Article

Choosing the ‘right’ space to work in: Reflections prior to a nature therapy session

Authors:
To read the full-text of this research, you can request a copy directly from the author.

Abstract

This paper explores ways in which a nature therapist considers the issue of space when choosing “the right setting” for a session with a new client. Drawing upon the therapist’s thoughts prior to the encounter, the paper illustrates ways in which nature’s influence is incorporated into the choice, using this reflection to highlight new concepts. The article begins with a review of relevant theory, to place the issue within the larger context, continues with a reflexive description, and concludes with questions and themes that emerge from the case.

No full-text available

Request Full-text Paper PDF

To read the full-text of this research,
you can request a copy directly from the author.

... Historically, the physical setting in counselling/psychotherapy has received relatively scant attention in psychotherapeutic literature (Fenner, 2011;Backhaus, 2008;Berger, 2007). Of the studies that have been conducted, the focus has been largely on client and therapist components, thus overlooking how the physical environment might influence various processes within the therapeutic encounter (Jordan, 2015;Backhaus, 2008;Fenner, 2011;Pressly & Heesacker, 2001). ...
... Despite this, the awareness that therapy processes and outcomes are subject to influences by the setting of the therapy, is not new (Pressly & Heesacker, 2001;Gross et al., 1998). Recent studies have sought to promote the interconnectedness between therapist-client-physical environment factors as dynamic influences within the therapy encounter, thus challenging the privileging of human influences on the therapeutic process (Jordan, 2015;Backhaus, 2008;Berger, 2007). Backhaus (2008) argues that investigations of the therapeutic process need to explicitly acknowledge the potential influence of the physical environment as it is an interconnected part of the overall therapeutic encounter. ...
Article
Full-text available
Walk and talk is an emergent therapeutic activity within counselling/psychotherapy practice. The activity of ‘walk and talk’ is pan-theoretical and can be utilised as the foundation for all therapeutic work, or as a periodic activity in conjunction with office based sessions. Research exploring the benefits and utility of walk and talk is in its infancy despite the growing number of therapists choosing to integrate this activity into their professional practice. This study explored general perceptions of walk and talk as a therapeutic activity, generating qualitative data gained from short answer responses that sought to elicit perceptions of appealing and least appealing aspects of walk and talk therapy. Thematic analysis identified the following three themes: ‘being outdoors’; ’engaging in movement’ and the ‘aspects affecting the context of therapy’. Taking therapy into an outdoor context and walking while talking was perceived to both support and hinder the therapeutic intent. This highlights complex and multi-layered relationships people have with ‘place’ as well as the importance of the provision of a professional framework in offering this therapeutic activity. Understanding potential clients’ perceptions of therapeutic interventions, can serve to inform professional practice, leading to a client led and informed approach.
... Nature Therapy, which takes place in nature, is based on an innovative experiential approach. It seeks to broaden the classical concept of setting as a static, permanent place under the control and ownership of the therapist to include the dynamic natural environment as a partner in the shaping of the setting and process (Berger, , 2007a(Berger, , 2007b. The developing theory, concepts, and methods of this approach to therapy help it operate in the living, open environment and take advantage of its healing elements to support therapeutic processes and develop in new directions. ...
... It is the therapist rather than the framework "doing the work". As I see it, Nature Therapy, as a framework is (merely) a set of ideas that can help therapists (and clients) choose the "right setting" , plan interventions and "do good" nature-oriented therapy (Berger, 2007b. It is the personality of the therapist, as well as the specific interventions and actions that he or she takes in relation to the surroundings and the client that will enliven the framework and hopefully help the magic of "therapy" crystallize. ...
Article
This article presents an innovative framework that uses the natural environment as a partner in a creative and nonverbal therapeutic process. Integrating examples from practice, this article illustrates the ways in which the concepts and methods of “nature therapy” can be implemented with different clients and different settings.
Article
Full-text available
Outdoor talking therapy is an evidence-based approach. It is typically used to combine the conventional outcomes of indoor therapy with the known benefits of connecting with the natural world. Meeting with clients in open, outdoor spaces can permit an authentic, human-to-human encounter, whilst at the same time allowing for physical distancing in line with current Covid-19 government recommendations. Therapy outdoors is supported across diverse client groups and therapy modalities. However, therapy outdoors will not suit all clients, practitioners and services. This guidance document is intended to support individualised assessment and formulation when considering therapy outdoors (e.g. suitability of approach based on client and presenting problem, choice of outdoor activity, practicalities and issues concerning safety, consent and confidentiality). This document is not intended to supersede local guidance. It is recommended that the practitioner consults relevant policy documents and guidance in their service or professional body. This document should be used in conjunction with appropriate critical thinking and clinical reasoning.
Article
Full-text available
Time spent in natural outdoor spaces has physiological and psychological benefits, such as reduced stress responses and improved mood. Mental health practitioners have begun to harness nature's restorative capacity by challenging convention and taking talking therapies outdoors. This review synthesises the experiences of these practitioners and their clients, with the aim of establishing a framework for best practice. A thematic synthesis was used to provide a systematic and integrative exploration of multiple therapy professions. Articles (N = 38, published from 1994 to 2019) comprised 322 practitioners and 163 clients. A mixed-method meta-synthesis resulted in a framework of higher and lower level themes: the outdoor context for therapy ranged in intensity from sitting or walking in urban parks and woodland to remote wilderness expeditions. The outdoors provided either a passive backdrop to therapy or was more actively incorporated through behavioural analysis, relationship building, metaphor, narrative therapy, role play, modelling, and stabilisation. Practical, therapeutic, and organisational issues were mitigated through assessment and formulation, informed consent, process contracting, enhancing predictability where possible, and awareness of professional competency. Therapy was subsequently enriched by added mutuality, freedom of expression, mind-body holism, interconnectedness with the natural world, and practitioner well-being. The question of whether therapy in natural spaces should become a mainstream treatment option is discussed.
Article
In this paper the human-nature relationship is recognized as a major field of interest and a platform of ideas linked with it is explored. A ‘new’ source to inform an alternative paradigm for outdoor education is proposed; it is millennia old, has roots all over the globe and is a living, breathing, and evolving tradition—indigenous ways. While recognizing the diversity of indigenous people, the paper explores common characteristics of thought and practice within indigenous traditions. Indigenous ways are defined and their connection with outdoor education is explored. The author concludes that indigenous ways have the potential to inspire a fundamental change in outdoor education, while providing working models for theory and practice.
Article
This article describes a creative framework in which nature is incorporated in therapy with older adults. Using an example from practice, it illustrates how the integration of concepts from the narrative approach and the innovative nature therapy framework can help older people expand their perspectives, connect with strength, and expand their coping strategies, while gaining a wider sense of acceptance and completion in life.
Article
Full-text available
In most cases, therapy is addressed as an indoor, verbal, and cognitive activ- ity, with the relationship between therapist and client at its center (McLeod, 2003). This article presents an alternative approach to therapy, conducted in creative ways in nature, addressing the environment not merely as a setting but as a partner in the process. The article includes examples of work that took place with different clients, in varied settings. It aims at presenting basic con- cepts from this young framework that will inspire other practitioners to "open the doors" and explore these ideas with their clients in nature.
Article
Full-text available
Argues that evolutionary heritage underlies humans' consistent preference for stimuli from the natural environment and that research on affective and aesthetic responses is needed to understand human interaction with the environment. It is noted that the rapidly expanding empirical record concerning aesthetic and affective responses to natural environments is in need of a well-developed theoretical foundation. An integrated conceptual framework to address this theoretical lack, drawing on recent theory and research on emotion, is proposed. This framework explains how affects arise in the natural environment; postulates their functions; and links them to cognition, activity in physiological systems, and behavior. The present author, in developing the framework, questions the view that feelings result from cognitive processes, asserting that feelings (not thoughts) are the initial response in environmental encounters. The observer's initial feeling reaction shapes subsequent cognitive events. The relative sequence of feeling and thinking in environmental encounters represents a fundamental issue in understanding human interaction with the environment. (98 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Article
Full-text available
This book describes the clinical application of the growing body of ideas and practices that has come to be known as narrative therapy. The primary focus is on the ways of working that have arisen among therapists who . . . have organized their thinking around 2 metaphors: narrative and social construction. [This book is a text] for anyone curious about narrative, ready to have customary ways of seeing the world challenged, and eager to adopt clinical practices that give precedence to people's voices and stories. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Article
Full-text available
Investigated the effects of interpersonal distance, intensity of lighting, and time on counselor communication of affective and cognitive self-disclosure. Excerpts from initial sessions conducted by 18 counselors-in-training with 54 clients were randomly selected and rated. Results indicate significant effects of Distance on counselor concreteness and of Lighting on counselor communication of cognitive sets in the last third of the interviews. Additionally, Distance had a significant effect on counselee affective self-disclosure in the 2nd third of the interviews. (12 ref)
Article
Full-text available
In this article, the author reconsiders reflexivity and attempts to examine some unresolved issues by drawing particular attention to the relationship between reflexivity and certain related phenomena/processes: the researcher’s a priori knowledge, values, beliefs; empathy within qualitative research; the presence and influence of the researcher’s tacit knowledge, and May’s “magic” in method. Given the limitations of some reflexive activity identified in this article, the author introduces the case for greater intellectual entrepreneurship within the context of qualitative research. He suggests that excessive emphasis on reflexive activity might inhibit intellectual entrepreneurship. Wherein intellectual entrepreneurship implies a conscious and deliberate attempt on the part of academics to explore the world of ideas boldly; to take more risks in theory development and to move away from being timid researchers.
Article
The author argues that an integration of ecopsychology and transpersonal psychology is useful for both. Empirical research on nature‐based transpersonal experiences is cited, and the contributions of Fox (1990) and Wilber (1995) are discussed. Nondual transpersonal states are found to be at the core of both fields. However, misunderstandings of nonduality have hampered this integration. A description of nondual dimensions of Being is presented, followed by discussion of ways to bring transpersonal practices into ecopsychology.
Article
The anthropomorphic paradigm in psychology and psychotherapy has prevented nature from being considered a factor in the curative relationship in adventure therapy. The effectiveness of therapeutic interventions are credited instead to human factors such as program design and facilitation. A paradigm shift is needed in adventure therapy to accept and honor the healing powers of nature. (Contains 50 references.) (TD)
Article
Interviews Roger and Louise Barker and traces their work together at the Midwest Psychological Field Station in Oskaloosa, Kansas, as well as early influences on Roger Barker. Discusses practical implications for their work in education and counseling. (Author/ABB)
Article
Examines the bond between sacred space and the theater stage in terms of its therapeutic value. The resemblance is analyzed using environmental psychology and Jungian concepts of self as both represent a microcosm and a taboo. Every therapy group is seen as building a symbolic sacred space, an internal, secure zone. J. L. Moreno's (1978) first architectural experiments are described as a mandala-like form with 3 levels, approximating sacred forms. Jungian concepts are presented to argue that mandalas are expressions of self-enhancing contact with inner centers and that the stage facilitates the unfolding of the individualization process. It is suggested that contact with the stage can result in the activation of unconscious content, and that knowledge of the archetypal content of the stage can provide the therapist with a frame of reference for evaluating a S's relationship to their center. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Article
In his latest book Theodore Roszak searches for the environmental dimensions of sanity where conventional psychology leaves off: at the threshold of the nonhuman world. "The Voice of the Earth" seeks to bridge this centuries-old split between the psychological and the ecological. A true "ecopsychology," Roszak insists, sees the needs of the planet and the needs of the person as a continuum. In a sense that weaves science and psychiatry, poetry and politics together, he shows that the ecological priorities of the biosphere are coming to be expressed through our most private emotional and spiritual travail. The Earth's cry for rescue from the punishing weight of the industrial system we have created is our own cry for a scale and quality of life that will free us to become the whole and healthy person that more and more members of our species are coming to believe we were born to be. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Reflexivity and voice
  • R Hertz
Different faces of the setting
  • A Barkan
Effects of aesthetic surroundings
  • A Maslow
  • L Mintz
In the footsteps of nature
  • R Berger