Ecotherapy / eARTherapy

I have over 25 years experience with individuals, groups, students and teams, working creatively with and for the rest of nature, promoting:- eco-creativity and wellbeing - a more reciprocal caring relationship with the rest of nature;- eco-supervision / eARTh-based supervision - nature-based creative approaches within supervision;- eco personal development and learning.

This has included outdoor experiential learning and workshops, outdoor team building etc. Formats have included: half days, days, residential weekends.

Labyrinth Tree watercolour 010117

Evidence for Nature and Wellbeing

Visit the online ASLA resource detailing many research studies on the Health benefits of nature.

Other resources include: A review of nature-based interventions for mental health care (Natural England, 2016) - a recent report on research by the University of Essex and Mind (a leading UK mental health charity).

See also e.g. The mental health benefits of nature exposure (2015); Connecting with nature offers a new approach to mental health care (2016) and the Children and Nature Network.

eARTherapy

A core strand of practice is eARTherapy - promoting eco-creativity and reciprocal caring relationship with the rest of nature, also working with and for nature.

"eARTherapy" (Sibbett, 1992, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2016, etc.) is a nature-based approach that informs my practise of Art Psychotherapy, Counselling / Psychotherapy and Ecotherapy - celebrating and fostering eco-creativity with and for Nature. A key aim is to nurture wellbeing, creativity and Nature; underpinned by and committed to 'earth caring' values. It features:

Ecotherapy is a nature-based therapeutic approach that is informed by ecopsychology. It can support wellbeing and help create better relationships with nature, ourselves and each other. For more details, see MIND's summary: What is Ecotherapy?; and also see our Resources page for other sources of information.

"Earth's the right place for love" (Robert Frost, Birches)

Tree pathway
Photograph (c)CS
Rotation

eARTh-based Practice

Committed to eARTh-caring values, Green Care and eco-creativity.


eARThing

Promoting Green Care and eco-creativity in the curriculum and practice.
Green Man
Photograph (c)CS
Green Man clay (c)CS
Artwork / Photograph (c)CS

'Therapeutic tetrad / quadrad'

(CS, 2002, 2006, 2007)
Client, therapist, art, nature

Kairos

A window of opportunity: fostering creative time & space, with and for nature.
Green Man
Photograph (c)CS
Green window
Photograph (c)CS

In a 2016 Report on A review of nature-based interventions for mental health care, Bragg and Atkins (2016, p.12) summarise that "nature-based interventions have been termed ‘green care’ (Pretty, 2006; Hine et al., 2008a,c; Sempik et al., 2010; Sempik and Bragg, 2013), ‘ecotherapy’ (Mind 2007, 2013; Bragg et al, 2013) or simply ‘nature-based interventions’." They propose that "the term ‘Green Care’ should be used to describe the range of activities that fall within the scope of nature-based interventions for individuals with a defined or diagnosed need." (Bragg & Atkins, 2016, p.viii).


Bragg, R. and Atkins, G. (2016) A review of nature-based interventions for mental health care. Natural England Commissioned Reports, Number204. http://publications.naturalengland.org.uk/publication/4513819616346112