what I offer
ecotherapy
Connection with the earth and its systems are at the core of ecotherapy, which typically fuses mindfulness and psychotherapy outside in nature, to restore emotional, physical, and mental well-being.
Ecotherapy is structured and involves targeted interventions to achieve a specific goal, rather than just being “therapy outdoors”. It can be delightfully spontaneous and take many forms including walking and talking outdoors; being creative; doing activities such as gardening or learning horticulture; being active; practising mindfulness and celebrating being in the “here and now”.
I believe that humans, like the earth, have the capacity to self-regulate and heal if they feel connected and in harmony with their environment. Ecotherapy can promote a profound sense of belonging - particularly important in a modern technological world where people spend so much time indoors on screens that they can forget what it feels like to be authentically, naturally human.
“You didn’t come into this world. You came out of it, like a wave from the ocean. You are not a stranger here.” Alan Watts
art therapy
Sometimes it’s difficult to find the words to explain how we feel, and art making can enable new insight into unhelpful patterns of behaviour and repeating issues which come up in sessions. Image making can allow the creation of a dialogue between the self and others by making an internal narrative visible, and deepen understanding of past hurts.
Art therapy is suitable for a wide variety of clients, and may suit those who sometimes find other therapies difficult.
eco-art therapy
A blend of ecotherapy with art therapy which incorporates creativity, mindfulness and psychotherapy in nature, eco-art therapy helps to connect people with the outdoors in order to promote healing and improved mental health. Being creative may involve using the environment as inspiration to create images, or the use of found or natural materials such as wood, leaves or clay to make things outdoors which reflect the inner world. Eco-art therapy can instil a sense of wholeness and belonging and make us feel more ‘at home’ in the world. See my Gallery for some examples of recent eco art from sessions.