We all have a relationship with nature, from the pot plant on your windowsill, to the parks and green spaces that Sheffield is loved for.
Maybe you’ve felt calmed by the wildness of the Peak District moors, or the sound of the river Rivelin running through the woodland.
Spending time in natural surroundings can help us feel calmer, more connected to ourselves and each other, and calm the nervous system.
What is Ecotherapy?
Ecotherapy works with nature, and our relationship with it, as part of the therapy.
It can be easy to feel disconnected from nature when so much of daily life happens indoors, behind screens or against a deadline. Finding that connection again, or building it for the first time, can make a real difference to how you feel, both mentally and emotionally.
Being outside can make it easier to connect with others, too. Some people find it easier to think while moving, or doing things. Walking alongside someone, rather than sitting opposite them, tends to suit people who find eye contact intense, or who simply find it easier to open up while moving.
When we work outside, the weather and seasons become part of our work. The way that we move – whether that’s walking, or sitting – is part of the process. Sometimes moving away from a sofa in a therapy room can create space to explore on a deeper level without feeling the pressure to say enough, or the right thing.
Movement and breathing are often used in grounding exercises, and in working outdoors both of these play a part in sessions quite naturally. We tend not to feel the need to fill in the silences in the same way, or make eye contact as much.
We often use metaphors and examples to explain things we don’t have exact words for, and nature can give us ways to describe how we’re feeling and share that with others. A session might mean walking, sitting somewhere quiet, or noticing what’s happening around us and letting it shape the conversation. It doesn’t have to be about words at all. Picking up a leaf, turning a stick over in your hands, or sitting down in the grass can give you something to do while you think. Things that happen in the natural space around us might feel like an interruption, or they might feel like they have meaning.
Is it structured?
As with any counselling, we’ll explore your goals and what you want from therapy. You might have a clear idea of what you want from sessions, or just a sense that you want things to be different. We will still check in and work towards your goals just as we would if we were working in a room.
Issues I work with
Most of my clients don’t have a single, easy-to-describe issue they’re struggling with. Often, there is more than one thing going on, and we need to look at the whole picture.
You don’t need a diagnosis, a crisis, or one single defining event for what you’re going through to be worth exploring here. Counselling is not about where you start from, but about finding a way forward that feels right for you.
Being outdoors can help calm your nervous system, and also takes the pressure off making eye contact or filling the silences. Many people with ADHD, autism of AuDHD find their brains are calmer when they’re doing something active.
Eating disorders are often about control, but underneath that there is often a lot of fear. Working outdoors can give you the opportunity to connect with your body in a different way.
I work at a pace that feels safe and manageable, to help you reach a place where you feel more in control. I work with trauma, PTSD, borderline personality disorder (BPD) and traumatic grief.