What happens at Nature Therapy?
Images courtesy of Ethan Everett
Our weekly group nature therapy sessions are a chance to unwind, destress, make connections, and engage with the natural world.
Each week our session themes vary but the structure stays the same. We will meet you in the car park and walk together to a round outdoor wooden hut. Here we will open our circle by introducing ourselves using the talking stick and share how our week has been. We will then invite you to find a ‘sit spot’ or enjoy a ‘wild wonder’ in the nearby woodland to slow down and start to engage and immerse in the natural world. We will then invite you to participate in an activity if you would like to. Some activities we have enjoyed this year include clay model making, painting, team games, yoga, bug hunting, den building, cloud watching, star gazing, creative writing, foraging, leaf bashing, and much more! If the weather allows, we may build a campfire and enjoy cooking on the fire while making connections with others in the group. We finish our session with a closing circle, sharing our gratitude’s.
Here’s what Youth Board member, Zac, had to say about his experience:
“I really enjoyed it actually. The location is really perfect for it. Overall I think having enough time to do all the activities properly and really be immersed in them is very important, but you guys facilitated them really well and the combination of group or individual and arty or practical tasks will appeal to lots of people. Personally, I think that being in a more open space is the most valuable part, it completely changes the atmosphere compared to being in a small room, even when I was talking to [fellow Youth Board members] Grace and Bluebell, who I have known for quite a while now, it felt different, and that was what made it more effective.”