying or doing something when they witness harassment or inappropriate behavior during trips and activities. It blends hands-on skill building with the behavioral science behind why bystander intervention is hard and how to make it more likely to happen.

We start by looking at the behavioral and nervous system responses of bystanders, including freezing, minimizing, diffusion of responsibility, and fear of social consequences. Understanding these responses helps people recognize that hesitation is common and predictable, not a personal failure. From there, we move into how to work with those reactions rather than get stuck in them.

Participants learn how to recognize early signs of harassment and boundary crossing in outdoor settings, especially where leadership roles, group dynamics, and power are present. Most of the session is spent practicing intervention through role play. Participants try out different approaches, including interrupting in the moment, redirecting group dynamics, checking in with someone afterward, or pulling in additional support. Practice includes tolerating discomfort, making mistakes, and adjusting in real time.

People leave with a clearer understanding of their own reactions as bystanders and concrete tools they have already practiced using.

Presenter 

Kallie Kurtz is a Behavioral Health Clinician specializing in trauma, ADHD, and crisis response in emergency departments, individual therapy, and public health policy. An avid whitewater kayaker and mountain enthusiast, she has been exploring the outdoors for over 30 years. Bringing together her passions for the outdoors, wilderness medicine, and behavioral health, she has been working to ensure Backcountry Behavioral Health is fully incorporated into wilderness medicine and outdoor adventure fields. A Wilderness First Responder since 2009, she spent nearly a decade instructing and guiding outdoor expeditions, where she witnessed firsthand the profound connection between mental health, risk, and resilience in remote environments. With expertise in trauma, PTSD recovery, and resilience building, Kallie equips outdoor enthusiasts to understand behavioral health, navigate high-stress incidents and foster post-traumatic growth in wilderness settings.

7:00-8:30pm PST via Zoom Meeting
Meeting link will be sent to registered attendees the day of the session.