Natalie and Alyssa create art and enjoy the sights and sounds of Midlothian Mines Park

Eco-therapy or nature-based psychotherapy “focuses on developing a meaningful connection with nature while exploring one's emotions and difficulties.”

Eco-therapy might be something you engage in by tending to the garden in your backyard or when choosing to sit in the park to read your book rather than staying indoors. It could be going for a morning walk or setting aside time to take a more strenuous weekend hike in the mountains.

Tapping into the benefits of being outdoors can be done with intention while in session with a qualified therapist or unknowingly through different daily practices.

When utilized with specific treatment goals in mind, eco-therapy can assist clients in alleviating feelings of isolation associated with depression and anxiety by reinforcing a sense of interconnectedness with other living things, from plants and insects, to birds and other local wildlife.

Observation of nature, the way tree branches bend toward the light, reaching broadly with roots spread out beneath the surface, this example showcases the adaptability and resilience found everywhere in nature and instills hope that difficult change and major obstacles can be weathered with support from loved ones and through therapy.

Clients are invited to engage in outdoor artmaking through various directives such as nature mandalas, creating a circle design using found materials with the understanding that the elements, animals, or people may alter or even destroy what they create.

This process reinforces concepts associated with mindfulness by helping clients recognize that uncomfortable emotions or upsetting situations are temporary stressors that will pass.

The inherent strengths of each client and the ability to remain emotionally regulated despite the unpredictability of day-to-day life can be explored within the “container” of a safe outdoor space and guidance from a trained therapist.

Learning how to tailor the outdoor psychotherapy experience to the individual client based on their presenting problems can produce so many obvious and hidden benefits in treatment as long as there is openness to what nature has to give and what we can also provide to it in return.

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Nature in Therapy