Ecotherapy

Ecotherapy, also known as nature therapy, is a very real treatment which is gaining increasing use in mainstream health care.
Modern research has shown that health can be enhanced, and healing hastened through engagement with nature. Examples of ecotherapy can include structured activities such as horticultural therapy, pet therapy, forest bathing, swimming with dolphins or outdoor painting or yoga classes.

Academic research from around the world has revealed some remarkable facts about how simply being in a natural setting can have a huge impact on health. We know for a fact that hospital stays can be shortened, and recovery from illness hastened by providing views from a bed into a park or garden.

This course has very real value for anyone working in the field of health whether professionally or as support for a family member or friend. 

Lesson Structure

There are 8 lessons in this course:

1. Nature & Scope of Ecotherapy Applications
   • Ecopsychology
   • What is Ecotherapy
   • Need for Mental Health Interventions
   • General Benefits of Nature on Wellbeing
   • Ecotherapy Settings
   • Care Farms
   • Community Gardens
   • Parks
   • Wilderness
   • Green Spaces
   • Nature in Towns and Cities
   • Terminology
2. Theoretical Perspectives
   • Ecological Theories
   • Problems Associated with Built Environments
   • Nature & Mental Health Research
   • Is Direct Contact with Nature Necessary?
3. Clients in Ecotherapy
   • Psychological Wellbeing Benefits to Clients
   • Physical Benefits to Clients
   • Barriers to Getting Involved in Ecotherapy
   • Psychological Issues -Bio phobia, Agoraphobia, Autism
   • Physical Issues -Mobility, Sensory Deficits
   • Safe Practices – Hazards, Risks, Allergies, First Aid, Legalities, Insurance, Ethics
4. Outdoor Ecotherapy with Plants
   • Activities with Plants
   • Harvesting Food
   • Grow Your Own Food
   • Foraging
   • Conservation Projects
   • Gardening
   • Green Exercise, Green Gyms
   • Blue Spaces
   • Psychological Ecotherapy Activity – Fascination Therapy, Nature Meditation, Forest Bathing, Horticultural Therapy, etc
   • Using the Senses – Taste, Sound, Smell. Touch, Sight
   • Extreme Weather
5. Outdoor Ecotherapy with Animals
   • Ecotherapy with Animals
   • Bird Watching
   • Photography
   • Pets
   • Pet Therapy
   • Equine Therapy
   • Farms
   • Interacting with Wildlife
   • Water
   • Using the Senses
6. Indoor Ecotherapy Activities
   • Electronically Engaging with Nature
   • Photographs
   • Stargazing
   • Growing plants Indoors
   • Cut Flowers
   • Touching Nature
   • Arts and Crafts
   • Indoor Pets/ Animals
7. Creative Arts Ecotherapy Activities
   • Therapeutic Photography
   • Writing
   • Poetry
   • Art
   • Music
   • Drama
   • Dance
   • Play Therapy
8. Complimentary Therapies and Activities
   • Walking
   • Relaxation
   • Mindfulness
   • Counselling in Nature
   • Silence
   • Other Modalities
   • Our Connection with Nature
   • Lesson Review
   • Final Assessment

Who is this Course for?

• Health and Fitness professionals
• Coaches, counsellors, psychologists
• People who create or manage environments -inside or out (eg. landscapers, gardeners, interior designers)
• Therapists seeking to broaden the scope of services they offer
• Horticultural therapists, play therapists, rehabilitation officers
• Anyone seeking to help themselves or others to a better level of wellbeing through ecotherapy