What Is Ecotherapy?
Ecotherapy is an approach that supports health and wellbeing through deep nature connection and guided therapeutic support. Rooted in developing a more reciprocal relationship with the wider web of life, it offers space for reflection, healing, and personal growth. Encounters with the more-than-human world can often reflect our own inner landscapes, revealing our kinship with nature rather than our separation from it. These insights can offer new perspectives, deeper self-awareness, and sense of belonging within the world around us. Life can feel overwhelming at times, and none of us are meant to navigate it alone. Ecotherapy creates a supportive space to reconnect with the ground beneath your feet and gently rediscover your innate capacity for healing, growth, and change.
1-1 ECOTHERAPY
In the Black Mountains & Bannau Brycheiniog
How I Practice
My practice is rooted in Natural Academy’s Natural Self Ecotherapy (NSET) model, offering a person-centred, trauma-informed approach that meets you where you are and moves at a pace led by you. I offer an inclusive, non-judgemental space for guidance, reflection, and self-discovery, supporting whatever may arise for you moment by moment. Ecotherapy sessions are collaborative, and through working together with nature, we can explore practices that support you both between sessions and beyond our time together, helping you integrate healing and growth into your everyday life.
Creative & Embodied Approaches
At times, words may not fully reflect what we are experiencing. Creative and embodied approaches can open space for self-expression and discovery in different ways. During a session, I may invite some creative and body-based practices such as movement, working with natural materials, and art making with the land. By bringing gentle awareness to the body and senses, these approaches can support the expression of parts that may feel unclear or difficult to put into words, allowing for a more intuitive and sensory exploration of what is present for you.
Working Online
Working online together can offer opportunities to deepen your connection with your local nature spaces, and sessions can also be adapted for those who may find it difficult to travel or leave their home due to health reasons. It's also possible to combine online and in-person sessions as a blended approach, depending on your needs.
What Happens During an Ecotherapy Session?
Each ecotherapy session is shaped by what feels most present for you. Throughout each session, I will walk alongside you and offer support as you move toward what feels important to notice, hold, or explore.
Each session usually involves:
- A nature-based grounding practice
- A space to check-in and explore what is present for you
- Guided time to explore nature-based, creative, or body-based practices
- A space to reflect on and integrate your experiences
How can ecotherapy support mental and emotional wellbeing?
Through developing a reciprocal relationship with nature, ecotherapy sessions can help regulate the nervous system, ease stress and anxiety and support emotional balance, relaxation, and calm.
Is ecotherapy just going for a walk in nature?
Ecotherapy involves a structured therapeutic experience. The focus for each session is on intentional, meaningful interactions with nature, which are tailored to each individual’s needs. These experiences engage both mind and body to support healing, personal growth, and a deeper relationship with nature.
Do I need to be outdoors for ecotherapy to work?
Not always. Although sessions are usually held outdoors, ecotherapy can also take place indoors. Practices may include guided visualisation, sensory exercises, nature-based reflection, or creative work with natural materials.
Is ecotherapy a replacement for traditional counselling or psychotherapy?
Natural Self Ecotherapy offers a distinct approach with its own depth and focus, addressing mental, physical, and emotional wellbeing in connection with the natural world. It nurtures a deep bond with nature to cultivate a sense of wholeness, purpose, and belonging.
Can anyone take part in ecotherapy?
Ecotherapy is for anyone wanting to explore their health and wellbeing in connection with nature, and sessions can be tailored to each person. This helps ensure that each person can experience the benefits of connecting with nature in ways that feel safe, supportive, and meaningful to them.
What training or qualifications do you have?
I received my Level 4 accreditation in ecotherapy with The Natural Academy. As a member of the Nature and Health Practice Network (NHP), I align with their practice guidelines and ethical framework. As part of my commitment to best practice, I engage in regular supervision and peer mentoring to support ongoing reflection, learning, and those I work with.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sessions & Fees
How much do sessions cost?
Sessions are 60 minutes long and the fee is £60. Frequency and number of sessions can vary depending on your circumstances and this is something we can explore in the first session and review at different stages of working together.
If you are experiencing financial hardship, I offer a limited number of concession-rate spaces. Please feel free to contact me to find out more.
Where do they take place?
Sessions currently take place in ancient woodland 2 miles from Hay on Wye in the Black Mountains, Wales.
How do I start ecotherapy?
I offer a free 20 minute call where you can ask any questions and see whether working together feels like a good fit. Thereafter you are welcome to book an introductory session.
If you would like to explore ecotherapy with me, feel free to get in touch here
