Nature Connected Psychotherapy (Ecotherapy)
Ecotherapy is the term given to any type of therapy based on the understanding that we are deeply and inherently connected to the natural world.
Nature Connected Psychotherapy is simply a combination of traditional psychotherapy with an ecological mindset, where we can engage with nature as part of the therapy.
Taking psychotherapy outside into the natural world can help us explore, understand and integrate our inner world and life experiences. Spending time in nature can also deepen the therapeutic process of reflection and our potential for healing.
Who is Nature Connected Psychotherapy for?
Clients who might find working in nature preferable to online or room based therapy include:
- Those that already feel a deep connection to nature and know that they will feel more comfortable in this environment.
- People who find the traditional therapy environment claustrophobic or feel that physical movement might help psychological ‘stuckness’.
- Those who want to explore their psychological response to the climate crisis.
- Individuals that feel a disconnection with the environment and a desire to engage more with nature connection in a supported way.
Examples of how we might work
My therapeutic work with clients outdoors is very much led by the individual’s needs and takes into account their past and current relationship with nature.
I offer a range of therapy models including:
- Seated outdoor spaces for psychotherapy
- Walking therapy
- Tailor made therapeutic journeys
- Nature connected Reflective Practice Groups
My personal relationship with nature
Nature has played a fundamental role throughout my own life and has been an immense factor in my general wellbeing and mental health.
As a child I grew up playing and learning in nature. As an adult I have learnt to value my environment and build a deep connection to the natural and more-than-human world.
For the last 30 years of my life I frequently run, walk, bike and swim in the beautiful lands of Snowdonia in which I live. These experiences have provided me with much joy but also a space in which I reflect, process and gain strength on a regular basis.
I, like many others, have concerns about society’s increasing disconnection with the natural world and the resulting problems this creates including: mental and physical ill-health as well as the climate and environmental challenges the planet is experiencing. Working in and with nature I believe enables me and my clients a space to reconnect and think about our relationship with the world in which we live.
My experiences of offering support in nature
In addition to offering Nature Connected Psychotherapy I have worked in nature with the following groups:
Since 2016 I have worked with a group of healthcare professionals providing an annual retreat in the hills of the Dyfi Valley, Mid-West Wales called ‘Healing in Healthcare’. Where doctors, midwives, nurses, etc can explore their relationships to ‘health’, ‘healing’, and ‘wholeness’ in their lives and professional practice. These weekends are held outside and work mainly through the medium of talking and listening, as well as meditation, movement and nature-based practices.
For most of my adult life I have worked with children for Forest School Camps as a staff member on summer camps. Please see the link for more information about their approach to education which focuses on learning by doing, encouraging exploration, resourcefulness, teamwork and mutual respect for each other and the environment. https://www.fsc.org.uk/about-fsc/
The process. How does it work in practice?
Unless you are an existing client we will initially meet for a 90 minute consultation session. This gives you the opportunity to get a feel for the process and how I work. I will ask a series of questions to help me understand your needs; what brings you to therapy and what you want to get out of it. There will also be time for you to ask any questions you might have about psychotherapy or my approach.
For some, this session alone may provide enough help. For others it forms an important base for further online or nature-connected therapy.
If during this session (or at any point during our work together) we agree to future sessions in nature I will explain all the practical considerations including: health and safety.
First Nature Connected Therapy Session
The first session will be seated therapy.
On arrival at the location I will meet you and give a tour of the facilities including toilets.
We will then walk a short distance to see the various potential locations for our meeting. These include a woodland, a sheltered area by a stream and a wildlife area by a pond.
Once you have chosen the location that feels most appropriate for you I will help make the space comfortable with folding chairs and blankets. In cold weather we could also sit by an open fire or shelter in a beautiful Round House.
Future sessions might include walking therapy if agreed.
Fees:
Initial online consultation session (90 minutes): £80.00
Nature Connected Psychotherapy session (90 minutes) fees are based on a sliding scale according to income (subject to a minimum £75 and maximum £90)
Location
Pandy Farm is a working farm and social enterprise built on 25 acres of land, which has been in the current family ownership since 1988. The farm includes horticultural land within a circular enclosure, workable pasture used for production of hay/haylage and grazing, and environmentally rich woodland and wetland with permanent running water. It is situated some 5 miles from the university city of Bangor and the beautiful Menai Straits. It is on the edge of Snowdonia National Park which can be accessed on foot directly from the farm.
Therapy (seated and walking) start at Pandy Farm
Tregarth, Bangor. Gwynedd, LL57 4RA